Orange County
Orange County, New York: solar permitting grade B (score 40/100, 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 40/100 |
| Population | 403,799 |
| 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
Orange County presents moderate permitting risk; conditions are generally workable for utility-scale solar with standard due-diligence preparation. New York'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
In New York, towns hold their own zoning and land-use authority, so the rules for a site in Orange County often depend on which of these governments it falls in.
- Middletown city
- Newburgh city
- Port Jervis city
- Blooming Grove town
- Chester town
- Cornwall town
- Crawford town
- Deerpark town
- Goshen town
- Greenville town
- Hamptonburgh town
- Highlands town
- Minisink town
- Monroe town
- Montgomery town
- Mount Hope town
- New Windsor town
- Newburgh town
- Palm Tree town
- Tuxedo town
- Wallkill town
- Warwick town
- Wawayanda town
- Woodbury town
Show all
- Chester village
- Cornwall-on-Hudson village
- Florida village
- Goshen village
- Greenwood Lake village
- Harriman village
- Highland Falls village
- Kiryas Joel village
- Maybrook village
- Monroe village
- Montgomery village
- Otisville village
- South Blooming Grove village
- Tuxedo Park village
- Unionville village
- Walden village
- Warwick village
- Washingtonville village
- Woodbury village
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, incorporated places and county subdivisions with an active government.
Nearby counties
- Rockland County · ≈23 miB31—
- Passaic County, NJ · ≈25 miB35—
- Sussex County, NJ · ≈27 miC52—
- Putnam County · ≈29 miB32—
- Sullivan County · ≈32 miC43—
- Bergen County, NJ · ≈33 miC42—
Compare these counties side-by-side →
Orange County ranks #31 of 62 ranked New York counties (1 = lowest permitting risk). Lowest-risk in New York: Bronx County (A · 28), Saratoga County (B · 30), Queens County (B · 30). See all New York 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.