Does Caroline County, Virginia have a solar moratorium?

No. As of 2026-05-02, Caroline County, Virginia has no active solar moratorium on record. Score has been stable over the last 12 months.

What is Caroline County’s solar permitting risk grade?

Caroline County, Virginia has a SitePath solar permitting grade of F — risk score 69/100 (Very High Risk). Grades are based on primary-source county ordinances, board votes, and permitting activity, reviewed as of 2026-05-02.

What are the solar permitting rules in Caroline County, Virginia?

Ordinance status: Active, restrictive solar ordinance. Score has been stable over the last 12 months. See the full primary-source record — ordinance links, setbacks, board actions, and project history — on this page.

SitePath › County map › Virginia › Caroline County

Virginia

Caroline County

FIPS 51033

Caroline County, Virginia: solar permitting grade F (score 69/100, Very High Risk). Score has been stable over the last 12 months. Primary-source ordinance and board-vote data on SitePath.

Score 69/100

Very High Risk

Public summary

Grade	F · Very High Risk · Score 69/100
Population	33,942
Solar ordinance	Active, restrictive solar ordinance
Active moratorium	None on record
Regulatory trajectory	Worsening (ordinance direction tightening)
12-month score movement	Stable
Last verified	2026-05-02

Developer outlook

Caroline County is very high risk for utility-scale solar permitting. Significant regulatory barriers are on record, and approval is not likely without substantial process investment. Virginia's state RPS policy provides a supportive macro backdrop for renewables, even where individual county ordinances are restrictive. Market saturation is elevated in this area — expect competition for prime land parcels and interconnection capacity.

Local intel

On file: energy-related meetings

2026-08-11Solar
Review of Special Exception Conditions for a solar project · agenda
2026-01-27Data Center
83-A-83B1, consisting of 95.4 acres for the development of a phased data center campus as well as public utilities – distribution, transmission, and generation… · agenda
2026-01-22Data Center
Pennington provide a staff report: The applicant is requesting approval of a Special Exception Permit for a data center pursuant to Article X, Section 3.25. · agenda

See full meetings + dockets + opposition tracking →

Cities, towns & townships

Local governments in Caroline County. An incorporated city, town or village can adopt its own zoning, separate from the county’s.

Bowling Green town
Port Royal town

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, incorporated places and county subdivisions with an active government.

Nearby counties

Spotsylvania County · ≈20 miD65—
King George County · ≈20 miC42—
Fredericksburg County · ≈20 miA28—
Hanover County · ≈20 miF69—
Essex County · ≈23 miC45—
King William County · ≈26 miC43—

Compare these counties side-by-side →

Caroline County ranks #126 of 133 ranked Virginia counties (1 = lowest permitting risk). Lowest-risk in Virginia: Charlottesville County (A · 23), Manassas Park County (A · 27), Falls Church County (A · 27). See all Virginia county grades →

Want the full record?

Setback distances, board vote histories, source documents, and ordinance amendments are available in the full county profile. The map is free; a walkthrough shows you the underlying record.

Open the full Caroline County profile → Request a demo

About this score

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 →