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Solar site surveys · VirginiaA technician on the roof, in the attic and at the service panel, with the survey read against the code editions, AHJs and utilities that apply in Virginia.
Virginia enforces one statewide code, the 2021 Uniform Statewide Building Code, which references the 2020 NEC and has been mandatory for all permits since January 18, 2025; the 2024 cycle is not expected before late 2027. The Virginia Residential Code carries a state version of the rooftop pathway rules, and a 2026 law requires every locality to accept automated residential solar permits by July 1, 2028. Dominion's NEM 2.0 order in April 2026 kept annual kWh netting for new customers.
The capture spec is the same everywhere. What the engineer and the plan reviewer read it against is not.
Design wind speeds rise toward the coast: Henrico County lists a 115 mph ultimate design wind speed, while Newport News on Hampton Roads lists 118, so attachment spacing and uplift checks get tighter toward the coast.5,6
Ground snow loads are modest but not zero: 20 psf in Henrico County and 15 psf in Newport News for residential design.5,6
Virginia's version of R324.6, as applied by Henrico, uses a flat 18 inches each side of a horizontal ridge rather than scaling the setback with array coverage.4
State law keeps local historic and architectural district rules in force for rooftop solar, so visible arrays in those districts can need design review before a permit.7
Associations can set reasonable size and placement rules within the 5% cost and 10% production limits, but a ban written into a recorded declaration still stands.8
Who reviews the plan set, and what the state layers on top.
The utility decides the interconnection path and what an exported kilowatt-hour is worth.
Customer-generators file a Net Metering Interconnection Notification, fastest through the online portal. Systems must be sized to produce no more than about 150% of expected annual use, and an SCC order of April 30, 2026 created a NEM 2.0 tariff for new customers.11,12
Interconnection page ↗Serves southwest Virginia. Applications, including pre-application reports, go through PowerClerk, and inverters must be certified to IEEE 1547-2018.13
Interconnection page ↗One standard, one visit, the same record in Virginia as everywhere else. What it gets checked against is the code stack above.
The 2020 NEC, adopted statewide through the 2021 Uniform Statewide Building Code. It has been mandatory for all permits since January 18, 2025; the 2024 USBC is not expected to take effect before about October 2027.1,3
Not the technical code: localities enforce the USBC as written by the state. They still control zoning height and setback limits and historic district review for rooftop solar.1,7
In its April 30, 2026 final order, the SCC approved a NEM 2.0 tariff for new customers that keeps annual kWh netting, adds a $1.00 monthly administrative charge and credits year-end excess at $0.05829 per kWh. Customers who interconnected earlier can stay on the existing tariff.12
Yes. A 2026 law has Virginia Energy set up a Smart Solar Permitting Platform, and by July 1, 2028 each locality must accept residential solar applications through it or an equivalent platform.9
Only if the recorded declaration already prohibits them. Otherwise the association can set reasonable rules, but not ones that raise cost 5% or cut production 10%, and it can still restrict panels on common areas.8
Metro pages for Virginia: Richmond.
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Explore →Every local fact on this page links to where it came from. Codes, programs and tariffs change: confirm the current requirement with the AHJ and the utility before you design.
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