Sangamon County
Sangamon County, Illinois: solar permitting grade D (score 62/100, High Risk). Score has been stable over the last 12 months. Primary-source ordinance and board-vote data on SitePath.
Public summary
| Grade | D · High Risk · Score 62/100 |
| Population | 197,465 |
| Solar ordinance | Active solar ordinance on the books |
| Active moratorium | None on record |
| Regulatory trajectory | Stable (no material ordinance movement) |
| 12-month score movement | Stable |
| Last verified | 2026-05-02 |
Developer outlook
Sangamon County is a high-risk jurisdiction for utility-scale solar — documented ordinance hurdles are significant and approval history is mixed or unfavorable. Illinois's state RPS policy provides a supportive macro backdrop for renewables, even where individual county ordinances are restrictive. Market saturation is elevated in this area — expect competition for prime land parcels and interconnection capacity.
Local intel
On file: named opposition groups
Cities, towns & townships
Local governments in Sangamon County. An incorporated city, town or village can adopt its own zoning, separate from the county’s.
- Auburn city
- Leland Grove city
- Springfield city
- Virden citypartly in this county
- Berlin village
- Buffalo village
- Cantrall village
- Chatham village
- Clear Lake village
- Curran village
- Dawson village
- Divernon village
- Grandview village
- Illiopolis village
- Jerome village
- Loami village
- Mechanicsburg village
- New Berlin village
- Pawnee village
- Pleasant Plains village
- Riverton village
- Rochester village
- Sherman village
- Southern View village
Show all
- Spaulding village
- Thayer village
- Williamsville village
- Auburn township
- Ball township
- Buffalo Hart township
- Capital township
- Cartwright township
- Chatham township
- Clear Lake township
- Cooper township
- Cotton Hill township
- Curran township
- Divernon township
- Fancy Creek township
- Gardner township
- Illiopolis township
- Island Grove township
- Lanesville township
- Loami township
- Maxwell township
- Mechanicsburg township
- New Berlin township
- Pawnee township
- Rochester township
- Springfield township
- Talkington township
- Williams township
- Woodside township
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, incorporated places and county subdivisions with an active government.
Nearby counties
- Menard County · ≈20 miB36—
- Christian County · ≈25 miD58—
- Morgan County · ≈29 miD58—
- Logan County · ≈30 miD54—
- Cass County · ≈34 miB38—
- Mason County · ≈36 miB33—
Compare these counties side-by-side →
Sangamon County ranks #97 of 102 ranked Illinois counties (1 = lowest permitting risk). Lowest-risk in Illinois: DeWitt County (A · 26), Bureau County (A · 26), Edgar County (A · 28). See all Illinois county grades →
Want the full record?
Setback distances, board vote histories, source documents, and ordinance amendments are available in the full county profile. The map is free; a walkthrough shows you the underlying record.
About this score
Every U.S. county is scored 0–100 on solar permitting risk (lower is friendlier to development). The grade is a weighted composite of compliance stringency, market saturation, regulatory trajectory, and data uncertainty. Every figure traces back to a primary government document. Read the full methodology →
Related reading
SitePath Intelligence is a research platform. Data verified as of 2026-05-02. Scores update on a quarterly review cycle.