Gov. Morrisey Launches One Stop Shop Permitting Portal to Boost WV Business Growth

Governor Patrick Morrisey officially launched the “One Stop Shop” permitting portal on Wednesday in Charleston, West Virginia, creating a single digital gateway for businesses to apply for permits, pay fees, and track applications across 13 state agencies. The move is part of a push to cut red tape to boost business growth. Available at SpeedToBuild.wv.gov, the system manages 330 different permit types as part of the governor’s “Speed to Build” initiative.

New Portal Shortens Permit Processing Windows

The portal is designed to reduce regulatory delays, with specific fast-track options scheduled to activate on January 1, 2027. These include shortening the processing window for timber license renewals from 14 calendar days to seven business days and reducing oversized hauling permit deadlines from five days to two.

Governor Morrisey stated that the expedited process will adhere to state law and that additional resources will be allocated to compliance. To ensure accountability, any state agency that misses its processing deadline for a completed application submitted via the portal must refund the applicant’s permit fees.

Lawmakers Fund Portal for Multiple State Agencies

The project was funded with a $5 million budget from lawmakers, with the state contracting IT firm Delasoft for $655,000 to create the tool. After that date, the portal will be the required application method for covered permits, except where disability and human rights laws provide exceptions.

The system includes a guided portal assistant and a searchable database to help users identify necessary permits. Participating agencies include the Bureau for Public Health, the Division of Highways, the Department of Environmental Protection, and various Department of Commerce divisions, such as Labor, Forestry, Alcohol Beverage Control Administration, Natural Resources, and Miners’ Health, Safety and Training. New users are instructed to select “Sign Up” and add Speedtobuilddonotreply@wv.gov to their contacts for updates.

Eric Householder, cabinet secretary of the West Virginia Department of Administration, reported that as of Tuesday, the system had 1,536 new users and 8,001 permits, with 15 having already processed through the new system.

Support for Business Growth

Jason Pizatella, CEO of the Contractors Association of West Virginia, called the portal a “game changer for the industry,” noting that faster approvals allow for quicker construction starts. Chad Shamblin, general manager of All Crane and Equipment Rental in Hurricane, said the tool reduced his application time from several days to three minutes, allowing his company to focus more on customers.

Morrisey linked the initiative to broader economic goals, noting that his administration has announced $96 billion in private-sector investment and more than 19,000 projected jobs since October 2025. He argued that the ability to get companies running months earlier is a “selling point that’s very, very significant.”

“Businesses shouldn’t have to spend unnecessary time navigating government bureaucracy when they could be creating jobs and growing their operations,” Morrisey said.

“We have to cut red tape faster than any state around us,” Morrisey said.

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