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Solar permitting — Caroline County, Virginia

FIPS 51033

On file: public meetings, local news.

F
Caroline County, VA
Risk score 69/100 · Full scorecard →
Compliance: HighTrajectory: WorseningSaturation: Very High

Ordinance repealed Nov 2022; replacement framework unknown as of Mar 2026. Permitting: No current solar zoning framework — original solar ordinance repealed Nov 2022; 50-ft setback; hard Prior minor solar aggregate MW…

Key driver: Ordinance repealed Nov 2022; replacement framework unknown as of Mar 2026. HB 711/SB 347: if enacted before Caroline adopts a new ordinance, the statewide standards become the default framework — actually clarifies the legal vacuum. Caroline's score could decrease materially if HB 711/SB 347 fills the regulatory gap.

Permitting process

Local permitting pathway

No current solar zoning framework — original solar ordinance repealed Nov 2022; applications are being evaluated under general zoning discretion with no codified standards; new ordinance framework pending as of March 2026; post-repeal applications have not advanced to formal vote

Setbacks & buffers

Caroline County-specific SE/SUP conditions control — county-set setbacks vary from 50 ft (rural) to 300+ ft (residential adjacent). Verify current Caroline County zoning ordinance for adopted local setback standards. — NOTE: the distances above are a STATE-level fallback, not a figure read from this county's own ordinance. We hold siting-rule records for this county which may include a stricter local limit we have not yet extracted. Verify against the county's own ordinance before relying on these.

Spacing requirements

Policy discussions; no active path

Size restrictions

150–300 ac historical

Penalties & bonding

Total penalty: +5 (Denial +5)

State-level permits & approvals

Local permit: Special Use Permit (SUP) or Conditional Use Permit (CUP) in A-1 Agricultural zoning; issued by Board of Supervisors (BOS) or Planning Commission per county ordinance. Counties without zoning (Buchanan, Russell, Lee, Scott, etc.) proceed via revenue-sharing siting agreements. SCC CPCN: Va. Code §56-580 (as amended by HB 1558/SB 762, eff. Jul 2021) — SCC Certificate of Public Convenience & Necessity required for generating facilities ≥5 MW; waivable for utility-owned projects under SCC-approved IRP. DEQ Permit by Rule (PBR): Required for all solar facilities ≥1 MW per Va. Code §10.1-1197.6; includes VSMP/VPDES erosion & stormwater permits. Mar 2022 DEQ rule: solar panels counted as impervious surface same as parking lots. Revenue sharing: Va. Code §15.2-2288.7 — localities may require up to $1,400/MW-year for utility-scale solar on agricultural or forestal land; increases 10% in year 1 then every 5 years thereafter. VDACS notice: VA Dept. of Agriculture & Consumer Services must be notified for projects converting prime agricultural or forestal land. PENDING LEGISLATION (as of Mar 11, 2026): HB 711 (Herring) / SB 347 (VanValkenburg) both cleared both chambers and await Gov. Spanberger's signature (session ends Mar 14, 2026). If signed: (1) all localities must allow solar ≥1 MW via special exception — outright bans illegal; (2) statewide setback floor: 150–200 ft non-participating dwellings, 50–100 ft from state roads, 100–250 ft from streams/wetlands, 50–75 ft from property lines; (3) localities retain denial authority but must report reasons to SCC public database; (4) companion HB 891/SB 443: BESS permitted accessory use on approved solar SE sites. Spanberger is pro-solar; signature expected. Monitor: lis.virginia.gov.

Full permitting requirements

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State policy & grid context

State RPS & clean energy policy

100% carbon-free by 2050 (Dominion), 2045 (APCo) | Virginia Clean Economy Act (2020) | Va. Code §56-585.5

State incentive programs

Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA, 2020): Dominion must reach 100% carbon-free by 2045; Appalachian Power by 2050; major driver of utility-scale solar procurement. Net metering: available under VCEA for systems up to 1 MW (by-right); large-scale behind-the-meter negotiated. SCC SolarShare: Dominion program offering renewable energy credits. Virtual net metering (Virginia): programs vary by utility. DEQ review: required for solar facilities ≥150 MW (permit by rule) or DEQ standalone review. Utility: Dominion Energy Virginia serves 2/3 of VA; Appalachian Power (AEP) serves western VA; Northern Virginia Electric Coop (NOVEC) serves NoVA exurbs; various rural cooperatives and municipal utilities.

