# Virginia SB26: Land development; definitions, solar canopies in surface parking areas, delayed effective date.

Virginia SB26, Land development; definitions, solar canopies in surface parking areas, delayed effective date., is a 2026 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by Jennifer D. Carroll Foy (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-04-13 (Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0758)); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-12).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-SB26-2026
- As of: 2026-10-12
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Virginia SB26
- State: Virginia
- Session: 2026 Regular Session
- Title: Land development; definitions, solar canopies in surface parking areas, delayed effective date.
- Status: signed
- Chamber: Senate
- Introduced: 2025-11-17
- Last action: 2026-04-13, Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0758)
- Sponsor: Jennifer D. Carroll Foy (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Touches household money: yes
- Roll calls: 9 (182 yes, 69 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 2

## Summary

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.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Use and finance power from canopies: benefit, medium. You can use solar canopy power to offset the parking lot’s or an adjoining building’s electricity if they share the same account. You may choose to interconnect under Virginia rules 20VAC5-314 or 20VAC5-315. A canopy can be owned by a third party by contract, deed, or lease. These options are avail…
- Localities can require solar parking canopies: mixed, medium. The law lets any locality require solar canopies over up to 50% of a qualified parking area. A qualified area is a new surface lot (or addition) with 100 or more new contiguous off-street spaces for nonresidential uses. Any local rule must apply the same to public and private lots. Mixed-use projec…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Jennifer D. Carroll Foy (Democratic), Senate

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-02-27 | Senate | House amendments agreed to by Senate | pass | 20 | 19 |   |
| 2026-02-25 | House | Passed House with amendments | pass | 75 | 21 |   |
| 2026-02-20 | House | Reported from Counties, Cities and Towns | pass | 18 | 3 |   |
| 2026-02-12 | Senate | Read third time and passed Senate | pass | 21 | 19 |   |
| 2026-02-11 | Senate | Reading of amendment waived (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-11 | Senate | Senator Carroll Foy Amendment agreed to | pass | 0 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-10 | Senate | Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) | pass | 40 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-10 | Senate | Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-09 | Senate | Reported from Local Government with substitute | pass | 8 | 7 |   |

## Actions (34)

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

## Bill text

- Chaptered, 2026-04-13: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1222567.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1222566.PDF)
- Enrolled, 2026-03-04: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1188139.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1188138.PDF)
- Amendment, 2026-02-25: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1179264.HTML), [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1181147.HTML)
- Amendment, 2026-02-11: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1141862.HTML)
- Engrossed, 2026-02-11: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1142275.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1142274.PDF)
- Substitute, 2026-02-09: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1135018.HTML), [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1134085.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1135017.PDF), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1134084.PDF)
- Introduced, 2025-11-17: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1081344.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1081343.PDF)

## Related bills

- HB5: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties. (signed)
- SB199: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties. (signed)
- HB95: Va. Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; landlord remedies, noncompliance with rental agreement. (signed)
- HB1393: Electric utilities; pilot program for energy assistance and weatherization for certain individuals. (signed)
- HB834: Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; fire or casualty damage, termination by landlord. (signed)
- HB675: Protection of employees; coercion or threat based on immigration status, civil penalty. (signed)

## Sources
- [Chaptered (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1222567.HTML)
- [Chaptered (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1222566.PDF)
- [Enrolled (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1188139.HTML)
- [Enrolled (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1188138.PDF)
- [Amendment (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1179264.HTML)
- [Amendment (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1181147.HTML)
- [Amendment (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1141862.HTML)
- [Engrossed (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1142275.HTML)
- [Engrossed (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1142274.PDF)
- [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1135018.HTML)
- [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1134085.HTML)
- [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1135017.PDF)
- [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1134084.PDF)
- [Introduced (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1081344.HTML)
- [Introduced (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1081343.PDF)

## Related
- [HB5: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB5-2026)
- [SB199: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-SB199-2026)
- [HB95: Va. Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; landlord remedies, noncompliance with…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB95-2026)
- [HB1393: Electric utilities; pilot program for energy assistance and weatherization for…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB1393-2026)
- [HB834: Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; fire or casualty damage, terminat…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB834-2026)
- [HB675: Protection of employees; coercion or threat based on immigration status, civil…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB675-2026)
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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-SB26-2026 (as of 2026-10-12).