SitePath › County map › Kentucky

Kentucky solar permitting

A minority at low to moderate risk A sizeable minority at high risk No active solar moratorium
State policy: No binding RPS

Grade distribution

BCDF

Overview

Every Kentucky county is scored on the SitePath solar permitting index. A minority 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. A sizeable minority are rated D or F — high to very high risk, often due to active moratoria, restrictive setback ordinances, or strong local opposition.

The most favorable jurisdictions in Kentucky include Jefferson County (grade B), Woodford County (grade B), Franklin County (grade B). The most challenging include Perry County (grade F), Mason County (grade F), Martin County (grade F).

The state's policy environment — No binding RPS — presents headwinds for renewable development, making county-level permitting conditions especially important to evaluate project by project. No Kentucky counties currently have an active utility-scale solar moratorium.

All counties — sorted by risk score (best first)

County Grade Score Trajectory Moratorium
Jefferson CountyB31—
Woodford CountyB36—
Franklin CountyB36—
Hancock CountyB36—
Logan CountyB37—
Campbell CountyB37—
Garrard CountyB38—
Simpson CountyB39—
Muhlenberg CountyB40—
Mercer CountyB40—
Kenton CountyB41—
Butler CountyB41—
Meade CountyB41—
Carlisle CountyB41—
McCracken CountyC42—
Graves CountyC43—
Grant CountyC44—
Jessamine CountyC44—
Nelson CountyC44—
Warren CountyC44—
Scott CountyC44—
Spencer CountyC44—
Pendleton CountyC44—
Madison CountyC44—
Bourbon CountyC44—
Henry CountyC44—
Laurel CountyC44—
Bullitt CountyC44—
Montgomery CountyC44—
Pulaski CountyC44—
Anderson CountyC45—
Carroll CountyC45—
Taylor CountyC45—
Trimble CountyC45—
Owen CountyC45—
Gallatin CountyC45—
Larue CountyC45—
Marshall CountyC45—
Trigg CountyC45—
Washington CountyC45—
Grayson CountyC45—
Lincoln CountyC45—
Nicholas CountyC45—
Ohio CountyC45—
Union CountyC45—
Allen CountyC45—
Hickman CountyC45—
Todd CountyC45—
Rowan CountyC45—
Calloway CountyC45—
Fulton CountyC45—
McLean CountyC45—
Morgan CountyC45—
Hart CountyC45—
Bracken CountyC45—
Caldwell CountyC45—
Crittenden CountyC45—
Edmonson CountyC45—
Casey CountyC45—
Shelby CountyC46—
Russell CountyC46—
Daviess CountyC47—
Livingston CountyC47—
Clark CountyC48—
Breckinridge CountyC48—
Boone CountyC49—
Christian CountyC49—
Clinton CountyC50—
Green CountyC50—
Webster CountyC51—
Hopkins CountyC51—
Marion CountyC51—
Lyon CountyC51—
Fleming CountyC51—
Harrison CountyC51—
Hardin CountyD52—
Fayette CountyD53—
Wayne CountyD54—
Breathitt CountyD55—
Oldham CountyD56—
Boyd CountyD56—
Greenup CountyD56—
Lewis CountyD57—
Whitley CountyD57—
Estill CountyD57—
Powell CountyD57—
Rockcastle CountyD57—
Carter CountyD57—
Bath CountyD57—
Cumberland CountyD57—
Robertson CountyD57—
Ballard CountyD57—
Monroe CountyD57—
Bell CountyD57—
Knox CountyD57—
Elliott CountyD57—
Floyd CountyD57—
Clay CountyD57—
Johnson CountyD57—
Lawrence CountyD57—
Jackson CountyD57—
Menifee CountyD58—
McCreary CountyD58—
Harlan CountyD58—
Lee CountyD58—
Knott CountyD58—
Leslie CountyD58—
Letcher CountyD58—
Magoffin CountyD58—
Wolfe CountyD58—
Owsley CountyD58—
Pike CountyD60—
Adair CountyD62—
Boyle CountyD63—
Henderson CountyD64—
Metcalfe CountyD65—
Barren CountyF67—
Perry CountyF68—
Mason CountyF69—
Martin CountyF71—

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.