Virginia Plug-In Solar Laws
By Daniel Okafor · Last reviewed In short: Virginia enacted HB 395 and SB 250, but the plug-in solar route starts January 1, 2027. From that date, a qualifying device up to 1,200 W can avoid ordinary interconnection approval after a pre-installation notice. The law also requires NRTL certification, zero export and outage isolation. Until commencement, use the utility and electrical process in force today.
Current status
Signed—not effective
The law has been enacted but its new route is not available yet. Prepare now, then re-check the final implementation on the effective date.
Key facts
- Status: Chapters 998 and 1052 are signed but start January 1, 2027
- Future limit: no more than 1,200 W maximum power output per customer or dwelling unit
- Separate threshold: no more than 391 W maximum output to the receptacle outlet
- Utility step: submit the SCC form before installation; providers get 15 days to flag deficiencies
- Product evidence: latest NEC plus certification by an NRTL; no test standard is named
- Operating condition: prevent export to the grid and isolate from the building during an outage
Check your location
Framework status and exact product eligibility are separate checks.
What this means today
Virginia approved the identical HB 395 and SB 250 on April 22, 2026. The new route is enacted, but the first enactment does not become effective until January 1, 2027. The signature did not make the future exemption available early.
Before January 1, a grid-parallel system still needs the route that applies under current Virginia rules and the serving provider's terms. Chapter 314 covers distributed generation operating in parallel with utility systems unless another defined route, such as the SCC net-metering rules, governs the project. The future law creates a narrow exemption only for a device that satisfies every definition, evidence, notice, export and outage condition.
What applies before and after January 1, 2027
| Question | Before January 1, 2027 | Future HB 395 / SB 250 route |
|---|---|---|
| Legal status | The signed law's plug-in exemption is not yet operative. | A qualifying device has a specific statewide route from January 1, 2027. |
| Connection process | Use the current SCC, utility or cooperative process that applies to the exact grid-parallel configuration. | The device is outside ordinary interconnection and net-metering provisions; prior utility approval and device-related fees are barred. |
| Notice | Follow the provider's current application and approval steps. | Submit the SCC form before installation. The provider has 15 days to flag accuracy or completeness problems. |
| Power thresholds | No plug-in-specific statewide threshold from the future law can be used early. | No more than 1,200 W maximum power output, plus a separate 391 W receptacle-output rule with a narrower listing effect. |
| Product evidence | Current electrical, listing and provider requirements apply. | Meet the latest NEC and show NRTL certification for the qualifying device; the statute names no test standard. |
| Export and outages | Confirm meter, export and grid-loss behavior under the current route. | The device must prevent export to the grid and must not affect the building's electrical system during an outage. |
| Renters and property | Lease, owner, association, local and structural requirements apply. | Covered landlords face a limited non-prohibition rule, but notice, reasonable restrictions, exclusions and private property documents remain. |
What HB 395 / SB 250 says
HB 395 and identical SB 250 create a future category for a movable photovoltaic device with no more than 1,200 W maximum power output per customer or, in multifamily housing, per residential building unit. It must connect to a building through an electrical outlet, sit behind the customer meter, primarily offset onsite consumption, meet the latest National Electrical Code, carry NRTL certification and isolate from the building during an outage. From January 1, 2027, a device meeting every condition is excluded from ordinary interconnection and net-metering provisions. The electric service provider cannot require prior approval, charge a device-related fee or demand controls beyond the device, but the customer must submit the SCC notice before installation. The provider has 15 days to identify accuracy or completeness problems. The law also requires zero export to the grid, permits an automatic locking disconnect for multiple devices at one property or where a circuit requires it, and gives the 391 W receptacle-output category a limited exception from listing provisions that would otherwise require alterations to the premises, wiring or panels.
