Does Shenandoah County, Virginia have a solar moratorium?

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

What is Shenandoah County’s solar permitting risk grade?

Shenandoah County, Virginia has a SitePath solar permitting grade of D — risk score 58/100 (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 Shenandoah 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.

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Virginia

Shenandoah County

FIPS 51171

Shenandoah County, Virginia: solar permitting grade D (score 58/100, High Risk). Score has been stable over the last 12 months. Primary-source ordinance and board-vote data on SitePath.

Score 58/100

High Risk

Public summary

Grade	D · High Risk · Score 58/100
Population	44,156
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

Shenandoah County is a high-risk jurisdiction for utility-scale solar — documented ordinance hurdles are significant and approval history is mixed or unfavorable. 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

2025-03-19Data Center
Data center project discussed at joint meeting to provide information and align county departments. · agenda
2021-12-02Solar
Planning Commission heard a special-use permit application for a solar facility and disqualified one member due to conflict of interest. · agenda
Solar
The Citizen's Advisory Committee is working to prepare a set of District Information Sessions to help better outline to the public · agenda

See full meetings + dockets + opposition tracking →

Cities, towns & townships

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

Edinburg town
Mount Jackson town
New Market town
Strasburg town
Toms Brook town
Woodstock town

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

Nearby counties

Page County · ≈17 miC48—
Hardy County, WV · ≈18 miD57—
Warren County · ≈20 miC48—
Rappahannock County · ≈25 miD61—
Rockingham County · ≈29 miD64—
Frederick County · ≈29 miC51—

Compare these counties side-by-side →

Shenandoah County ranks #114 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 Shenandoah 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 →