HB1234Introduced in the House of Delegates
Land development; definitions, solar canopies in surface parking areas, delayed effective date.
Introduced by Briana Sewell, District 25
What does this bill do?
Plain-English breakdown
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Official description
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 incorporates HB 457 and is identical to SB 26.
Where it stands
Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0757)
April 13, 2026
How did lawmakers vote?
House of Delegates votes
3 recorded votes · each counted separately
Senate votes
3 recorded votes · each counted separately
House of DelegatesStage: Senate substitute agreed to by House (67-Y 30-N 0-A) · March 6, 2026
67
Yes
30
No
2
Absent or Not Voting
99 delegates recorded in this House of Delegates vote. Colors show vote categories only, not whether a vote was good or bad.
See how each delegate voted
| Delegate | District | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Patrick Hope | 1 | Yes |
| Adele McClure | 2 | Yes |
| Alfonso Lopez | 3 | Yes |
| Charniele Herring | 4 | Yes |
| Kirk McPike | 5 | Yes |
| Richard Sullivan | 6 | Yes |
| Karen Keys-Gamarra | 7 | Yes |
| Irene Shin | 8 | Yes |
| Karrie Delaney | 9 | Yes |
| Dan Helmer | 10 | Yes |
Bill history
Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26102478D
Referred to Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns
Assigned HCCT sub: Subcommittee #2
Incorporates HB457 (Krizek)
House committee offered
Reported from Counties, Cities and Towns with substitute (20-Y 1-N)
Committee substitute printed 26107392D-H1
Read first time
Read second time
committee substitute agreed to
Engrossed by House - committee substitute
Read third time and passed House (76-Y 22-N 0-A)
Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)
Referred to Committee on Local Government
Reported from Local Government with substitute (8-Y 7-N)
Committee substitute printed 26109040D-S1
Rules suspended
Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
Read third time
Local Government Substitute agreed to
Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute
Passed Senate with substitute (21-Y 18-N 0-A)
Senate substitute agreed to by House (67-Y 30-N 0-A)
Enrolled
Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB1234ER)
Signed by Speaker
Signed by President
Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 14, 2026
Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026
Approved by Governor-Chapter 757 (Effective 7/1/2027)
Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0757)
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