Jefferson County
Jefferson County, Wisconsin: solar permitting grade D (score 54/100, 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 54/100 |
| Population | 84,944 |
| Solar ordinance | Active, restrictive solar ordinance |
| Active moratorium | None on record |
| Regulatory trajectory | Stable (no material ordinance movement) |
| 12-month score movement | Stable |
| Last verified | 2026-05-02 |
Developer outlook
Jefferson 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
No energy-related meetings, PSC dockets, or named opposition tracked for this county yet. See indexed calendar →
Nearby counties where SitePath is tracking energy activity: Waukesha County (≈24 mi) · Walworth County (≈27 mi) · Rock County (≈28 mi)
Cities, towns & townships
In Wisconsin, towns hold their own zoning and land-use authority, so the rules for a site in Jefferson County often depend on which of these governments it falls in.
- Fort Atkinson city
- Jefferson city
- Lake Mills city
- Waterloo city
- Watertown citypartly in this county
- Whitewater city
- Aztalan town
- Cold Spring town
- Concord town
- Farmington town
- Hebron town
- Ixonia town
- Jefferson town
- Koshkonong town
- Lake Mills town
- Milford town
- Oakland town
- Palmyra town
- Sullivan town
- Sumner town
- Waterloo town
- Watertown town
- Cambridge villagepartly in this county
- Johnson Creek village
Show all
- Lac La Belle village
- Palmyra village
- Sullivan village
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, incorporated places and county subdivisions with an active government.
Nearby counties
- Waukesha County · ≈24 miB33—
- Walworth County · ≈27 miB39—
- Rock County · ≈28 miD56—
- Dodge County · ≈28 miC45—
- Dane County · ≈33 miD58—
- Washington County · ≈38 miB33—
Compare these counties side-by-side →
Jefferson County ranks #65 of 72 ranked Wisconsin counties (1 = lowest permitting risk). Lowest-risk in Wisconsin: Sauk County (B · 31), Crawford County (B · 32), Sawyer County (B · 32). See all Wisconsin 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.