Shelby County
Shelby County, Illinois: solar permitting grade C (score 49/100, Elevated Risk). Score has been stable over the last 12 months. Primary-source ordinance and board-vote data on SitePath.
Public summary
| Grade | C · Elevated Risk · Score 49/100 |
| Population | 22,025 |
| Solar ordinance | Active solar ordinance on the books |
| Active moratorium | None on record |
| Regulatory trajectory | Worsening (ordinance direction tightening) |
| 12-month score movement | Stable |
| Last verified | 2026-05-02 |
Developer outlook
Shelby County carries elevated permitting risk. Developers should budget additional time for ordinance review, public hearing preparation, and community engagement. Illinois's state RPS policy provides a supportive macro backdrop for renewables, even where individual county ordinances are restrictive.
Local intel
On file: named opposition groups
Cities, towns & townships
Local governments in Shelby County. An incorporated city, town or village can adopt its own zoning, separate from the county’s.
- Pana citypartly in this county
- Shelbyville city
- Windsor city
- Sigel town
- Cowden village
- Findlay village
- Herrick village
- Moweaqua villagepartly in this county
- Oconee village
- Stewardson village
- Strasburg village
- Tower Hill village
- Ash Grove township
- Big Spring township
- Clarksburg township
- Cold Spring township
- Dry Point township
- Flat Branch township
- Herrick township
- Holland township
- Lakewood township
- Moweaqua township
- Oconee township
- Okaw township
Show all
- Penn township
- Pickaway township
- Prairie township
- Richland township
- Ridge township
- Rose township
- Rural township
- Shelbyville township
- Sigel township
- Todds Point township
- Tower Hill township
- Windsor township
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, incorporated places and county subdivisions with an active government.
Nearby counties
- Moultrie County · ≈20 miB33—
- Effingham County · ≈26 miB39—
- Christian County · ≈28 miD58—
- Fayette County · ≈29 miC47—
- Cumberland County · ≈31 miC42—
- Coles County · ≈32 miC49—
Compare these counties side-by-side →
Shelby County ranks #70 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.