Alaska solar permitting
Grade distribution
Overview
Every Alaska county is scored on the SitePath solar permitting index. Some are not graded — we are not standing behind a score there, so they are left out of the picture below. About half are graded A or B, meaning they present low to moderate permitting risk for utility-scale solar projects. About half sit in the C range — moderate risk with meaningful process uncertainty.
The most favorable jurisdictions in Alaska include Fairbanks North Star Borough (grade B), Denali Borough (grade B), Chugach Census Area (grade B). The most challenging include Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area (grade C), Northwest Arctic Borough (grade C), Matanuska-Susitna Borough (grade C).
Alaska's RPS framework (RPS on file · no % target) has a mixed effect on local solar permitting: state incentives can accelerate projects, but county boards often act independently of state policy direction. No Alaska counties currently have an active utility-scale solar moratorium.
All counties — sorted by risk score (best first)
| County | Grade | Score | Trajectory | Moratorium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairbanks North Star Borough | B | 34 | — | |
| Denali Borough | B | 37 | — | |
| Chugach Census Area | B | 37 | — | |
| Southeast Fairbanks Census Area | B | 37 | — | |
| Yakutat City and Borough | B | 37 | — | |
| Bristol Bay Borough | B | 37 | — | |
| Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area | B | 37 | — | |
| Dillingham Census Area | B | 38 | — | |
| Bethel Census Area | B | 38 | — | |
| Nome Census Area | B | 38 | — | |
| Kusilvak Census Area | B | 38 | — | |
| Juneau City and Borough | B | 41 | — | |
| Anchorage Municipality | B | 41 | — | |
| Kenai Peninsula Borough | B | 41 | — | |
| Sitka City and Borough | C | 42 | — | |
| Ketchikan Gateway Borough | C | 42 | — | |
| Kodiak Island Borough | C | 42 | — | |
| Skagway Municipality | C | 42 | — | |
| Petersburg Borough | C | 43 | — | |
| Wrangell City and Borough | C | 43 | — | |
| Haines Borough | C | 43 | — | |
| Lake and Peninsula Borough | C | 45 | — | |
| Aleutians East Borough | C | 45 | — | |
| Aleutians West Census Area | C | 45 | — | |
| North Slope Borough | C | 45 | — | |
| Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area | C | 45 | — | |
| Northwest Arctic Borough | C | 46 | — | |
| Matanuska-Susitna Borough | C | 49 | — | |
| Hoonah-Angoon Census Area | — | — | — | |
| Copper River Census Area | — | — | — |
See the full interactive map
County grades, scores, and ordinance data are also available on the interactive county map with filtering by grade, state, and risk factor.
Open the county map →About SitePath scoring
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 →
SitePath Intelligence is a research platform. Data verified as of 2026-05-02. Scores update on a quarterly review cycle.