Solar permitting — Kenosha County, Wisconsin
50 indexed meetings (16 energy-related), 2 news items, 4 known opposition groups.
SE WI; Chicago suburb (Kenosha); dense suburban; limited utility-scale land; commercial primary; local CUP. Permitting: Kenosha County: CUP in Agricultural/Industrial district for projects <100 MW. Track record: Paris Solar Energy…
Permitting process
Local permitting pathway
Kenosha County: CUP in Agricultural/Industrial district for projects <100 MW.
Setbacks & buffers
Kenosha County Ordinance 16 (2022, Nov 1): Solar farm conditional use permitted in A-1, A-2, A-4, I-1 (agricultural/institutional) districts for <100 MW under §12.40.080(b)(138). Specific setback distances not codified in ordinance; setbacks governed by standard A-district requirements. Utility-scale ≥100 MW regulated by WI PSC CPCN and exempt from local zoning under Wis. Stat. §66.0401. Source: kenoshacountywi.gov/DocumentCenter/View/16146/O6-Zoning-Solar-Energy-Systems
Spacing requirements
None codified.
Size restrictions
None codified; managed via CUP/SUP conditions
Penalties & bonding
No penalties or adjustments. Standard CUP/SUP process.
State-level permits & approvals
PSC of Wisconsin has siting authority for wind/solar ≥100 MW (Wis. Stat. §196.491). Projects <100 MW: local CUP/SUP under county/town zoning governs. Local restrictions on wind systems must meet one of 3 conditions: (1) public health/safety; (2) not significantly increase cost/decrease efficiency; (3) allows comparable alternative. Local solar restrictions face similar reasonableness standard. No statewide preemption below 100 MW threshold — strong local control. MISO interconnection territory statewide.
Full records for this county are part of a SitePath subscription.
State policy & grid context
State RPS & clean energy policy
10% by 2015 (met, no update) | Act 141 (2005) | Wis. Stat. §196.378
State incentive programs
Wisconsin RPS: 10% renewable by 2015 (met — weakest in region). Focus on Energy program: commercial/industrial rebates for solar ($150-450/kW for ≤25 kW). Property tax exemption: Wis. Stat. §70.111(18) — solar systems exempt from property tax assessment. Sales tax exemption: Wis. Stat. §77.54(57m) — solar equipment purchases exempt. Wisconsin Green Energy program: voluntary renewable program through WPS, MGE, We Energies. Alliant WPL (WI) has deployed ~1,089 MW solar by 2024; Vista Sands (1,315 MW Portage Co.) approved June 2025 — largest WI solar project. Utility: We Energies (WEC) serves SE WI/Milwaukee; WPS (WEC) serves NE WI; Alliant Energy (WPL) serves central/southern WI; MGE serves Madison metro; Xcel NSPW serves far NW WI; Dairyland Power Coop and WPPI Energy serve rural areas.
Grid & interconnection
MISO / We Energies (WE) zone
Full records for this county are part of a SitePath subscription.
Community opposition P1 4 tracked
Organized opposition signals on record for this county — petitions, community groups, and oppositional coverage — each linked to its primary source.
- Kenosha County BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Storage
- Kenosha County moves to regulate power storage developments Storage
- Kenosha County votes to pause battery storage facility, but the project may still move forward Storage
- Community opposition to Kenosha Microsoft Data Center data center Data center
SitePath maintains the most complete community-opposition dataset available, refreshed continuously from primary sources.
Subscriber intel Subscribers
Researched for this county and available with a subscription:
- 🔒Project track record
- 🔒Developer intelligence
- 🔒Community & board sentiment
- 🔒Governing board
Energy-related meetings & dockets P1
50 meetings indexed for this jurisdiction; none flagged as discussing solar, BESS, data centers, wind, or transmission yet. Coverage expands weekly.
State PSC dockets P1
No tracked activity yet — coverage expands weekly.
Sentiment rollup P2
No sentiment rollup yet (requires meeting transcripts to be processed).
Local news P3
Filter by grade, state, moratorium status, and compliance stringency. Compare counties side by side.