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Ohio solar permitting

A handful at low to moderate risk About half at high risk Active solar moratoria on the books
State policy: RPS 12%

Grade distribution

BCDF

Overview

Every Ohio county is scored on the SitePath solar permitting index. A handful 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. About half 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 Ohio include Tuscarawas County (grade B), Vinton County (grade B), Hamilton County (grade B). The most challenging include Morrow County (grade F), Madison County (grade F), Clermont County (grade F).

Ohio's RPS framework (RPS 12%) has a mixed effect on local solar permitting: state incentives can accelerate projects, but county boards often act independently of state policy direction. Clermont County currently has an active utility-scale solar moratorium — a hard barrier for project development that typically requires a board vote to lift.

All counties — sorted by risk score (best first)

County Grade Score Trajectory Moratorium
Tuscarawas CountyB35—
Vinton CountyB35—
Hamilton CountyB37—
Jefferson CountyB38—
Summit CountyB38—
Geauga CountyB40—
Athens CountyB40—
Lorain CountyB41—
Preble CountyC42—
Trumbull CountyC42—
Shelby CountyC43—
Lawrence CountyC43—
Hocking CountyC44—
Lucas CountyC44—
Perry CountyC44—
Belmont CountyC44—
Meigs CountyC44—
Monroe CountyC44—
Coshocton CountyC44—
Ashland CountyC44—
Noble CountyC44—
Washington CountyC44—
Lake CountyC44—
Carroll CountyC44—
Guernsey CountyC44—
Gallia CountyC44—
Morgan CountyC44—
Pike CountyC44—
Champaign CountyC44—
Huron CountyC45—
Clinton CountyC46—
Montgomery CountyC46—
Williams CountyC46—
Sandusky CountyC46—
Ashtabula CountyC46—
Harrison CountyC47—
Wood CountyC48—
Darke CountyC48—
Miami CountyC48—
Delaware CountyC49—
Fulton CountyC50—
Defiance CountyC50—
Hancock CountyC50—
Putnam CountyC50—
Mahoning CountyC50—
Paulding CountyC51—
Crawford CountyC51—
Erie CountyC51—
Seneca CountyD52—
Brown CountyD53—
Stark CountyD53—
Jackson CountyD53—
Franklin CountyD53—
Licking CountyD54—
Marion CountyD54—
Allen CountyD55—
Muskingum CountyD55—
Pickaway CountyD57—
Medina CountyD57—
Holmes CountyD58—
Wyandot CountyD58—
Warren CountyD58—
Van Wert CountyD58—
Adams CountyD59—
Ottawa CountyD59—
Union CountyD60—
Cuyahoga CountyD60—
Mercer CountyD60—
Greene CountyD60—
Portage CountyD61—
Scioto CountyD61—
Knox CountyD61—
Fayette CountyD62—
Henry CountyD62—
Columbiana CountyD62—
Wayne CountyD64—
Auglaize CountyD65—
Fairfield CountyD66—
Ross CountyF68—
Richland CountyF70—
Logan CountyF70—
Butler CountyF71—
Highland CountyF72—
Clark CountyF72—
Hardin CountyF72—
Morrow CountyF78—
Madison CountyF83—
Clermont CountyF100—Active

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.