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Solar permitting — Loudoun County, Virginia

FIPS 51107

1748 indexed meetings (149 energy-related), 227 news items, 10 known opposition groups, 1 tracked court case.

D
Loudoun County, VA
Risk score 60/100 · Full scorecard →
Compliance: Very HighTrajectory: ImprovingSaturation: Low

Northern VA political environment is improving for solar but land is dominated by data center development; very limited utility-scale opportunity. Permitting: SE / SUP; 50-ft setback; very high compliance stringency. Track record: Multiple…

Permitting process

Local permitting pathway

SE / SUP

Setbacks & buffers

Loudoun County-specific SE/SUP conditions control — county-set setbacks vary from 50 ft (rural) to 300+ ft (residential adjacent). Verify current Loudoun County zoning ordinance for adopted local setback standards.

Spacing requirements

None codified

Size restrictions

None codified

Penalties & bonding

No penalties or adjustments. Standard CUP/SUP process.

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.

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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

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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 10 tracked

Organized opposition signals on record for this county — petitions, community groups, and oppositional coverage — each linked to its primary source.

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Energy-related meetings & dockets P1

30 energy-related1748 total in calendar19 data center · 8 transmission · 3 solar

Halo color = sentiment of the relevant agenda excerpt: green positive, yellow neutral, red negative.

  • 2026-07-07 Other
    Data Center

    Loudoun County Board of Supervisors approves changes to Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Ordinance for data centers, eliminating them as a 'by-right' use.

  • 2026-07-07 Other
    Data Center

    Loudoun County approves changes to Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Ordinance to allow data centers as conditional use, eliminating them as 'by-right' uses.

  • 2026-05-26 Planning Commission
    Data Center

    The Dulles Technology Park data center project was deferred by the Planning Commission.

  • 2026-05-19 County Board
    Transmission

    The Planning Commission approved a special-use permit application for a 150 MW solar farm in Little River, despite concerns about environmental impact.

  • 2026-04-14 Utility Board
    Transmission

    Award Authority Increase/Natural Gas Supply

  • 2026-04-07 County Board
    Transmission

    The Board Member Initiative: Strategic Transmission Line Routing for Algonkian District

  • 2026-01-06 County Board
    Data Center

    The Board approved a data center proposal for Countywide

  • 2025-12-02 County Board
    Transmission

    Dominion Energy's Heritage to Mosby High Voltage Direct Current Transmission Line Proposal

  • 2025-11-12 County Board
    Solar

    The Loudoun County Planning Commission voted to deny a special-use permit application for a 150 MW solar farm.

  • 2025-09-16 County Board
    Data Center

    The Planning Commission approved a special-use permit application for a 150 MW solar farm.

  • 2025-07-28 Transportation Board
    Data Center

    The Planning Commission approved a special-use permit application for a 150 MW solar farm in 51107

  • 2025-07-15 County Board
    Data Center

    The Planning Commission voted to approve a special-use permit application for a 150 MW solar farm.

  • 2025-07-01 County Board
    Transmission

    The Morrisville to Wishing Star Transmission Line Project was discussed and approved by the Planning Commission.

  • 2025-06-12 Planning Commission
    Data Center

    Approved

  • 2025-06-02 County Board
    Transmission

    The Planning Commission voted to approve Dominion Energy Virginia’s Proposed 500-230kV Golden to Mars Transmission Line, 230kV Lockridge and Sojourner Loops.

  • 2025-05-20 County Board
    Solar

    The Planning Commission voted to approve a special-use permit application for a 150 MW solar farm in Loudoun County.

  • 2025-05-13 Utility Board
    Solar

    The Loudoun County Planning Commission voted to deny a special-use permit application for a 150 MW solar farm.

  • 2025-04-15 County Board
    Transmission

    Board of Supervisors recesses public meeting and enters closed session for litigation consultation

  • 2025-03-18 County Board
    Data Center

    The Planning Commission approved a special-use permit application for a 150 MW solar farm.

  • 2025-03-04 County Board
    Data Center

    Board of Supervisors recessed public meeting and entered into closed session to consult with legal counsel regarding grandfathering of Data Center Standards and Locations

  • 2025-02-12 County Board
    Data Center

    The Planning Commission voted to approve a special-use permit application for a 150 MW solar farm

  • 2025-01-22 County Board
    Transmission

    The Golden to Mars Transmission Line Alignment was discussed and approved by the Planning Commission.

  • 2024-12-12 Planning Commission
    Data Center

    The Planning Commission approved CPAM-2024-0001 & ZOAM-2024-0001, Data Center Standards and Locations, Phase 1

  • 2024-12-05 Planning Commission
    Data Center

    The Planning Commission approved a special-use permit application for a 150 MW solar farm.

  • 2024-11-26 Planning Commission
    Data Center

    The Planning Commission approved CPAM-2024-0001 & ZOAM-2024-0001, Data Center Standards and Locations, Phase 1

  • 2024-11-14 Planning Commission
    Data Center

    The Planning Commission approved CPAM-2024-0001 & ZOAM 2024-0001, Data Center Standards and Locations, Phase 1

  • 2024-10-22 Planning Commission
    Data Center

    The Planning Commission approved a special-use permit application for a 150 MW solar farm.

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27 more energy-related meetings

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State PSC dockets P1

No tracked activity yet — coverage expands weekly.

Local news P3

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12 more news items

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Data sources: public agendas/minutes from local government sites; PSC dockets from state regulators; news from GDELT and curated RSS; sentiment derived from public meeting transcripts. Last refreshed 2026-08-27. See the county risk scorecard or the full Virginia permitting index.