SB 902 (Lucas) passed the Senate by a vote of 33-6-1. As described in VACo’s January 23 Capitol Contact, the bill makes it a local option to provide certain local tax exemptions for solar facilities of a certain size.
Under current law, solar facilities greater than 20 MW in generation capacity are provided a mandatory 80 percent exemption from local property tax. SB 902 removes this mandate and instead allows localities, at their discretion, to provide a tax incentive for installations up to 150 MW. The bill originally capped the maximum facility size at 100 MW, but this was later amended.
VACo supports SB 902, which now heads to the other side where it has been referred to the House Finance Committee. It will be placed on a committee or subcommittee agenda and heard sometime after crossover (February 13).
VACo Contacts: Joe Lerch, AICP and Chris McDonald, Esq.