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Solar permitting — Loudoun County, Virginia

FIPS 51107

On file: public meetings, local news, known opposition groups.

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. — 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

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.

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

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

SitePath maintains the most complete community-opposition dataset available, refreshed continuously from primary sources.

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Energy-related meetings & dockets P1

data center · transmission · solar

Halo color matches the energy category tagged on each meeting.

  • 2022-11-14 Planning Commission
    Data Center

    Planning Commission approved a special-use permit for a 13,000 SF data center expansion

  • County Board
    Data Center

    County staff proposes developing an agreement with the Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory to track greenhouse gas emissions and study clean energy options for data center operations.

  • Planning Commission
    Solar

    MEMORANDUM #1d To: Loudoun County Planning Commission From: Judi Birkitt, AICP, CZA, Deputy Director, Planning and Zoning Daniel Galindo, AICP, Director, Planning and Zoning Date: January 6, 2023 Re: January 12, 2023, Planning Commission…

  • Other
    Solar

    Loudoun County Board of Supervisors adopted an amendment to the zoning ordinance to allow solar generation facilities at Dulles International Airport.

  • Zoning Board
    Data Center

    The data center project was discussed.

  • Other
    Data Center

    The Board of Supervisors voted to designate data centers as a conditional or special exception use in the county.

  • Other
    Data Center

    PIN(s) 287496982000 TAX MAP(s) 100/R13/////1/ EXISTING ZONING TR1UBF STPL-2018-0034 JK TECHNOLOGY PARK HABIB MICHEL URBAN LTD CLAYTON TOCK APPLICATION NUMBER APPLICATION NAME APPLICANT NAME PROJECT MANAGER PROJECT LOCATION PARCELS LOCATED…

  • Other
    Data Center

    The County's data center network infrastructure is described, including a meshed fiber backbone and leased circuits.

  • Other
    Data Center

    The County's data center network infrastructure is described, including a meshed fiber backbone and leased circuits.

  • Other
    Data Center

    Loudoun County officials discuss best practices for data center development and importance of fact-based dialogue.

  • Other
    Data Center

    © 2020 Mangum Economics JANUARY 2020 THE IMPACT OF DATA CENTERS ON THE STATE AND LOCAL ECONOMIES OF VIRGINIA PREPARED BY LEAD SPONSORS SUPPORTING SPONSORS NVTC 2020 Data Center Report Table of Contents About the Northern Virginia Technology

  • Other
    Data Center

    CyrusOne Data Centers plans to build a data center campus on the Hyde Park parcel.

  • Other
    Transmission

    The State Corporation Commission (SCC) granted an extension of procedural deadlines for Dominion Energy's proposed Morrisville to Wishing Star transmission line project.

  • Other
    Data Center

    The Board of Supervisors approved a Resolution of Appreciation for Equinix, Inc.'s $70 million investment in a 460,000 square foot data center.

  • Other
    Data Center

    Loudoun County officials discuss best practices for data center development and importance of fact-based dialogue.

  • Other
    Data Center

    The county discussed potential future uses for data centers, including repurposing and legalization of marijuana in unused facilities.

  • Other
    Data Center

    Data center project discussed due to potential noise complaints from residential development

  • Other
    Data Center

    The Board of Supervisors voted to designate data centers as a conditional or special exception use in the county.

  • Other
    Data Center

    County discusses data center project transmission line route and public comment opportunities

  • Other
    Data Center

    Permit applications for two residential projects were issued.

  • Other
    Transmission

    Loudoun County Board of Supervisors voted in favor of filing a notice of participation in Dominion Energy's application for new transmission lines along Route 7.

  • Other
    Data Center

    Permit applications for two residential projects were issued.

  • Other
    Data Center

    Data Center Coalition requested changes to the ZCPA process, citing lengthy review and public hearing times.

  • Other
    Data Center

    County discusses data center project with 56 proposed buildings and 20.7 million square feet of data center use.

  • Other
    Transmission

    Loudoun County participated in a review process for Dominion Energy's transmission line project

  • County Board
    Data Center

    The Board of Supervisors approved a data center and commercial/industrial amendments project.

  • Zoning Board
    Data Center

    Principal façade building treatments must be provided on all sides of a data center that are adjacent to residential property or other uses, such as stand-alone religious assemblies, parks, farm wineries, and limited breweries.

More energy-related meetings

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State PSC dockets P1

No tracked activity yet — coverage expands weekly.

Local news P3

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. Last refreshed 2026-10-08. See the county risk scorecard or the full Virginia permitting index.