Oakland County
Oakland County, Michigan: solar permitting grade A (score 29/100, Low Risk). Score has been stable over the last 12 months. Primary-source ordinance and board-vote data on SitePath.
Public summary
| Grade | A · Low Risk · Score 29/100 |
| Population | 1,274,395 |
| 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
Oakland County is among the lower-risk jurisdictions in Michigan for utility-scale solar development — ordinance conditions are favorable and permitting history is constructive. Michigan'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
In Michigan, townships hold their own zoning and land-use authority, so the rules for a site in Oakland County often depend on which of these governments it falls in.
- Auburn Hills city
- Berkley city
- Birmingham city
- Bloomfield Hills city
- Clawson city
- Farmington Hills city
- Farmington city
- Fenton citypartly in this county
- Ferndale city
- Hazel Park city
- Huntington Woods city
- Keego Harbor city
- Lake Angelus city
- Lathrup Village city
- Madison Heights city
- Northville city
- Novi city
- Oak Park city
- Orchard Lake Village city
- Pleasant Ridge city
- Pontiac city
- Rochester Hills city
- Rochester city
- Royal Oak city
Show all
- South Lyon city
- Southfield city
- Sylvan Lake city
- Troy city
- Village of Clarkston city
- Walled Lake city
- Wixom city
- Beverly Hills village
- Bingham Farms village
- Franklin village
- Holly village
- Lake Orion village
- Leonard village
- Milford village
- Ortonville village
- Oxford village
- Wolverine Lake village
- Addison township
- Bloomfield charter township
- Brandon charter township
- Commerce charter township
- Groveland township
- Highland charter township
- Holly township
- Independence charter township
- Lyon charter township
- Milford charter township
- Novi township
- Oakland charter township
- Orion charter township
- Oxford charter township
- Rose township
- Royal Oak charter township
- Southfield township
- Springfield charter township
- Waterford charter township
- West Bloomfield charter township
- White Lake charter township
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, incorporated places and county subdivisions with an active government.
Nearby counties
- Macomb County · ≈24 miA28—
- Wayne County · ≈27 miC44—
- Livingston County · ≈27 miB39—
- Genesee County · ≈30 miC47—
- Lapeer County · ≈31 miB40—
- Washtenaw County · ≈37 miB31—
Compare these counties side-by-side →
Oakland County ranks #2 of 83 ranked Michigan counties (1 = lowest permitting risk). Lowest-risk in Michigan: Macomb County (A · 28), Washtenaw County (B · 31), Delta County (B · 33). See all Michigan 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.