Read the official bill record ↗
Virginia implementation timeline
| Date | Official event | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| April 22, 2026 | Governor approved HB 395 and SB 250 | The identical bills became Chapters 1052 and 998. Approval did not activate the future route. |
| May 12, 2026 | Portable-solar law highlighted at the public signing event | The governor's announcement described balcony solar as a route for renters and condo owners; the statutory start date remained January 1, 2027. |
| August 18, 2026 | Plug-in Solar Work Group held its first meeting | The group began reviewing electrical codes, NRTL evidence and possible disconnect requirements. |
| September 1, 2026 | SCC notification-form deadline | The act directs the SCC to publish online and printable forms with a limited set of customer, meter, model and laboratory fields. |
| November 15, 2026 | Work-group report due | Safety recommendations are due to the named legislative committees before the route starts. |
| January 1, 2027 | First enactment becomes effective | Only then may a device that meets every statutory condition use the new exemption. |
The 1,200 W and 391 W thresholds do different jobs
The main definition says maximum power output of not more than 1,200 W. It does not label that figure as panel DC nameplate capacity, continuous inverter AC output or export power. Those measurements are not interchangeable, so preserve the statute's wording when screening a configuration and record each value separately.
The 391 W figure is not a second statewide maximum. It applies to maximum power output to the receptacle outlet and provides a limited exception from product-listing provisions that would require alterations to the building's premises, wiring or electrical panels. A 391 W device still has to satisfy the rest of the definition. Local, property, circuit and manufacturer requirements still apply.
The future notice is not an approval application
From January 1, the customer must submit the SCC form before installation. The provider may review the form for accuracy and completeness, and it gets 15 days to respond about deficiencies. If it does not respond within that period, the customer is deemed to have met the notice requirement and may install the device. Meeting the notice timing does not cure a missing product or property condition.
The act directs the SCC to publish both online and printable versions by September 1, 2026. The allowed fields are narrow: customer and contact details, installation address, provider, account and meter numbers, device model name and number, and the certifying laboratory. Recheck the SCC's official form before relying on a retailer checklist or a utility-created substitute.
Until the new route starts, Chapter 314 establishes standardized requirements for generation operating in parallel with utility systems and gives certified facilities no larger than 500 kW a Level 1 review path. That is not a socket exemption. Confirm whether Chapter 314, net metering or another provider-specific route applies before connecting a device in 2026.
NRTL certification needs an exact model and standard
The future statute requires certification by a nationally recognized testing laboratory under 29 CFR 1910.7, or equivalent nationally recognized laboratory wording. OSHA recognition covers a laboratory and its approved scope. A logo on one inverter does not establish that the supplied panel, cable, plug, controls and installation conditions form the certified device contemplated by Virginia law.
The statute names no test standard, including UL 3700, UL 1741 or any other numbered document. UL 3700 is still an Outline of Investigation for interactive plug-in PV equipment and systems, published in December 2025, but that fact does not convert it into an unstated Virginia condition. Verify the exact model, complete configuration, laboratory, certification mark and named standard in a public directory.
- Match every supplied component and permitted accessory to the certification record.
- Record the named test standard rather than relying on a generic UL or ETL badge.
- Confirm that the laboratory is OSHA-recognized for the relevant standard and product category.
- Separate a component listing from evidence for the complete outlet-connected device.
Zero export is part of the qualifying route
Section 56-596.8 requires the customer to ensure that the device prevents export to the electric grid and does not affect the building's electrical system during an outage. The route also excludes the device from net metering. It therefore creates no right to export compensation, and a bidirectional meter alone would not create one.
Size savings around electricity used onsite while the system is producing. Check the control method, meter interaction and grid-loss behavior for the exact model. If a property has more than one device, or if the distribution circuit requires it, the utility or cooperative may install an automatic locking disconnect switch even though the law otherwise bars extra customer-installed controls.
