Does Lee County, Virginia have a solar moratorium?

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

What is Lee County’s solar permitting risk grade?

Lee County, Virginia has a SitePath solar permitting grade of C — risk score 48/100 (Elevated 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 Lee 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 › Lee County

Virginia

Lee County

FIPS 51105

Lee County, Virginia: solar permitting grade C (score 48/100, Elevated Risk). Score has been stable over the last 12 months. Primary-source ordinance and board-vote data on SitePath.

Score 48/100

Elevated Risk

Public summary

Grade	C · Elevated Risk · Score 48/100
Population	21,767
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

Lee County carries elevated permitting risk. Developers should budget additional time for ordinance review, public hearing preparation, and community engagement. Virginia's state RPS policy provides a supportive macro backdrop for renewables, even where individual county ordinances are restrictive.

Local intel

On file: energy-related meetings · named opposition groups

2009-04-19Data Center
(NASA maps by Jesse Allen, based on AMSR-E data from the National Snow and Ice Data Center.) Antarctic sea ice does not plainly show the effects of global… · agenda
2008-07-23Solar
Lee County discussed a solar project and its economic implications. · agenda
BESS
Lee County discussed a battery storage project with SolMan Lithium and Classic options. · agenda

See full meetings + dockets + opposition tracking →

Cities, towns & townships

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

Jonesville town
Pennington Gap town
St. Charles town

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

Nearby counties

Harlan County, KY · ≈12 miD58—
Hancock County, TN · ≈14 miC47—
Hawkins County, TN · ≈20 miC45—
Scott County · ≈29 miC47—
Leslie County, KY · ≈30 miD58—
Bell County, KY · ≈31 miD57—

Compare these counties side-by-side →

Lee County ranks #81 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 Lee 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 →