Pennington County
Pennington County, South Dakota: solar permitting grade D (score 64/100, 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 64/100 |
| Population | 112,536 |
| 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
Pennington 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
Local governments in Pennington County. An incorporated city, town or village can adopt its own zoning, separate from the county’s.
- Box Elder citypartly in this county
- Hill City city
- New Underwood city
- Rapid City city
- Keystone town
- Quinn town
- Wall town
- Wasta town
- Ash township
- Castle Butte township
- Cedar Butte township
- Conata township
- Crooked Creek township
- Fairview township
- Flat Butte township
- Huron township
- Imlay township
- Lake Creek township
- Lake Flat township
- Lake Hill township
- Owanka township
- Peno township
- Quinn township
- Rainy Creek/Cheyenne township
Show all
- Scenic township
- Shyne township
- Sunnyside township
- Wasta township
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, incorporated places and county subdivisions with an active government.
Nearby counties
- Custer County · ≈39 miC42—
- Meade County · ≈42 miC47—
- Oglala Lakota County · ≈48 miB32—
- Lawrence County · ≈54 miB41—
- Jackson County · ≈64 miB37—
- Fall River County · ≈64 miC46—
Compare these counties side-by-side →
Pennington County ranks #66 of 66 ranked South Dakota counties (1 = lowest permitting risk). Lowest-risk in South Dakota: Deuel County (A · 28), Walworth County (B · 30), Aurora County (B · 30). See all South Dakota 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.