The renter rule is useful but narrower than a blanket right
From January 1, a landlord who owns more than four rental units, or more than a 10 percent interest in more than four units, cannot prohibit a qualifying device on the exterior of the tenant's premises. The landlord may set reasonable restrictions on size, place and manner of placement. The tenant must give documentation and identify the proposed location at least seven days before installation, and remains responsible for device-caused damage.
The rule does not cover a unit billed through a ratio utility billing system. Alterations to premises, wiring or panels require express written landlord approval. Localities also retain height, setback and historic or corridor conditions, while condominium instruments, association declarations and other private covenants are not displaced. Obtain a configuration-specific written property decision even when the electrical route is clear.
Your serving utility still matters
Chapters 998 and 1052 do not take effect until January 1, 2027. Before then, identify the serving provider and obtain the current interconnection, electrical, metering and approval route for the exact grid-parallel configuration.
Pre-purchase checklist
- 1Wait until January 1, 2027 before relying on the new exemption; use the current provider and electrical route for any earlier project.
- 2Record panel DC nameplate capacity, maximum power output, continuous inverter AC output and receptacle output separately.
- 3Confirm that the exact configuration stays within the statute's unclassified 1,200 W maximum-power wording.
- 4Determine whether the 391 W receptacle-output clause applies without treating it as a general listing or permit waiver.
- 5Verify the exact model, complete configuration, NRTL, certification mark and named test standard in a public directory.
- 6Use the official SCC notice form and retain delivery evidence; allow the provider's 15-day deficiency-review period.
- 7Confirm the integrated zero-export control and outage isolation for the exact device and approved installation method.
- 8Identify whether multiple devices or the distribution circuit could trigger an automatic locking disconnect.
- 9Give the landlord the required seven-day notice where the tenant rule applies and obtain written approval for any alteration.
- 10Check lease, ratio billing, association documents, zoning, historic rules, mounting loads, circuit condition and insurance separately.
Next steps
Primary sources
Frequently asked questions
Is plug-in solar legal in Virginia right now?
HB 395 and SB 250 are enacted, but the new plug-in-specific route begins January 1, 2027. Before then, the future exemption is not present permission. Ask the serving provider and local authority which current interconnection, electrical and property requirements apply to the exact grid-parallel configuration.
When does Virginia HB 395 take effect?
The first enactment takes effect January 1, 2027. The bills were approved on April 22, 2026, but approval and commencement are different events. The SCC form is due by September 1, 2026, and the safety work-group report is due November 15, 2026. Neither implementation deadline moves the statutory start date.
What is Virginia's plug-in solar watt limit?
The future definition says no more than 1,200 W maximum power output per customer or residential building unit. It does not classify that number as panel DC, inverter AC or export power. A separate 391 W maximum-output-to-the-receptacle clause has a narrower product-listing effect and is not the statewide maximum.
Does Virginia HB 395 require UL 3700?
The statute does not name UL 3700, UL 1741 or another numbered standard. It requires the latest NEC and certification by an NRTL under 29 CFR 1910.7 or equivalent wording. Verify the exact model, complete configuration, laboratory, mark and named standard. A listed inverter alone does not establish complete-device certification.
Will Virginia require utility approval after January 1, 2027?
A device meeting every condition is exempt from ordinary interconnection approval and device-related utility fees. The customer must still submit the SCC form before installation. The provider has 15 days to flag accuracy or completeness problems; if it stays silent, the notice requirement is deemed met. Other product and property conditions still apply.
Can a Virginia plug-in solar device export power?
The qualifying device must include a feature that prevents export to the electric grid and must not affect the building's electrical system during an outage. The future route also sits outside net metering, so it creates no export-credit right. Base savings on onsite consumption and verify zero-export behavior for the exact model.
Can Virginia renters install plug-in solar after January 1, 2027?
Covered landlords cannot prohibit a qualifying exterior device, but may impose reasonable placement restrictions. Tenants must provide documentation and the proposed location at least seven days before installation. Ratio-billed units are excluded, alterations require express written approval, and association, zoning, structural and insurance requirements remain separate.