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West Virginia: every permit portal for solar, wind, and storage
The quick find: which office handles each approval a utility-scale project touches in West Virginia, with the agency's own page. Counties and cities add their own land-use approvals; the state table is the part that is the same across the state.
State and grid
| Approval | Where to go |
|---|---|
| State siting or certificateWhether the state itself approves where a generating facility goes, or leaves it to counties and cities. | Siting certificate for wholesale generation (W. Va. Code 24-2-11c)West Virginia Public Service Commission |
| Grid interconnectionThe queue the project enters to connect: the regional grid operator, or the utility and public utility commission outside an RTO. | PJM new service requestsPJM Interconnection |
| Construction stormwater permitNPDES coverage for land disturbance of one acre or more, before earthwork starts. | Construction Stormwater General PermitWest Virginia Department of Environmental ProtectionConfirmed: WVDEP Construction Stormwater General Permit page (old path with Pages/default.aspx gave 401; home.aspx works). |
| Historic preservation reviewSection 106 consultation through the State Historic Preservation Office when a federal permit, federal funding or federal land is involved; many states add their own review on state land. | Review and Compliance / Section 106 ReviewWest Virginia State Historic Preservation OfficeConfirmed: WV SHPO Review and Compliance page; links to GOapply submission portal. |
| Wildlife and habitat reviewThe state wildlife agency's project screening or natural-heritage data request; federal species go through USFWS IPaC. | Environmental review / guidelines for data requestsWest Virginia Division of Natural Resources, Natural Heritage ProgramConfirmed: 'Guidelines For Data Requests - WVDNR' with Environmental Review section (Natural Heritage Program RTE species data for project planning). |
| State road access and utility permitsA driveway onto a state highway, and a gen-tie or cable in state right of way. | West Virginia Division of Highways, Right of Way Division (Railroads & Utilities) exact page not confirmedLook for: Railroads & Utilities: MM-109 Right of Way Entry Permit and utility manuals · the exact page did not answer our check, so this goes to the agency's siteSection page, not a dedicated permits program page: Railroads & Utilities page with Permits list incl. MM-109 Right of Way Entry Permit Application (https://transportation.wv.gov/highways/right-of-way/Documents/Railroads%20%26%20Utils%202023/MM-109%20Right%20of%20Way%20Entry%20Permit%20Application.p |
| Floodplain (state NFIP coordinator)Local floodplain development permits are county or city; the state coordinator lists who administers them. | West Virginia Emergency Management Division, Mitigation & Recovery (Floodplain Management) exact page not confirmedLook for: Mitigation/Recovery (Floodplain Management, State NFIP coordinator) · the exact page did not answer our check, so this goes to the agency's siteClosest section page: EMD Mitigation/Recovery index whose menu links to 'Floodplain Management' and 'WV Local Floodplain Managers' (link URLs not exposed). Dedicated floodplain page not confirmed. Agency's 2009 Quick Guide PDF: https://emd.wv.gov/MitigationRecovery/Documents/Floodplain%20Management% |
| Water rights and wellsConstruction water, dust control and O&M wells: the state engineer, water board or environmental agency. | Large quantity water user registrationWest Virginia DEP Water Use Section |
| Property-tax incentive programState abatement or exemption programs for renewable generation, where one exists. | Property tax; wind salvage valuation; local PILOTsWest Virginia Tax Division |
Federal portals (the same in every state)
| Approval | Where to go |
|---|---|
| Clean Water Act Section 404 / Rivers and Harbors Act Section 10 | U.S. Army Corps of EngineersRegulatory Request System: applications, pre-application meetings and jurisdictional determinations; the district office is by watershed. |
| Endangered species and critical habitat | U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceIPaC: official species list and the Section 7 consultation path for the project footprint. |
| Tall structures (wind turbines, met towers) | Federal Aviation AdministrationForm 7460-1 notice through OE/AAA before construction above the 14 CFR 77.9 heights. |
| Construction stormwater where EPA is the permitting authority | U.S. EPAEPA's Construction General Permit (NeT eNOI) in New Mexico, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, D.C., Indian country and the territories. |
| Projects on federal land | Bureau of Land ManagementRight-of-way applications and NEPA documents for BLM-managed land. |
| Transmission and wholesale market rules | Federal Energy Regulatory CommissionOrder No. 2023 cluster-study reforms, followed by every FERC-jurisdictional transmission provider, RTO or utility; ERCOT has its own process. |
County and city pages for West Virginia
From the nationwide permit finder; counties and cities issue most land-use approvals, so start with the jurisdiction that covers the parcel.
- West Virginia — Water permitting programs (State): West Virginia environmental authority. Start with this agency for the linked water program. Check construction stormwater, wastewater and water-quality approvals separately; this link does not cover every environmental permit.
- West Virginia — local government contacts (City & local): USAGov. Select your state in the national directory, then locate the responsible local government. Confirm municipal boundaries and any separate fire, drainage, water or other district authority.
Other states
How this list is made. Each link was found on the agency's own site and is re-checked by a script that loads it and records the date; a link that stops answering is shown without a link rather than dropped. Programs change with each legislative session: confirm fees, forms and thresholds on the agency page before filing. General information, not legal advice. How we check our data · Report an error.