Story County
Story County, Iowa: solar permitting grade B (score 33/100, Moderate Risk). Score has been stable over the last 12 months. Primary-source ordinance and board-vote data on SitePath.
Public summary
| Grade | B · Moderate Risk · Score 33/100 |
| Population | 101,420 |
| Solar ordinance | No specific solar ordinance recorded |
| Active moratorium | None on record |
| Regulatory trajectory | Improving (ordinance direction easing) |
| 12-month score movement | Stable |
| Last verified | 2026-05-02 |
Developer outlook
Story County presents moderate permitting risk; conditions are generally workable for utility-scale solar with standard due-diligence preparation.
Local intel
No energy-related meetings, PSC dockets, or named opposition tracked for this county yet. See indexed calendar →
Nearby counties where SitePath is tracking energy activity: Polk County (≈25 mi) · Hardin County (≈27 mi) · Grundy County (≈43 mi)
Cities, towns & townships
Local governments in Story County. An incorporated city, town or village can adopt its own zoning, separate from the county’s.
- Ames city
- Cambridge city
- Collins city
- Colo city
- Gilbert city
- Huxley city
- Kelley city
- Maxwell city
- McCallsburg city
- Nevada city
- Roland city
- Sheldahl citypartly in this county
- Slater citypartly in this county
- Story City city
- Zearing city
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, incorporated places and county subdivisions with an active government.
Nearby counties
- Boone County · ≈24 miB39—
- Marshall County · ≈25 miB40—
- Polk County · ≈25 miA25—
- Hardin County · ≈27 miC46—
- Hamilton County · ≈27 miB37—
- Jasper County · ≈32 miB37—
Compare these counties side-by-side →
Story County ranks #7 of 99 ranked Iowa counties (1 = lowest permitting risk). Lowest-risk in Iowa: Polk County (A · 25), Scott County (A · 29), Wapello County (B · 31). See all Iowa 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.