SolarRisk Tracker / Explore / SD / Walworth

Walworth County, SD — Solar Development Risk Assessment

Local solar ordinance barriers, board sentiment, and utility policies that affect development timelines and risk.

44.2
Risk Grade
Good
No framework, Missouri River corridor, some interest
Assessment Snapshot
Population
5605
State Rank
#4
Compliance
44%
Trajectory
57

Moratorium Status

✓ No Active Moratorium
No

Ordinance & Regulations

Setback Requirements
None codified. No county-specific solar ordinance confirmed.
Zoning Mechanism
Walworth County: CUP in applicable zoning district (sub-100 MW). 18 unzoned SD counties: no permit required.
Acreage Caps
None codified.
Density Caps
None codified.
Spacing Rules
None codified.
Size Restrictions
None codified.

Board Sentiment & Political Risk

Sentiment Analysis
Opposed — board placed moratorium on solar permitting (May 2024); adopted solar ordinance (Sep 2024, 4-1 vote) with strict setbacks.
Basis for Assessment
R-majority rural South Dakota county; Doral Renewables Israeli firm seeking project; ordinance requires 1,000-foot setback from property lines and 1-mile from dwellings; Basin Electric territory; citizen opposition group active.
Political Risk Factors
Neutral
Board Members
Walworth County Commission | 3-5 commissioners | 4-year staggered terms | nonpartisan elections (SD Const.) | Commission Chair rotates annually by vote | Meet: monthly | Contact: Walworth County Auditor | SD Association of County Commissioners (SDACC) member. Solar-relevant: Commission approves CUPs for sub-100 MW solar. ≥100 MW requires SD PUC Facility Permit.

Grid, Utilities & State Context

Grid Operator
SPP (Southwest Power Pool)
Utilities
Montana-Dakota Utilities
State Permitting Process
SD PUC Site Permit required for ≥100 MW. County zoning for smaller projects. Generally developer-friendly environment; limited organized opposition compared to some states. Transmission constraints in some western counties. Basin Electric Power Cooperative major offtaker for SD solar projects.
State Incentives
No South Dakota RPS. South Dakota Public Utilities Commission (SD PUC) regulates large energy facilities ≥100 MW under S.D.C.L. 49-41B Site Permit. Wild Springs Solar 128 MWac (Pennington County, National Grid Renewables/Basin Electric, operational June 25 2024) — South Dakota's largest solar project. SPP grid (Basin Electric/West River Electric serve most of SD); East River Electric and Xcel serve eastern SD. South Dakota has no state income tax; property tax exemptions may apply to renewable energy.

Development Activity

Active/Completed Projects
No confirmed utility-scale solar projects on public record as of Mar 2026.
Denied/Withdrawn Projects
No confirmed denials on record as of Mar 2026.

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Last verified: April 2026 (web research) | SolarRisk Tracker | Data sources: Government records, utility filings, public meeting minutes