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Solar Permitting Intelligence

West Virginia

55 Counties 1 Low/Moderate Risk 43 High/Very High Risk 0 Active Moratoria
State policy: No binding RPS

Grade distribution

B 1C 11D 42F 1

Overview

West Virginia has 55 counties tracked in the SitePath solar permitting index. 1 (2%) is graded A or B, meaning they present low to moderate permitting risk for utility-scale solar projects. 11 counties sit in the C range — moderate risk with meaningful process uncertainty. 43 counties are rated D or F (78%) — high to very high risk, often due to active moratoria, restrictive setback ordinances, or strong local opposition.

The most favorable jurisdictions in West Virginia include Putnam County (grade B), Pocahontas County (grade C), Raleigh County (grade C). The most challenging include Pendleton County (grade D), Hancock County (grade D), Tucker County (grade F).

The state's policy environment — No binding RPS — presents headwinds for renewable development, making county-level permitting conditions especially important to evaluate project by project. No West Virginia counties currently have an active utility-scale solar moratorium.

All counties — sorted by risk score (best first)

County Grade Score Trajectory Moratorium
Putnam CountyB37↑
Pocahontas CountyC43↑
Raleigh CountyC43↑
Berkeley CountyC43↓
Kanawha CountyC44↑
Morgan CountyC45↓
Hampshire CountyC46↑
Mason CountyC47↑
Doddridge CountyC47—
Pleasants CountyC49↑
Monongalia CountyC49↓
Jefferson CountyC50↓
Wood CountyD54↓
Jackson CountyD54↓
Mineral CountyD55—
Lewis CountyD55—
Ritchie CountyD55↓
Wetzel CountyD55—
Roane CountyD55—
Tyler CountyD56↓
Gilmer CountyD56—
Cabell CountyD56—
Calhoun CountyD56—
Wirt CountyD56↓
Greenbrier CountyD57↓
Hardy CountyD57↓
Mercer CountyD57↓
Fayette CountyD57↓
Monroe CountyD57—
Wayne CountyD57—
Boone CountyD57↓
Lincoln CountyD58—
Logan CountyD58↓
McDowell CountyD58—
Wyoming CountyD58↓
Ohio CountyD58↓
Clay CountyD58↓
Randolph CountyD59↓
Preston CountyD59↓
Grant CountyD59↓
Harrison CountyD59↓
Braxton CountyD60↓
Marshall CountyD60↓
Barbour CountyD60↓
Summers CountyD60↓
Upshur CountyD60↓
Mingo CountyD61↓
Marion CountyD61↓
Webster CountyD61↓
Taylor CountyD62↓
Brooke CountyD62↓
Nicholas CountyD62↓
Pendleton CountyD62↓
Hancock CountyD64↓
Tucker CountyF77↓

See the full interactive map

County grades, scores, and ordinance data are also available on the interactive county map with filtering by grade, state, and risk factor.

Open the county map →

About SitePath scoring

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.