Bergen County
Bergen County, New Jersey: 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 | 955,732 |
| 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
Bergen County carries elevated permitting risk. Developers should budget additional time for ordinance review, public hearing preparation, and community engagement. New Jersey'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: New York County (≈14 mi) · Rockland County (≈14 mi) · Bronx County (≈14 mi)
Cities, towns & townships
In New Jersey, townships hold their own zoning and land-use authority, so the rules for a site in Bergen County often depend on which of these governments it falls in.
- Englewood city
- Garfield city
- Hackensack city
- Ridgefield Park village
- Ridgewood village
- Allendale borough
- Alpine borough
- Bergenfield borough
- Bogota borough
- Carlstadt borough
- Cliffside Park borough
- Closter borough
- Cresskill borough
- Demarest borough
- Dumont borough
- East Rutherford borough
- Edgewater borough
- Elmwood Park borough
- Emerson borough
- Englewood Cliffs borough
- Fair Lawn borough
- Fairview borough
- Fort Lee borough
- Franklin Lakes borough
Show all
- Glen Rock borough
- Harrington Park borough
- Hasbrouck Heights borough
- Haworth borough
- Hillsdale borough
- Ho-Ho-Kus borough
- Leonia borough
- Little Ferry borough
- Lodi borough
- Maywood borough
- Midland Park borough
- Montvale borough
- Moonachie borough
- New Milford borough
- North Arlington borough
- Northvale borough
- Norwood borough
- Oakland borough
- Old Tappan borough
- Oradell borough
- Palisades Park borough
- Paramus borough
- Park Ridge borough
- Ramsey borough
- Ridgefield borough
- River Edge borough
- Rockleigh borough
- Rutherford borough
- Saddle River borough
- Tenafly borough
- Teterboro borough
- Upper Saddle River borough
- Waldwick borough
- Wallington borough
- Westwood borough
- Wood-Ridge borough
- Woodcliff Lake borough
- Lyndhurst township
- Mahwah township
- River Vale township
- Rochelle Park township
- Saddle Brook township
- South Hackensack township
- Teaneck township
- Washington township
- Wyckoff township
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, incorporated places and county subdivisions with an active government.
Nearby counties
- Passaic County · ≈13 miB35—
- New York County, NY · ≈14 miD55—
- Rockland County, NY · ≈14 miB31—
- Bronx County, NY · ≈14 miA28—
- Essex County · ≈15 miB40—
- Hudson County · ≈16 miB34—
Compare these counties side-by-side →
Bergen County ranks #12 of 21 ranked New Jersey counties (1 = lowest permitting risk). Lowest-risk in New Jersey: Somerset County (B · 33), Union County (B · 33), Burlington County (B · 33). See all New Jersey 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.