Beaver County
Beaver County, Pennsylvania: solar permitting grade D (score 53/100, High Risk). Score has been stable over the last 12 months. Primary-source ordinance and board-vote data on SitePath.
Public summary
| Grade | D · High Risk · Score 53/100 |
| Population | 170,539 |
| 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
Beaver County is a high-risk jurisdiction for utility-scale solar — documented ordinance hurdles are significant and approval history is mixed or unfavorable. 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 Pennsylvania, townships hold their own zoning and land-use authority, so the rules for a site in Beaver County often depend on which of these governments it falls in.
- Aliquippa city
- Beaver Falls city
- Ambridge borough
- Baden borough
- Beaver borough
- Big Beaver borough
- Bridgewater borough
- Conway borough
- Darlington borough
- East Rochester borough
- Eastvale borough
- Economy borough
- Ellwood City borough
- Fallston borough
- Frankfort Springs borough
- Freedom borough
- Georgetown borough
- Glasgow borough
- Homewood borough
- Hookstown borough
- Industry borough
- Koppel borough
- Midland borough
- Monaca borough
Show all
- New Brighton borough
- New Galilee borough
- Ohioville borough
- Patterson Heights borough
- Rochester borough
- Shippingport borough
- South Heights borough
- West Mayfield borough
- Brighton township
- Center township
- Chippewa township
- Darlington township
- Daugherty township
- Franklin township
- Greene township
- Hanover township
- Harmony township
- Hopewell township
- Independence township
- Marion township
- New Sewickley township
- North Sewickley township
- Patterson township
- Potter township
- Pulaski township
- Raccoon township
- Rochester township
- South Beaver township
- Vanport township
- White township
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, incorporated places and county subdivisions with an active government.
Nearby counties
- Hancock County, WV · ≈16 miD64—
- Lawrence County · ≈21 miC43—
- Columbiana County, OH · ≈23 miD62—
- Allegheny County · ≈24 miB36—
- Butler County · ≈28 miC45—
- Jefferson County, OH · ≈29 miB38—
Compare these counties side-by-side →
Beaver County ranks #49 of 67 ranked Pennsylvania counties (1 = lowest permitting risk). Lowest-risk in Pennsylvania: Montgomery County (B · 33), Monroe County (B · 35), Perry County (B · 36). See all Pennsylvania 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.