Does Pope County, Minnesota have a solar moratorium?

No. As of 2026-05-02, Pope County, Minnesota has no active solar moratorium on record. Score has been stable over the last 12 months.

What is Pope County’s solar permitting risk grade?

Pope County, Minnesota has a SitePath solar permitting grade of C — risk score 44/100 (Elevated Risk). Grades are based on primary-source county ordinances, board votes, and permitting activity, reviewed as of 2026-05-02.

What are the solar permitting rules in Pope County, Minnesota?

Ordinance status: Active solar ordinance on the books. Score has been stable over the last 12 months. See the full primary-source record — ordinance links, setbacks, board actions, and project history — on this page.

SitePath › County map › Minnesota › Pope County

Minnesota

Pope County

FIPS 27121

Pope County, Minnesota: solar permitting grade C (score 44/100, Elevated Risk). Score has been stable over the last 12 months. Primary-source ordinance and board-vote data on SitePath.

Score 44/100

Elevated Risk

Public summary

Grade	C · Elevated Risk · Score 44/100
Population	11,249
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

Pope 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

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: Swift County (≈25 mi) · Stevens County (≈26 mi) · Grant County (≈36 mi)

Browse all Minnesota county grades →

Cities, towns & townships

Local governments in Pope County. An incorporated city, town or village can adopt its own zoning, separate from the county’s.

Brooten city
Cyrus city
Farwell city
Glenwood city
Long Beach city
Lowry city
Sedan city
Starbuck city
Villard city
Westport city
Bangor township
Barsness township
Ben Wade township
Blue Mounds township
Chippewa Falls township
Gilchrist township
Glenwood township
Grove Lake township
Hoff township
Lake Johanna township
Langhei township
Leven township
Minnewaska township
New Prairie township

Show all

Nora township
Reno township
Rolling Forks township
Walden township
Westport township
White Bear Lake township

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, incorporated places and county subdivisions with an active government.

Nearby counties

Douglas County · ≈24 miB41—
Swift County · ≈25 miB40—
Stevens County · ≈26 miB36—
Grant County · ≈36 miB40—
Kandiyohi County · ≈37 miC43—
Chippewa County · ≈39 miB40—

Compare these counties side-by-side →

Pope County ranks #73 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.

Open the full Pope County profile → Request a demo

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 →