Lancaster County
Lancaster 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 | 552,984 |
| 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
Lancaster 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: energy-related meetings · named opposition groups
Cities, towns & townships
In Pennsylvania, townships hold their own zoning and land-use authority, so the rules for a site in Lancaster County often depend on which of these governments it falls in.
- Lancaster city
- Adamstown boroughpartly in this county
- Akron borough
- Christiana borough
- Columbia borough
- Denver borough
- East Petersburg borough
- Elizabethtown borough
- Ephrata borough
- Lititz borough
- Manheim borough
- Marietta borough
- Millersville borough
- Mount Joy borough
- Mountville borough
- New Holland borough
- Quarryville borough
- Strasburg borough
- Terre Hill borough
- Bart township
- Brecknock township
- Caernarvon township
- Clay township
- Colerain township
Show all
- Conestoga township
- Conoy township
- Drumore township
- Earl township
- East Cocalico township
- East Donegal township
- East Drumore township
- East Earl township
- East Hempfield township
- East Lampeter township
- Eden township
- Elizabeth township
- Ephrata township
- Fulton township
- Lancaster township
- Leacock township
- Little Britain township
- Manheim township
- Manor township
- Martic township
- Mount Joy township
- Paradise township
- Penn township
- Pequea township
- Providence township
- Rapho township
- Sadsbury township
- Salisbury township
- Strasburg township
- Upper Leacock township
- Warwick township
- West Cocalico township
- West Donegal township
- West Earl township
- West Hempfield township
- West Lampeter township
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, incorporated places and county subdivisions with an active government.
Nearby counties
- Lebanon County · ≈25 miC48—
- York County · ≈27 miD53—
- Chester County · ≈27 miD61—
- Berks County · ≈31 miD56—
- Harford County, MD · ≈35 miD65—
- Cecil County, MD · ≈37 miC49—
Compare these counties side-by-side →
Lancaster County ranks #61 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.