Olmsted County
Olmsted County, Minnesota: solar permitting grade C (score 42/100, 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 42/100 |
| Population | 162,847 |
| Solar ordinance | Active solar ordinance on the books |
| Active moratorium | None on record |
| Regulatory trajectory | Improving (ordinance direction easing) |
| 12-month score movement | Stable |
| Last verified | 2026-05-02 |
Developer outlook
Olmsted County carries elevated permitting risk. Developers should budget additional time for ordinance review, public hearing preparation, and community engagement. Minnesota'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 Olmsted County. An incorporated city, town or village can adopt its own zoning, separate from the county’s.
- Byron city
- Chatfield citypartly in this county
- Dover city
- Eyota city
- Oronoco city
- Pine Island citypartly in this county
- Rochester city
- Stewartville city
- Cascade township
- Dover township
- Elmira township
- Eyota township
- Farmington township
- Haverhill township
- High Forest township
- Kalmar township
- Marion township
- New Haven township
- Orion township
- Oronoco township
- Pleasant Grove township
- Quincy township
- Rochester township
- Rock Dell township
Show all
- Salem township
- Viola township
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, incorporated places and county subdivisions with an active government.
Nearby counties
- Wabasha County · ≈22 miC45—
- Dodge County · ≈23 miB38—
- Fillmore County · ≈27 miB41—
- Mower County · ≈29 miB39—
- Winona County · ≈31 miC43—
- Goodhue County · ≈32 miC45—
Compare these counties side-by-side →
Olmsted County ranks #64 of 87 ranked Minnesota counties (1 = lowest permitting risk). Lowest-risk in Minnesota: Ramsey County (A · 26), Hennepin County (A · 27), Rock County (A · 28). See all Minnesota 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.