VirginiaLand development; definitions, solar canopies in surface parking areas, delayed effective date.
What it does
Land development; solar canopies in parking areas. Provides that any locality may include in its land development ordinances a provision that requires that an applicant must install a solar canopy over designated surface parking areas. Such provisions shall apply only to nonresidential parking areas with 100 or more new off-street contiguous parking spaces and may require coverage of up to 50 percent of the surface parking area.
More detail
The bill provides that an ordinance adopted pursuant to this bill shall be subject to various additional requirements and shall allow for deviations, in whole or in part, from the requirements of the ordinance when its strict application would prevent the development of uses and densities otherwise allowed by the locality's zoning or development ordinance or when a property owner shows that the solar canopy, if installed as otherwise required under the ordinance, will generate less than 75 percent of the electricity that would be expected, given the nameplate capacity of the solar modules installed on such canopy, if the canopy were to be installed at another location in the locality without surrounding impediments to insolation such as buildings or shading vegetation. Finally, the bill provides that the applicant or owner may use the electric energy generated from such solar canopy to offset the consumption of the parking lot or adjoining building served under the same account. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027. This bill incorporates HB 457 and is identical to SB 26.
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Where it stands
- Introduced
- Passed House
- Passed Senate
- To Governor
- Became Law
Looking ahead
No hearings or votes scheduled.
History
- 2026
- Apr 13Approved by Governor Abigail Spanberger-Chapter 757 (effective 7/1/2026)Became Law
- Mar 14Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026To Governor
- Mar 14Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 14, 2026Minor
- Mar 13Signed by PresidentMajor
- Mar 13Signed by SpeakerMajor
- Mar 13Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB1234ER)Major
- Mar 13EnrolledMinor
- Mar 6Senate substitute agreed to by House (67-Y 30-N 0-A)Major
- Vote recorded H VOTE:. Result: pass.Lower
- Mar 4Passed Senate with substitute (21-Y 18-N 0-A)Passed Senate
- Vote recorded Passage R. Result: pass.Upper
- Mar 4Engrossed by Senate - committee substituteMajor
- Mar 4Local Government Substitute agreed to
- Mar 4Read third timeMinor
- Mar 3Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
- Vote recorded Constitutional reading dispensed (on 2nd reading). Result: pass.Upper
- Mar 3Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
- Mar 3Rules suspended
- Mar 3Committee substitute printed 26109040D-S1Major
- Mar 2Reported from Local Government with substitute (8-Y 7-N)Minor
- Vote recorded Reported from Local Government with substitute. Result: pass.Upper
- Feb 13Referred to Committee on Local GovernmentMinor
- Feb 13Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)
- Feb 12Read third time and passed House (76-Y 22-N 0-A)Passed House
- Vote recorded H VOTE:. Result: pass.Lower
- Feb 11Engrossed by House - committee substituteMajor
- Feb 11committee substitute agreed toMajor
- Feb 11Read second timeMinor
- Feb 10Read first timeMinor
- Feb 6Committee substitute printed 26107392D-H1Major
- Vote recorded Reported from Counties, Cities and Towns with substitute. Result: pass.Lower
- Feb 6Reported from Counties, Cities and Towns with substitute (20-Y 1-N)Minor
- Feb 6House committee offered
- Feb 6Incorporates HB457 (Krizek)
- Jan 28Assigned HCCT sub: Subcommittee #2Minor
- Jan 14Referred to Committee on Counties, Cities and TownsMinor
- Jan 14Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26102478DIntroduced