Middlesex County, Virginia solar and battery storage ordinance
Solar: 100 ft (RH Resource Husbandry district) from property lines, 500 ft (RH Resource Husbandry district from Primary highway) from roads. Battery storage: 100 ft (LDR Low Density Rural district) from property lines, 500 ft (LDR Low Density Rural district from Primary highway) from roads. Every figure is quoted from the county's ordinance, read September 29, 2026.
Updated September 2026
Solar rules
7 figures read from the county's ordinance, each with the sentence it comes from.
| Rule and what the ordinance says | Requirement |
|---|---|
Property line setbackRH Resource Husbandry district100’ from any property line. | 100 ft |
Property line setbackLDR Low Density Rural district100’ from any property line. | 100 ft |
Road setbackRH Resource Husbandry district from Primary highway500’ from any Primary highway right-of-way. | 500 ft |
Road setbackRH Resource Husbandry district from Secondary highway200’ from any Secondary highway right-of-way. | 200 ft |
Road setbackRH Resource Husbandry district from private right-of-way100’ from any private right-of-way. | 100 ft |
Road setbackLDR Low Density Rural district from private right-of-way100’ from any private right-of-way. | 100 ft |
Road setbackVC Village Community district from Primary or Secondary highway1000’ from any Primary or Secondary highway right-of-way. | 1,000 ft |
Source: Middlesex County ordinance (PDF), read September 29, 2026. Check the cited section with the county before relying on a figure.
Battery storage rules
7 figures read from the county's ordinance, each with the sentence it comes from.
| Rule and what the ordinance says | Requirement |
|---|---|
Property line setbackLDR Low Density Rural district100’ from any property line. | 100 ft |
Property line setbackVC Village Community district100’ from any property line. | 100 ft |
Road setbackLDR Low Density Rural district from Primary highway500’ from any Primary highway right-of-way. | 500 ft |
Road setbackLDR Low Density Rural district from Secondary highway200’ from any Secondary highway right-of-way. | 200 ft |
Road setbackLDR Low Density Rural district from private right-of-way100’ from any private right-of-way. | 100 ft |
Road setbackVC Village Community district from Primary or Secondary highway1000’ from any Primary or Secondary highway right-of-way. | 1,000 ft |
Road setbackVC Village Community district from private right-of-way100’ from any private right-of-way. | 100 ft |
Source: Middlesex County ordinance (PDF), read September 29, 2026. Check the cited section with the county before relying on a figure.
Virginia state law
State law can cap or override county rules. All Virginia rules and counties.
State siting: Virginia Department of Environmental Quality; State Corporation Commission
Projects up to 150 MW can use a permit by rule from the Department of Environmental Quality. Larger ones may need a certificate from the State Corporation Commission. Local approval is also needed.
Va. Code Ann. 10.1-1197.5, 56-265.2 (DOE and Berkeley Lab inventory, June 2024). Source
Limits on local rules
For ground-mounted solar of 1 MW or more serving other property, counties must use a special exception or siting agreement whose setbacks, screening and height stay within state ranges; a county can still deny the application, and can depart from the ranges only by written agreement with the landowner and applicant.
Va. Code 15.2-2288.8(A) (2026 Acts cc. 1005, 1068). Source
Solar standards in state law
Applies to ground-mounted solar of 1 MW or more that serves other property; each county must write its special-exception rules within these ranges (picking any number inside a range), may still deny a project, and may agree looser terms in a siting agreement.
| Homes (non-participating) | 150 to 200 ft |
| Schools, churches, community buildings | 150 to 200 ft |
| Public roads | 50 to 100 ft from roadbed edge |
| Property line (non-participating) | 50 to 75 ft |
| Wetlands and perennial streams | 50 ft (25 MW or less), 100 ft (over 25 MW) |
| Wetlands and streams in Chesapeake Bay Preservation Areas | 100 to 125 ft |
| Panel height at full tilt | 25 ft |
| Screening buffer width | 25 to 50 ft wide; plants need not exceed 3 ft at planting |
| Vegetative ground cover | Up to 75% may be required |
| Decommissioning | Agreement plus financial assurance; estimate updated every 5 years |
Va. Code 15.2-2288.8(A) (2026 Acts cc. 1005, 1068); 15.2-2241.2. Source
Battery storage standards in state law
Batteries added inside the parcel of a solar project that already has a special exception are a permitted accessory use in every zoning district, with no further local land use approval, if storage capacity does not exceed the solar nameplate.
| Size allowed by right at an approved solar site | Up to 100% of solar nameplate |
Va. Code 15.2-2316.10 (2026 Acts cc. 1011, 1076). Source
Every Virginia figure in one spreadsheet
238 figures from 32 counties, each with its quote, source, date read and any condition. 5 of those places are not on this site. Plus the moratorium or ban on file and Virginia state law.
How these figures were read
We found Middlesex County's own ordinance and had two AI models read it separately. A figure is shown only when both read the same number and the sentence it comes from was found in the document. Moratoria and bans are checked against the adopting document. Ordinances change and many figures apply only in some cases, so check the cited section with the county before relying on one.
Common questions
What are the solar setbacks in Middlesex County, VA?
The county's ordinance sets solar facilities back 500 ft (RH Resource Husbandry district from Primary highway) from roads, 200 ft (RH Resource Husbandry district from Secondary highway) from roads, 100 ft (RH Resource Husbandry district from private right-of-way) from roads, 100 ft (RH Resource Husbandry district) from property lines and 100 ft (LDR Low Density Rural district from private right-of-way) from roads. Check the cited section with the county before relying on a figure.
What are the battery storage setbacks in Middlesex County, VA?
The county's ordinance sets battery storage back 500 ft (LDR Low Density Rural district from Primary highway) from roads, 200 ft (LDR Low Density Rural district from Secondary highway) from roads, 100 ft (LDR Low Density Rural district from private right-of-way) from roads, 100 ft (LDR Low Density Rural district) from property lines and 1,000 ft (VC Village Community district from Primary or Secondary highway) from roads. Check the cited section with the county before relying on a figure.