Short answer: From January 1, 2027. Virginia's law allows up to 1,200 W with no utility approval or fee, but you must file a notice with your utility before you install. Until then, a kit needs your utility's normal approval.
What the law says
- HB 395 (with SB 250), signed in 2026, now Virginia Code § 56-596.8. It starts January 1, 2027.
- Up to 1,200 W per customer.
- No utility approval, fee, or extra equipment, and it sits outside net metering.
- Before you install, you notify your utility on a form set by the State Corporation Commission, online or by mail. When we checked, we couldn't find the form published yet.
- Where there's more than one device at a property, or the circuit needs it, the utility may install an automatic locking disconnect switch.
- The kit must be certified by a nationally recognized testing lab and meet the National Electrical Code.
Sources: Va. Code § 56-596.8, § 55.1-1212.1, § 15.2-2288.7. Read October 26, 2026.
Until it starts
Until 2027, Virginia's interconnection rule (20VAC5-314) covers anyone "intending to operate, a distributed generating facility in parallel with utility systems." That includes a plug-in kit. 20VAC5-314-10.
Many people plug kits in anyway. That doesn't make it allowed, and your utility could ask you to disconnect.
Renters and HOAs
- Renters: a landlord who owns more than four rental units can't ban a kit on the outside of your home, but can set reasonable limits on size and placement. Give your landlord 7 days' notice with the kit's documentation. You're liable for any damage.
- HOAs and condos: not covered. The law says it doesn't override recorded covenants, so your HOA's rules still apply.
- Your town can't prohibit a kit on a home, subject to height, setback, and historic-district rules.
The bottom line
Every state, side by side: the 2026 list. Which kit pays back fastest: 10 kits ranked. What one would save you: the free balcony solar calculator.
Already have solar on the roof?
Before you buy a plug-in kit, find out whether your house is already sending power to the grid at midday. If it is, a plug-in kit mostly adds to that export instead of cutting your bill. The WattHacker monitor shows your rooftop production live, panel by panel. It plugs into the SunPower or Enphase gateway you already own.
- Home use is shown too where your system was installed with consumption meters. Without them you see production only. Your utility's hourly usage download also shows export.
- A plug-in kit is a separate inverter. Your rooftop gateway will not count its production, so neither will we.
- Free to see your panel data, with no subscription. The monitor is a one-time purchase with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Still have questions about your own system? I'll go through it with you — your panels, your bill, and what's worth doing about it.
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Common questions
Is balcony solar legal in Virginia?
From January 1, 2027. Virginia's law allows up to 1,200 W with no utility approval or fee, but you must file a notice with your utility before you install. Until then, a kit needs your utility's normal approval.
Which states allow plug-in solar?
As of October 2026, about ten states have signed plug-in solar laws, several starting in 2027. The national page lists them all, with limits and start dates.
See your own panels, live.
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