Wells County
Wells County, North Dakota: solar permitting grade C (score 43/100, 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 43/100 |
| Population | 3,865 |
| Solar ordinance | No specific solar ordinance recorded |
| Active moratorium | None on record |
| Regulatory trajectory | Worsening (ordinance direction tightening) |
| 12-month score movement | Stable |
| Last verified | 2026-05-02 |
Developer outlook
Wells 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: McLean County (≈82 mi) · Oliver County (≈84 mi) · Morton County (≈96 mi)
Cities, towns & townships
Local governments in Wells County. An incorporated city, town or village can adopt its own zoning, separate from the county’s.
- Bowdon city
- Cathay city
- Fessenden city
- Hamberg city
- Harvey city
- Hurdsfield city
- Sykeston city
- Berlin township
- Bilodeau township
- Bremen township
- Bull Moose township
- Cathay township
- Chaseley township
- Crystal Lake township
- Delger township
- Fairville township
- Forward township
- Fram township
- Germantown township
- Haaland township
- Hamburg township
- Hawksnest township
- Heimdal township
- Hillsdale township
Show all
- Johnson township
- Lynn township
- Manfred township
- Norway Lake township
- Oshkosh township
- Pony Gulch township
- Progress township
- Rusland township
- Silver Lake township
- South Cottonwood township
- Speedwell township
- St. Anna township
- Sykeston township
- Valhalla township
- Wells township
- West Norway township
- West Ontario township
- Western township
- Woodward township
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, incorporated places and county subdivisions with an active government.
Nearby counties
- Sheridan County · ≈31 miC44—
- Benson County · ≈37 miB36—
- Eddy County · ≈37 miC43—
- Foster County · ≈38 miB36—
- Kidder County · ≈45 miC49—
- Pierce County · ≈47 miC43—
Compare these counties side-by-side →
Wells County ranks #34 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.