Chester County
Chester County, Pennsylvania: solar permitting grade D (score 61/100, 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 61/100 |
| Population | 545,823 |
| 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
Chester County is a high-risk jurisdiction for utility-scale solar — documented ordinance hurdles are significant and approval history is mixed or unfavorable.
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 Chester County often depend on which of these governments it falls in.
- Coatesville city
- Atglen borough
- Avondale borough
- Downingtown borough
- Elverson borough
- Honey Brook borough
- Kennett Square borough
- Malvern borough
- Modena borough
- Oxford borough
- Parkesburg borough
- Phoenixville borough
- South Coatesville borough
- Spring City borough
- West Chester borough
- West Grove borough
- Birmingham township
- Caln township
- Charlestown township
- East Bradford township
- East Brandywine township
- East Caln township
- East Coventry township
- East Fallowfield township
Show all
- East Goshen township
- East Marlborough township
- East Nantmeal township
- East Nottingham township
- East Pikeland township
- East Vincent township
- East Whiteland township
- Easttown township
- Elk township
- Franklin township
- Highland township
- Honey Brook township
- Kennett township
- London Britain township
- London Grove township
- Londonderry township
- Lower Oxford township
- New Garden township
- New London township
- Newlin township
- North Coventry township
- Penn township
- Pennsbury township
- Pocopson township
- Sadsbury township
- Schuylkill township
- South Coventry township
- Thornbury township
- Tredyffrin township
- Upper Oxford township
- Upper Uwchlan township
- Uwchlan township
- Valley township
- Wallace township
- Warwick township
- West Bradford township
- West Brandywine township
- West Caln township
- West Fallowfield township
- West Goshen township
- West Marlborough township
- West Nantmeal township
- West Nottingham township
- West Pikeland township
- West Sadsbury township
- West Vincent township
- West Whiteland township
- Westtown township
- Willistown township
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, incorporated places and county subdivisions with an active government.
Nearby counties
- Delaware County · ≈19 miC48—
- Montgomery County · ≈26 miB33—
- Lancaster County · ≈27 miD61—
- New Castle County, DE · ≈28 miC47—
- Cecil County, MD · ≈30 miC49—
- Berks County · ≈32 miD56—
Compare these counties side-by-side →
Chester County ranks #63 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.