Southampton County, Virginia solar ordinance
Solar: 18 ft (solar energy arrays when oriented at maximum tilt) maximum height. Every figure is quoted from the county's ordinance, read September 29, 2026.
Updated September 2026
Solar rules
14 figures read from the county's ordinance, each with the sentence it comes from.
| Rule and what the ordinance says | Requirement |
|---|---|
Setback from homessubstations or connector stationsSec. 18-627 – Substations or connector stations must be 500 feet, and inverters and transformers must be 250 feet, from existing dwellings, schools, places of worship, State Scenic Rivers, and rights-of-way. | 500 ft |
Setback from homesinverters and transformersSec. 18-627 – Substations or connector stations must be 500 feet, and inverters and transformers must be 250 feet, from existing dwellings, schools, places of worship, State Scenic Rivers, and rights-of-way. | 250 ft |
Road setbacksubstations or connector stationsSec. 18-627 – Substations or connector stations must be 500 feet, and inverters and transformers must be 250 feet, from existing dwellings, schools, places of worship, State Scenic Rivers, and rights-of-way. | 500 ft |
Road setbackinverters and transformersSec. 18-627 – Substations or connector stations must be 500 feet, and inverters and transformers must be 250 feet, from existing dwellings, schools, places of worship, State Scenic Rivers, and rights-of-way. | 250 ft |
Setback from corporate limits of any town or citySec. 18-626 – All projects must be at least one (1) mile from the corporate limits of any town or city. | 1 mile |
Setback from schoolssubstations or connector stationsSec. 18-627 – Substations or connector stations must be 500 feet, and inverters and transformers must be 250 feet, from existing dwellings, schools, places of worship, State Scenic Rivers, and rights-of-way. | 500 ft |
Setback from places of worshipsubstations or connector stationsSec. 18-627 – Substations or connector stations must be 500 feet, and inverters and transformers must be 250 feet, from existing dwellings, schools, places of worship, State Scenic Rivers, and rights-of-way. | 500 ft |
Setback from State Scenic Riverssubstations or connector stationsSec. 18-627 – Substations or connector stations must be 500 feet, and inverters and transformers must be 250 feet, from existing dwellings, schools, places of worship, State Scenic Rivers, and rights-of-way. | 500 ft |
Setback from schoolsinverters and transformersSec. 18-627 – Substations or connector stations must be 500 feet, and inverters and transformers must be 250 feet, from existing dwellings, schools, places of worship, State Scenic Rivers, and rights-of-way. | 250 ft |
Setback from places of worshipinverters and transformersSec. 18-627 – Substations or connector stations must be 500 feet, and inverters and transformers must be 250 feet, from existing dwellings, schools, places of worship, State Scenic Rivers, and rights-of-way. | 250 ft |
Setback from State Scenic Riversinverters and transformersSec. 18-627 – Substations or connector stations must be 500 feet, and inverters and transformers must be 250 feet, from existing dwellings, schools, places of worship, State Scenic Rivers, and rights-of-way. | 250 ft |
Setback from other utility scale solar projectsNo project shall be closer than five (5) miles from any other such project. | 5 miles |
Maximum heightsolar energy arrays when oriented at maximum tiltSolar Energy Arrays shall not exceed eighteen (18) feet in height when oriented at maximum tilt, as measured from the ground | 18 ft |
Maximum project sizemaximum project sizeSec. 18-624 – The minimum project size is 20MW and the maximum size is 100MW. | 100 MW |
Source: Southampton 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
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 Southampton 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 Southampton County, VA?
The county's ordinance sets solar facilities back 500 ft (substations or connector stations) from homes, 500 ft (substations or connector stations) from roads, 250 ft (inverters and transformers) from homes and 250 ft (inverters and transformers) from roads. Check the cited section with the county before relying on a figure.
How tall can a solar farm be in Southampton County, VA?
The ordinance sets a maximum height of 18 ft (solar energy arrays when oriented at maximum tilt). Check the cited section with the county before relying on a figure.