Grid & interconnection

PJM / Dominion Energy Virginia (DEV) transmission zone

Full state policy & grid detail

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Battery storage (BESS) P1 State-Default Permitting

Standalone BESS (not co-located with approved solar): still requires county SE/SUP and host siting agreement

Local BESS ordinances & bylaws

County-level battery-storage status, safety requirements, and projects — each linked to a primary source.

Community opposition P1

No organized opposition on record for this county yet — no petition, group, or oppositional coverage tracked. Read that as nothing found, not as nothing there: absence of records is not evidence of local support.

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Energy-related meetings & dockets P1

solar · data center

Halo color matches the energy category tagged on each meeting.

  • 2024-06-18 Other
    Data Center

    Proposed Use: Master Planned Technology Park. The 2030 Comprehensive Plan designates this area as being Rural Preservation.

  • 2023-05-09 Other
    Solar

    Consent Agenda H - Authorization to Advertise for Environmental Inspection Services - Solar Energy Facilities (Paid for by Permit Holder) Requesting Department Planning and Community Development Documents: BOS packet Environmental Inspectio

  • 2023-03-23 Other
    Data Center

    Proposed Use: Master Planned Technology Park. The 2030 Comprehensive Plan designates this area as being Rural Preservation.

  • 2022-08-09 Other
    Solar

    Request to modify the boundary of the Solar Energy Overlay District to add two parcels for a solar project

  • 2022-05-10 Other
    Solar

    Consent Agenda H - Request to Defer - SPEX-05-2021 – Berberich, John, Owner / Racehorse Solar, LLC, Applicant to June 14, 2022 Board of Supervisors Meeting SPEX-05-2021 – Berberich, John, Owner / Racehorse Solar, LLC, Applicant : Request a

  • 2021-10-14 Other
    Solar

    Request to modify the boundary of the Solar Energy Overlay District to add two parcels for a solar project

  • 2021-02-03 County Board
    Data Center

    Caroline County discussed a data center project

  • 2021-01-12 Other
    Solar

    First Reading - TXT-18-2020 through TXT-21-2020: Minor and Major Solar Projects - Proposed Text Amendment(s) TXT-18-2020: An Ordinance to amend the Zoning Ordinance of Caroline County by amending Article II, Section 2 (Definitions), to add

  • 2019-11-21 Other
    Data Center

    Discussion of data center project's connection to the grid and storage capabilities.

  • 2018-03-13 County Board
    Solar

    Caroline County is considering zoning text amendments for utility scale solar energy projects.

  • 2018-01-18 Other
    Solar

    TXT-14-2017: An Ordinance to amend the Zoning Ordinance of Caroline County by amending Article II, Section 2, Definitions, to a dd a definition for 1) Utility Scale Solar Energy Project; 2) Disturbance Zone, 3) Photovoltaic; and 4) Rated Ca

  • Other
    Solar

    Planning Commission discussed a special-use permit application for a solar project on 1,682 acres of land.

  • Other
    Solar

    Caroline County proposes amendments to zoning ordinance to ensure consistency with new state legislation regarding solar energy.

  • County Board
    Solar

    The Board of Directors is considering a zoning text amendment to allow utility-scale solar projects in the Rural Preservation Zoning District.

  • County Board
    Solar

    Caroline County Board of Supervisors Agenda Executive Summary Meeting Date: September 10, 2019 Title: Unfinished Business - Consideration of Zoning Text Amendment to allow Utility Scale Solar Projects (Check Mark) Consent Closed Meeting X A

  • County Board
    Solar

    Caroline County Board of Supervisors Agenda Executive Summary Meeting Date: August 9, 2022 Title: Siting Agreement - SPEX-04-2021 Burke Development, LLC; Burke Holdings, LP; Concord North, LLC; Concord South, LLC; AA Wright Properties, LLC,

  • Zoning Board
    Data Center

    The applicant is seeking to rezone 657 acres of a 1,001.5 acre parcel to Planned, Innovation, Research & Technology district for a data center campus.

  • Other
    Data Center

    Planning Commission is reviewing a site plan for Phase II of a data center campus.

  • County Board
    Data Center

    Energy storage facilities are distinct from and not included within solar energy projects.

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State PSC dockets P1

No tracked activity yet — coverage expands weekly.

Local news P3

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Data sources: public agendas/minutes from local government sites; PSC dockets from state regulators; news from GDELT and curated RSS. Last refreshed 2026-10-07. See the county risk scorecard or the full Virginia permitting index.