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Virginia bills · 2026 Regular Session

Virginia HB 711

Solar facilities; local regulation, special exceptions.

  1. Introduced
  2. In committee
  3. Passed House
  4. Passed Senate
  5. To Governor
  6. Became law

Sponsors

Summary

Official abstract published by the Virginia legislature· SUMMARY AS PASSED

Local regulation of solar facilities; special exceptions. Provides that a ground-mounted solar energy generation facility to be located on property zoned agricultural, commercial, industrial, or institutional shall be considered pursuant to various criteria to be included in a local ordinance, such as specifications for setbacks, fencing, solar panel height, visual impacts, grading, and a decommissioning plan for solar energy equipment and facilities, unless otherwise permitted by right. The bill requires localities to furnish the State Corporation Commission with a record of special exception decisions reached pursuant to these provisions that includes (i) the reason for any adverse decision, (ii) any finding of nonconformity with the local comprehensive plan, and (iii) the date of the last revision to the comprehensive plan. The bill further requires the State Corporation Commission to compile and maintain on the Commission's public website a searchable database of all solar special exception decisions and the reasons for any adverse decisions made over a period of not less than five years. Finally, the bill states that its provisions shall apply to any ground-mounted solar facility with a generating capacity of one megawatt or more for which an application for local approval is filed on or after July 1, 2026, and any such project shall not be governed by any local ordinances inconsistent with the bill; however, any application for a solar energy facility that has been received and accepted by the relevant authority prior to July 1, 2026, shall be subject to any applicable local ordinances in place at the time the initial application was filed. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation. This bill is identical to SB 347.

Text versions

Roll-call votes

State vote data last updated Oct 16, 2026, 8:07 AM.

DateVoteResultYour legislators
Mar 4, 2026
Senate		Passage RpassSet your home in Virginia to see
Mar 3, 2026
Senate		Constitutional reading dispensed (on 2nd reading)passSet your home in Virginia to see
Mar 2, 2026
Senate		Reported from Local GovernmentpassSet your home in Virginia to see
Feb 5, 2026
House		H VOTE:passSet your home in Virginia to see
Jan 30, 2026
House		Reported from Counties, Cities and Towns with substitutepassSet your home in Virginia to see
Jan 29, 2026
House		Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitutepassSet your home in Virginia to see

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