County-by-county record of moratoriums, bans, project rejections, and other restrictions on utility-scale clean energy in Illinois — 8 tracked actions, each linked to the source that reported it. See our Illinois clean energy guide for market context, and the methodology for how entries are sourced and labeled.
As of October 2026, CleanPowerDaily tracks 8 restrictive actions against utility-scale clean energy in Illinois, spanning 5 counties plus statewide policy: 1 moratorium, ban, or restriction, 3 project rejections, and 4 other actions such as withdrawals or litigation.
| County | Actions | Technology | Most recent |
|---|---|---|---|
| LaSalle County | 1 | Wind & Solar | |
| McHenry County | 1 | Solar | |
| Morgan County | 1 | Data Center | |
| Will County | 1 | Solar | |
| Winnebago County | 1 | Solar | |
| Statewide | 3 | Solar |
Free to cite with attribution to CleanPowerDaily and a link to this page. Full methodology and the machine-readable dataset are on the national tracker.
A solar farm proposal at 36th and Payson in Quincy was previously rejected and is back before the plan commission for reconsideration. The project faces ongoing scrutiny from local officials.
Lawsuits in Will, Grundy, and Winnebago counties are shaping the legal future of solar farm development in Illinois. County boards and residents are contesting solar farm approvals through the courts.
A zoning board in Illinois rejected a community solar project, prompting Planted Solar to deploy automation and robotics to reduce its footprint and navigate local opposition. The article focuses on how the developer adapted after the rejection.
Utica
Shaw Local reported the Utica village board voted 5-0 to extend its moratorium on solar and wind farm permits (residential solar exempt) after the village attorney concluded a new Illinois law limiting municipal blocking of green-energy projects does not apply to home-rule communities like Utica.
The Northwest Herald reported two more solar developers filed lawsuits against McHenry County over rejected applications, bringing the county to four pending suits that could test the limits of local authority to deny solar projects.
The Journal Courier reported Morgan County commissioners and residents debated at a county board meeting how, or whether, to regulate data center development through local zoning, with no final regulations adopted and the matter left unresolved.
A Will County judge ruled against the County Board over five denied solar special-use permits and ordered the board to approve them by an April 17 deadline, per the Chicago Tribune and corroborating local coverage; the board complied on April 16.
WIFR reported the Winnebago County Zoning Board of Appeals voted unanimously to reject Pivot Energy's proposed 28-acre solar farm sited next to Curran's Apple Orchard near Rockford, after opponents raised concerns about its proximity to the agritourism landmark.
Spot an error or a missing action? Send a correction. Entries labeled Reported reflect press coverage and have not yet been editor-verified against the underlying record.