Gov. Patrick Morrisey unveiled West Virginia’s new One Stop Shop Permitting Portal several months ahead of the statutory deadline to support the state’s Speed to Build initiative.
“I’ve been very clear that when you’re a state like West Virginia, you have to be scrappy, you have to be fast, you have to be aggressive, you have to move at the speed of business in a way that’s different from the other states,” Morrisey said at a news conference today.
The digital system centralizes applications, fees and tracking across multiple state agencies into a single online account to reduce bureaucratic delays for businesses.
While the platform launched early, accelerated processing options will officially take effect at the start of the year to further shorten approval timelines, the governor said.
“We want to make life easier for people, and we want to make it easier to do business in West Virginia compared to other states. That’s the progress we’re looking at,” Morrisey said.
Use of the portal remains optional for companies until a mandated transition date next summer, meant to provide a smooth adjustment period.
Business leaders from manufacturing and energy sectors praised the update for enhancing government efficiency and boosting the region’s economic competitiveness.,
“The quicker we can get a permit approved, it means we can get shovels in the ground and we can work faster,” said Jason Pizatella, chief executive officer of the Contractors Association of West Virginia.