Schuylkill County
Schuylkill 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 | 141,359 |
| Solar ordinance | Active solar ordinance on the books |
| Active moratorium | None on record |
| Regulatory trajectory | Worsening (ordinance direction tightening) |
| 12-month score movement | Stable |
| Last verified | 2026-05-02 |
Developer outlook
Schuylkill 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 Schuylkill County often depend on which of these governments it falls in.
- Pottsville city
- Ashland boroughpartly in this county
- Auburn borough
- Coaldale borough
- Cressona borough
- Deer Lake borough
- Frackville borough
- Gilberton borough
- Girardville borough
- Gordon borough
- Landingville borough
- Mahanoy City borough
- McAdoo borough
- Mechanicsville borough
- Middleport borough
- Minersville borough
- Mount Carbon borough
- New Philadelphia borough
- New Ringgold borough
- Orwigsburg borough
- Palo Alto borough
- Pine Grove borough
- Port Carbon borough
- Port Clinton borough
Show all
- Ringtown borough
- Schuylkill Haven borough
- Shenandoah borough
- St. Clair borough
- Tamaqua borough
- Tower City borough
- Tremont borough
- Barry township
- Blythe township
- Branch township
- Butler township
- Cass township
- Delano township
- East Brunswick township
- East Norwegian township
- East Union township
- Eldred township
- Foster township
- Frailey township
- Hegins township
- Hubley township
- Kline township
- Mahanoy township
- New Castle township
- North Manheim township
- North Union township
- Norwegian township
- Pine Grove township
- Porter township
- Reilly township
- Rush township
- Ryan township
- Schuylkill township
- South Manheim township
- Tremont township
- Union township
- Upper Mahantongo township
- Walker township
- Washington township
- Wayne township
- West Brunswick township
- West Mahanoy township
- West Penn township
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, incorporated places and county subdivisions with an active government.
Nearby counties
- Berks County · ≈25 miD56—
- Columbia County · ≈26 miC46—
- Lebanon County · ≈26 miC48—
- Northumberland County · ≈28 miB37—
- Carbon County · ≈30 miB41—
- Montour County · ≈32 miD59—
Compare these counties side-by-side →
Schuylkill County ranks #64 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.