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Penn State Center for Energy Law and Policy Pennsylvania Solar Ordinance Database

About this database

What this is

The Pennsylvania Solar Ordinance Database collects the provisions of local solar ordinances across Pennsylvania and makes them searchable in one place. It is compiled and maintained by the Penn State Center for Energy Law and Policy.

It currently holds 4,900 provisions drawn from 300 local governments across 57 counties, sorted into 59 ordinance types. Last updated Aug 25, 2026.

How to use it

Each row is a single provision: one topic, from one municipality's ordinance, with the text quoted or paraphrased and a citation back to the source document.

  • Filter by ordinance type, county, and local government. Filters combine, and you can pick more than one of each.
  • The search box looks across ordinance type, local government, county, relevant text, and citation at once.
  • Your filters are stored in the page address, so you can bookmark a view or paste it into a report and it will open exactly as you left it. Use Copy link to this view to grab it.
  • Every provision also has its own page with a stable address, suitable for citing.

Limitations worth knowing

  • This is a research aid, not legal advice. Ordinances change. Always confirm the current text with the municipality before relying on it.
  • Coverage is not complete. A municipality's absence does not mean it has no solar ordinance, only that it is not yet recorded here.
  • “Date of data entry” records when a provision was added to this database, not when the ordinance was adopted. The ordinance's own date is part of the citation. Where the entry date was not recorded, it shows as “Not recorded”.
  • Colours group provisions by ordinance type as a visual aid only. They repeat across the 59 types and carry no meaning of their own. Always read the type name.

Citing the database

Penn State Center for Energy Law and Policy, Pennsylvania Solar Ordinance Database, Aug 25, 2026. Individual provisions carry a suggested citation at the bottom of their page.

Corrections

If a provision is wrong, out of date, or missing, contact the Center for Energy Law and Policy. Include the link to the provision's page so it can be found quickly.