# Virginia SB443: Siting of battery energy storage projects; commercial solar photovoltaic generation facilities, etc. Virginia SB443, Siting of battery energy storage projects; commercial solar photovoltaic generation facilities, etc., is a 2026 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by Jeremy S. McPike (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-04-22 (House concurred in Governor's recommendation (64-Y 33-N 0-A)); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-12). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-SB443-2026 - As of: 2026-10-12 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Virginia SB443 - State: Virginia - Session: 2026 Regular Session - Title: Siting of battery energy storage projects; commercial solar photovoltaic generation facilities, etc. - Status: signed - Chamber: Senate - Introduced: 2026-01-13 - Last action: 2026-04-22, House concurred in Governor's recommendation (64-Y 33-N 0-A) - Sponsor: Jeremy S. McPike (Democratic) - Cosponsors: 0 - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 9 (250 yes, 97 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 1 ## Summary Siting of battery energy storage projects; commercial solar photovoltaic generation facilities; permitted accessory use. Deems battery energy storage projects as a permitted accessory use in all zoning districts on any parcel of land that is subject to an approved special exception, as defined in the bill, for a commercial solar photovoltaic generation facility, if such battery energy storage project is located within the boundaries of the parcel covered by the existing special exception and complies with any applicable federal, state, and local safety or fire codes and environmental regulations. The bill prohibits a host locality from requiring a special exception or any other local land use approval on such battery energy storage project. The bill clarifies that nothing in the provisions of the bill shall be construed to (i) limit the authority of a host locality to enforce compliance with applicable codes or ensure the safe operation of the battery energy storage project or (ii) preclude the developer of a battery energy storage project from negotiating a siting agreement with the host locality. The bill also clarifies that any battery energy storage project for which an initial interconnection request has been filed with an electric utility or a regional transmission organization prior to July 1, 2030, and is constructed in accordance with the provisions of the bill shall be subject to the applicable local ordinance and regulation in effect on July 1, 2026. This bill is identical to HB 891. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Virginia solar sites get easier battery approvals: benefit, low. Virginia allows battery storage in any zoning district on parcels with an approved solar special exception, without additional land-use approvals. The battery project must stay within the approved parcel and have storage capacity no greater than 100 percent of the solar facility’s nameplate generat… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Jeremy S. McPike (Democratic), Senate ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-04-22 | House | House concurred in Governor's recommendation | pass | 64 | 33 | | | 2026-04-22 | Senate | Senate concurred in Governor's recommendation | pass | 24 | 15 | | | 2026-02-16 | House | Passed House | pass | 68 | 30 | | | 2026-02-13 | House | Reported from Counties, Cities and Towns | pass | 18 | 3 | | | 2026-01-29 | Senate | Read third time and passed Senate | pass | 26 | 13 | | | 2026-01-28 | Senate | Engrossed by Senate (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 | | | 2026-01-27 | Senate | Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) | pass | 39 | 0 | | | 2026-01-27 | Senate | Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 | | | 2026-01-26 | Senate | Reported from Local Government | pass | 11 | 3 | | ## Actions (37) - 2026-04-22: House concurred in Governor's recommendation (64-Y 33-N 0-A) (House) - 2026-04-22: Senate concurred in Governor's recommendation (24-Y 15-N 0-A) (Senate) - 2026-04-22: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP1011) (Governor) - 2026-04-22: Reenrolled bill text (SB443ER2) (Senate) - 2026-04-22: Reenrolled (Senate) - 2026-04-22: Approved by Governor-Chapter 1011 (effective 7/1/2026) (Governor) - 2026-04-22: Signed by President (Senate) - 2026-04-22: Signed by Speaker (House) - 2026-04-22: Governor's recommendation adopted (Governor) - 2026-04-12: Governor's recommendation received by Senate (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) - 2026-02-18: Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB443ER) (Senate) - 2026-02-18: Enrolled (Senate) - 2026-02-18: Signed by President (Senate) - 2026-02-18: Signed by Speaker (House) - 2026-02-16: Passed House (68-Y 30-N 0-A) (House) - 2026-02-16: Read third time (House) - 2026-02-15: Read second time (House) - 2026-02-13: Reported from Counties, Cities and Towns (18-Y 3-N) (House) - 2026-02-04: Referred to Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns (House) - 2026-02-04: Read first time (House) - 2026-02-04: Placed on Calendar (House) - 2026-01-29: Read third time and passed Senate (26-Y 13-N 0-A) (Senate) - 2026-01-28: Engrossed by Senate (Voice Vote) (Senate) - 2026-01-28: Read second time (Senate) - 2026-01-27: Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) (Senate) - 2026-01-27: Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) (39-Y 0-N 0-A) (Senate) - 2026-01-27: Read first time (Senate) - 2026-01-27: Passed by for the day (Senate) - 2026-01-27: Rules suspended (Senate) - 2026-01-26: Fiscal Impact statement From CLG (1/26/2026 11:53 am) (Senate) - 2026-01-26: Reported from Local Government (11-Y 3-N) (Senate) - 2026-01-13: Introduced bill reprinted 26103172D (Senate) - 2026-01-13: Introduced bill reprinted 26103172D (Senate) - 2026-01-13: Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26103172D (Senate) - 2026-01-13: Referred to Committee on Local Government (Senate) ## Bill text - Chaptered, 2026-04-22: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1225059.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1225058.PDF) - Reenrolled, 2026-04-22: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1220552.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1220551.PDF) - Substitute, 2026-04-14: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1219628.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1219627.PDF) - Gov Recommendation, 2026-04-12: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1219624.HTML) - Enrolled, 2026-02-18: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1168694.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1168693.PDF) - Introduced, 2026-01-13: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1090288.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1090287.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/1225059.HTML) - [Chaptered (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1225058.PDF) - [Reenrolled (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1220552.HTML) - [Reenrolled (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1220551.PDF) - [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1219628.HTML) - [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1219627.PDF) - [Gov Recommendation (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1219624.HTML) - [Enrolled (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1168694.HTML) - [Enrolled (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1168693.PDF) - [Introduced (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1090288.HTML) - [Introduced (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1090287.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) - [Virginia bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/virginia/bills) - [Virginia state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/virginia) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-SB443-2026 (as of 2026-10-12).