Does Orange County, Virginia have a solar moratorium?

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

What is Orange County’s solar permitting risk grade?

Orange 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 Orange County, Virginia?

Ordinance status: Ordinance status documented in detail. 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 › Orange County

Virginia

Orange County

FIPS 51137

Orange 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	37,051
Solar ordinance	Ordinance status documented in detail
Active moratorium	None on record
Regulatory trajectory	Worsening (ordinance direction tightening)
12-month score movement	Stable
Last verified	2026-05-02

Developer outlook

Orange 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 · named opposition groups

2021-04-27Solar
The Board discussed solar generation facilities. · agenda
Transmission
The Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission will hold a joint meeting to discuss the Valley Link transmission project. · agenda
Data Center
Orange County government is planning to build a data center on 11282 Government Center Drive, Orange, VA 22960. · agenda

See full meetings + dockets + opposition tracking →

Cities, towns & townships

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

Gordonsville town
Orange town

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

Nearby counties

Culpeper County · ≈17 miD55—
Madison County · ≈18 miC46—
Louisa County · ≈19 miF70—
Spotsylvania County · ≈20 miD65—
Greene County · ≈25 miB39—
Fredericksburg County · ≈29 miA28—

Compare these counties side-by-side →

Orange County ranks #128 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 Orange 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 →