Luzerne County
Luzerne County, Pennsylvania: solar permitting grade C (score 51/100, 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 51/100 |
| Population | 337,308 |
| 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
Luzerne County carries elevated permitting risk. Developers should budget additional time for ordinance review, public hearing preparation, and community engagement.
Local intel
On file: energy-related meetings · named opposition groups
- 2026-06-23TransmissionLegend Anchor Guy, Proposed Anchor Guy, Remove Foreign Owned Pole, Existing Foreign Owned Pole, Replace Foreign Owned Pole, Proposed Pole, Existing Pole… · agenda
- 2026-05-12Data CenterLuzerne County Council adopted an ordinance applying to Data Center Plans submitted after a certain date. · agenda
- 2026-04-09Data CenterThe LUZERNE COUNTY COUNCIL approved a special-use permit application for a 150 MW solar farm · agenda
Cities, towns & townships
In Pennsylvania, townships hold their own zoning and land-use authority, so the rules for a site in Luzerne County often depend on which of these governments it falls in.
- Hazleton city
- Nanticoke city
- Pittston city
- Wilkes-Barre city
- Ashley borough
- Avoca borough
- Bear Creek Village borough
- Conyngham borough
- Courtdale borough
- Dallas borough
- Dupont borough
- Duryea borough
- Edwardsville borough
- Exeter borough
- Forty Fort borough
- Freeland borough
- Harveys Lake borough
- Hughestown borough
- Jeddo borough
- Kingston borough
- Laflin borough
- Larksville borough
- Laurel Run borough
- Luzerne borough
Show all
- Nescopeck borough
- New Columbus borough
- Nuangola borough
- Penn Lake Park borough
- Plymouth borough
- Pringle borough
- Shickshinny borough
- Sugar Notch borough
- Swoyersville borough
- Warrior Run borough
- West Hazleton borough
- West Pittston borough
- West Wyoming borough
- White Haven borough
- Wyoming borough
- Yatesville borough
- Bear Creek township
- Black Creek township
- Buck township
- Butler township
- Conyngham township
- Dallas township
- Dennison township
- Dorrance township
- Exeter township
- Fairmount township
- Fairview township
- Foster township
- Franklin township
- Hanover township
- Hazle township
- Hollenback township
- Hunlock township
- Huntington township
- Jackson township
- Jenkins township
- Kingston township
- Lake township
- Lehman township
- Nescopeck township
- Newport township
- Pittston township
- Plains township
- Plymouth township
- Rice township
- Ross township
- Salem township
- Slocum township
- Sugarloaf township
- Union township
- Wilkes-Barre township
- Wright township
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, incorporated places and county subdivisions with an active government.
Nearby counties
- Carbon County · ≈22 miB41—
- Columbia County · ≈24 miC46—
- Wyoming County · ≈24 miB38—
- Lackawanna County · ≈27 miD62—
- Sullivan County · ≈33 miC45—
- Monroe County · ≈35 miB35—
Compare these counties side-by-side →
Luzerne County ranks #44 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.