Solar permitting — Richmond city, Virginia
4 indexed meetings (4 energy-related), 261 news items, 4 known opposition groups.
✅ LOW RISK (Score 24/100, Grade A, stable trajectory) — State capital; dense urban; Dominion HQ; pro-solar council. Permitting: Richmond City: Site plan / CUP through city planning commission; hard N/A — independent city; limited developable land. Track record: Bookers Mill Solar, 127 MW, 2024, Domi…
Permitting process
Local permitting pathway
Richmond City: Site plan / CUP through city planning commission
Setbacks & buffers
No solar-specific setbacks; governed by general municipal zoning
Spacing requirements
No spacing requirements codified
Size restrictions
No size restrictions codified
Penalties & bonding
No penalties or adjustments. Standard CUP/SUP process.
State-level permits & approvals
Local zoning approval via city council/planning commission; DEQ PBR for >5 MW; SCC PBR for 5–150 MW utility-scale under VCEA framework HB 711/SB 347 (signed Apr 13 2026, eff. July 1 2026): OUTRIGHT BANS and blanket exclusions on ≥1 MW solar in ag/commercial/industrial/institutional zones PROHIBITED. Localities must accept and review SE/SUP for every ≥1 MW application. Statewide minimum setbacks: 150–200 ft from adjacent houses; 50–100 ft from state roads; 100–250 ft from streams/wetlands. Decommissioning plan required + updated every 5 yrs. Denials reported to SCC public database. Counties CAN still DENY on case-by-case basis. VACo opposed; Virginia Farm Bureau opposed. Passed House 63-33 / Senate 21-17. Source: lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/SB347
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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); Dominion/AEP net metering (residential/commercial); state solar equipment tax exemption; locality solar revenue share option (SB 1258)
Grid & interconnection
PJM / Dominion zone
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Community opposition P1 4 tracked
Organized opposition signals on record for this county — petitions, community groups, and oppositional coverage — each linked to its primary source.
- r/Virginia on Reddit: Dominion Energy says data centers aren’t raising people’s bills. Energy researchers say they are. Data center
- r/rva on Reddit: Stop the Upcoming Chesterfield Data Center Data center
- More Virginia Counties Are Seeking Solar Moratoriums, But Are They Legal? Solar
- r/rva on Reddit: Data centers approved, solar farms rejected: What is going on in rural Virginia? Data center
SitePath maintains the most complete community-opposition dataset available, refreshed continuously from primary sources.
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Energy-related meetings & dockets P1
4 meetings indexed for this jurisdiction; none flagged as discussing solar, BESS, data centers, wind, or transmission yet. Coverage expands weekly.
State PSC dockets P1
No tracked activity yet — coverage expands weekly.
Local news P3
- 2026-07-10 Nextera Energy Vs Duke Energy The Usd67 Billion Deal Could Change The Revenue Script
- 2026-07-09 Data Centers At Center Of Virginia Battles Over Taxes Environment And Jobs
- 2026-07-07 N Virginia Projected Its Data Center Tax Exemption Would Cost 1 5 Million A Year When It Was Created In 2008 In Fiscal 2025 The States Own…
- 2026-06-26 Column Virginias Energy Future Requires Preparation Not Reaction
- 2026-06-24 Vcu Researcher Examines Air Quality Concerns Tied Virginia Data Centers
- 2026-06-24 Data Center Boom Shows No Signs Of Slowing As Vacancy Hits Record Lows Cbre Global Data Center Trends Report June 2026 Ai Artificial…
- 2026-06-23 Legislators Advocates On Virginias New Data Center Tax And Regulation Scheme A Good First Step
- 2026-06-23 Virginia Legislators Advance 205 Billion Budget Including New Tax On Data Centers
- 2026-06-23 Barclays Issues Pessimistic Forecast For Dominion Energy Nysed Stock Price
- 2026-06-23 Sg Americas Securities Llc Purchases 341531 Shares Of Dominion Energy Inc…
- 2026-06-22 Dominion Nextera Merger Raises Questions For Virginia Energy Customers
- 2026-06-20 Virginia Lawmaker Fight Data Center
- 2026-06-19 Senate Budget Proposal Keeps Data Center Sales Tax Exemption Adds New Tax For Industry
- 2026-06-18 Data Center Divides State Democrats
- 2026-06-18 Dominion Energy Nysed Sets New 12 Month High Heres Why
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