SB26 • 2026

Land development; definitions, solar canopies in surface parking areas, delayed effective date.

An Act to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 15.2-961.4, relating to land development; solar canopies in surface parking areas.

Energy

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Carroll Foy
Last action: 2026-04-13
Official status: Acts of Assembly Chapter
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Clarified that localities must follow specific requirements when making rules about solar canopies, but these are not detailed in the provided summary text.

Solar Canopies in Parking Areas

This law allows local governments to require new nonresidential parking lots with over 100 spaces to install solar canopies covering up to half of the lot, starting July 1, 2027.

What This Bill Does

Allows local governments to make rules requiring new large nonresidential parking areas to have solar canopies.
Limits these rules to parking lots with at least 100 new off-street spaces and allows up to half of the lot to be covered by a canopy.
Permits exceptions if strict rules would stop other types of development or if the solar panels won't work as well in certain spots.
Lets owners use electricity from these canopies for nearby buildings or parking lots.

Who It Names or Affects

Local governments that make land development rules
Businesses and property owners who build new nonresidential parking areas

Terms To Know

Qualified Parking Area: New or expanded public or private surface parking lots with at least 100 off-street spaces for a nonresidential building.
Solar Canopy: A structure above a parking area that has solar panels on it and no sides, used to generate electricity.

Limits and Unknowns

The law only applies to new or expanded nonresidential parking lots with at least 100 spaces.
Localities must follow specific requirements when making rules about solar canopies.
The law starts on July 1, 2027.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

SB26AH1

2026-02-25 • Member

Delegate Sewell Amendments

Plain English: The amendment adds a condition that solar canopies over impervious surfaces must be included in calculations for stormwater management compliance.

Adds the requirement that if the land under a solar canopy is an impervious surface, it must be counted as such for stormwater management purposes.

The exact impact on local regulations and enforcement methods is not specified in the amendment text.

SB26EDOC

2026-02-25 • House

House Amendments

Plain English: The amendment adds a condition that solar canopies over impervious surfaces must be included in calculations for stormwater management requirements.

Adds the requirement that if the land under a solar canopy is an impervious surface, it must be counted as such for stormwater management purposes.

The exact impact on local regulations and compliance processes is not detailed in the amendment text.

SB26AS1

2026-02-11 • Member

Senator Carroll Foy Amendment

Plain English: The amendment allows property owners to install solar canopies in surface parking areas even if a standard ordinance would not permit it, provided they show that the canopy will generate less than 75% of expected electricity due to local conditions.

Adds an exception for solar canopy installations when a property owner demonstrates using industry-standard solar modeling services that the energy generation will be below 75% of what would be expected in ideal conditions.

The amendment's technical details about energy values and modeling may be complex to understand without additional context or explanation.

Bill History

2026-04-13 Governor
Approved by Governor-Chapter 758 (Effective 7/1/2027)
2026-04-13 Governor
Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0758)
2026-03-10 Senate
Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 10, 2026
2026-03-10 Governor
Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026
2026-03-04 House
Signed by Speaker
2026-03-04 Senate
Signed by President
2026-03-04 Senate
Enrolled
2026-03-04 Senate
Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB26ER)
2026-02-27 Senate
House amendments agreed to by Senate (20-Y 19-N 0-A)
2026-02-25 House
Floor Offered
2026-02-25 House
Read third time
2026-02-25 House
Delegate Sewell Floor amendments agreed to
2026-02-25 House
Engrossed by House as amended
2026-02-25 House
Passed House with amendments (75-Y 21-N 0-A)
2026-02-24 House
Read second time
2026-02-20 Counties, Cities and Towns
Reported from Counties, Cities and Towns (18-Y 3-N)
2026-02-17 House
Placed on Calendar
2026-02-17 Counties, Cities and Towns
Referred to Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns
2026-02-17 House
Read first time
2026-02-12 Senate
Read third time and passed Senate (21-Y 19-N 0-A)
2026-02-11 Senate
Read second time
2026-02-11 Senate
Engrossed by Senate as amended
2026-02-11 Senate
Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute as amended
2026-02-11 Senate
Committee substitute agreed to
2026-02-11 Senate
Engrossed
2026-02-11 Senate
Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute as amended (Voice Vote)
2026-02-11 Local Government
Senator Carroll Foy Amendment agreed to
2026-02-11 Senate
Reading of amendment waived (Voice Vote)
2026-02-11 Senate
Senator Carroll Foy Amendment agreed to
2026-02-11 Senate
Engrossed by Senate (Voice Vote)
2026-02-11 Senate
Floor offered
2026-02-10 Senate
Rules suspended
2026-02-10 Senate
Passed by for the day
2026-02-10 Senate
Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
2026-02-10 Senate
Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
2026-02-09 Local Government
Reported from Local Government with substitute (8-Y 7-N)
2026-02-09 Senate
Senate committee offered
2026-02-09 Local Government
Committee substitute printed 26107468D-S1
2025-11-17 Senate
Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26100558D
2025-11-17 Local Government
Referred to Committee on Local Government

Official Summary Text

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. 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 is identical to HB 1234.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

An Act to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered
15.2-961.4
, relating to land development; solar canopies in surface parking areas.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That the Code of Virginia is amended by adding a section numbered
15.2-961.4
as follows:
§
15.2-961.4
. Solar canopies in surface parking areas.
A. For purposes of this section:
"Qualified parking area" means all new, or additions to, public or private surface parking lots containing 100 or more new off-street contiguous parking spaces that serve a nonresidential building, facility, or development.
"Solar canopy" means a singular structure or multiple structures located above a qualified parking area that has a raised horizontal, slanted, or movable surface that contains solar photovoltaic panels and that has no sides.
B. Any locality may include in its land development ordinances a provision that requires as a condition of land development approval that an applicant shall install a solar canopy over up to 50 percent of a qualified parking area if the locality meets the requirements of subsection C.
C. An ordinance adopted pursuant to this section shall (i) apply equally to all qualified parking areas within the locality, including those that are publicly owned by the locality, its public school system, or a local or regional authority; (ii) not treat any solar canopy and associated infrastructure as additional impervious areas for purposes of stormwater management
if the land surface under the canopy is or is proposed to be an impervious surface and is accounted for as such for purposes of compliance with Article 2.3 (§
62.1-44.15:24
et seq.) of Chapter 3.1 of Title 62.1
; (iii) eliminate landscaping and tree canopy coverage requirements for areas covered by solar canopies; (iv) not apply to a mixed use building or development where 50 percent or more of the square footage to be constructed is for residential uses; (v) permit installation of a singular solar canopy or multiple canopies in the applicant's sole discretion; (vi) allow for the ownership of the solar canopy to be severed from the title to the real property and vested by contract, deed, or lease in a party other than the owner of the real property; and (vii) allow for deviations, in whole or in part, from the requirements of such 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, using a P90 energy value from an industry-standard solar modeling service, 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.
D. 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. Any such solar canopy shall be interconnected pursuant to 20VAC5-314 or 20VAC5-315 of the Virginia Administrative Code at the election of the interconnection customer or owner.
2. That the provisions of this act shall become effective on July 1, 2027.