Orange County
Orange County, Virginia: solar permitting grade D (score 59/100, High Risk). Score has improved by 10 points over the last 12 months. Primary-source ordinance and board-vote data on SitePath.
Public summary
| Grade | D · High Risk · Score 59/100 |
| Population | 37,051 |
| Solar ordinance | Ordinance status not yet documented |
| Active moratorium | None on record |
| Regulatory trajectory | Worsening (ordinance direction tightening) |
| 12-month score movement | Improving (composite risk score has fallen over 12 months) |
| Last verified | 2026-05-02 |
Developer outlook
Orange County is a high-risk jurisdiction for utility-scale solar — documented ordinance hurdles are significant and approval history is mixed or unfavorable. The local regulatory environment has been trending more permissive over the past 12 months. 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
9 energy-related meetings · 1 opposition groups
- 2021-03-09SolarThe Board of Supervisors voted to approve SUP 20 -05, a solar project by Redfish Solar Partners, LLC, for the development of a 150 MW solar farm in… · agenda
- TransmissionThe Board approved the Gordonsville-Pratts transmission line rebuild project. · agenda
- Data CenterThe Orange County Planning Commission approved a special-use permit application for a 150 MW solar farm · agenda
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.
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 →
SitePath Intelligence is a research platform. Data verified as of 2026-05-02. Scores update on a quarterly review cycle.