Does Preston County, West Virginia have a solar moratorium?

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

What is Preston County’s solar permitting risk grade?

Preston County, West Virginia has a SitePath solar permitting grade of D — risk score 59/100 (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 Preston County, West Virginia?

Ordinance status: No specific solar ordinance recorded. 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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West Virginia

Preston County

FIPS 54077

Preston County, West Virginia: solar permitting grade D (score 59/100, High Risk). Score has been stable over the last 12 months. Primary-source ordinance and board-vote data on SitePath.

Score 59/100

High Risk

Public summary

Grade	D · High Risk · Score 59/100
Population	33,314
Solar ordinance	No specific solar ordinance recorded
Active moratorium	None on record
Regulatory trajectory	Worsening (ordinance direction tightening)
12-month score movement	Stable
Last verified	2026-05-02

Developer outlook

Preston County is a high-risk jurisdiction for utility-scale solar — documented ordinance hurdles are significant and approval history is mixed or unfavorable. West Virginia's state policy environment adds headwinds — the absence of a strong RPS framework means county-level resistance faces less counterbalancing pressure.

Local intel

On file: energy-related meetings

2026-07-28Data Center
Call to order by President and Pledge of Allegiance Roll call of Commissioners Recognition of Public Review of Bills Assessor’s Office – Exonerations – PERINI… · agenda
2026-07-28Data Center
Commission was presented with concerns about a data center development project and a petition to oppose it. · agenda
2026-06-30Data Center
Commissioner Thomas and Commissioner Stone voted to deny a special-use permit application for a 150 MW solar farm due to lack of information. · agenda

See full meetings + dockets + opposition tracking →

Cities, towns & townships

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

Kingwood city
Albright town
Brandonville town
Bruceton Mills town
Masontown town
Newburg town
Reedsville town
Rowlesburg town
Terra Alta town
Tunnelton town

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

Nearby counties

Garrett County, MD · ≈22 miC44—
Taylor County · ≈22 miD62—
Monongalia County · ≈24 miC47—
Tucker County · ≈25 miF73—
Barbour County · ≈29 miD60—
Marion County · ≈31 miD61—

Compare these counties side-by-side →

Preston County ranks #41 of 55 ranked West Virginia counties (1 = lowest permitting risk). Lowest-risk in West Virginia: Berkeley County (B · 38), Mineral County (C · 43), Kanawha County (C · 44). See all West 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 Preston 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 →