Barnes County
Barnes County, North Dakota: 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 | 10,415 |
| Solar ordinance | No specific solar ordinance recorded |
| Active moratorium | None on record |
| Regulatory trajectory | Stable (no material ordinance movement) |
| 12-month score movement | Stable |
| Last verified | 2026-05-02 |
Developer outlook
Barnes County carries elevated permitting risk. Developers should budget additional time for ordinance review, public hearing preparation, and community engagement.
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: Cass County (≈39 mi) · Dickey County (≈61 mi) · Richland County (≈71 mi)
Cities, towns & townships
Local governments in Barnes County. An incorporated city, town or village can adopt its own zoning, separate from the county’s.
- Dazey city
- Fingal city
- Kathryn city
- Leal city
- Litchville city
- Nome city
- Oriska city
- Pillsbury city
- Rogers city
- Sanborn city
- Sibley city
- Tower City city
- Valley City city
- Wimbledon city
- Alta township
- Anderson township
- Ashtabula township
- Baldwin township
- Binghampton township
- Brimer township
- Cuba township
- Dazey township
- Eckelson township
- Edna township
Show all
- Ellsbury township
- Getchell township
- Grand Prairie township
- Green township
- Greenland township
- Hemen township
- Hobart township
- Lake Town township
- Mansfield township
- Marsh township
- Meadow Lake township
- Minnie Lake township
- Nelson township
- Noltimier township
- Norma township
- Oakhill township
- Oriska township
- Pierce township
- Potter township
- Raritan township
- Rogers township
- Rosebud township
- Sibley Trail township
- Skandia township
- Spring Creek township
- Springvale township
- Stewart township
- Svea township
- Thordenskjold township
- Uxbridge township
- Valley township
- Weimer township
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, incorporated places and county subdivisions with an active government.
Nearby counties
- Griggs County · ≈37 miC44—
- Cass County · ≈39 miB35—
- Steele County · ≈39 miC44—
- LaMoure County · ≈39 miB36—
- Ransom County · ≈40 miB36—
- Stutsman County · ≈42 miC45—
Compare these counties side-by-side →
Barnes County ranks #23 of 53 ranked North Dakota counties (1 = lowest permitting risk). Lowest-risk in North Dakota: Dunn County (B · 30), McLean County (B · 30), Dickey County (B · 30). See all North Dakota 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.