Virginia · Tax exemption · Deep-stack program
VA Solar Property Tax Exemption
Removes a tax burden residential solar owners in Virginia would otherwise carry -- see what it covers, eligibility, and payback impact below.
- Property tax exemption (by locality)
- stated benefit
- Residential
- eligible customers
- 15 yr
- Virginia baseline payback
- 3
- other Virginia programs
Deep-stack program · late directory
Virginia runs a 4-program DSIRE stack; this tax exemption is one layer on a 15-year modeled baseline, not the whole story.
- Stack4 programs
- In-state #3/3
- Type #40/45
- Baseline15 yr
In-state directory place #3 of 3 (late alphabet). National tax exemption directory #40 of 45. Amounts and eligibility change; verify with the official program page before relying on a dollar figure. Informational only - not financial advice. See our disclaimer.
Program description
Virginia localities may exempt solar energy equipment from property taxes.
Program at a glance
- Program type
- Tax exemption
- Eligible customers
- Residential
- Stated benefit
- Property tax exemption (by locality)
- State electricity rate
- 13.8¢/kWh
- Virginia solar score
- 27/100
Solar's trajectory in Virginia
The market this incentive operates in: total installed solar capacity in Virginia reported to the EIA.
Virginia's solar incentive stack
How this tax exemption sits among Virginia's 3 tracked programs, by type
- Tax exemption
Tax exemption
1 programs
- Net metering
Net metering
1 programs
- Rebate
Rebate
1 programs
What this shows Virginia tracks 3 incentive types; 1 are tax exemptions like this one, removing a cost solar owners would otherwise carry, on top of the state's other program types.
How this tax exemption layers inside Virginia's deep stack
The VA Solar Property Tax Exemption removes a tax burden solar owners would otherwise carry, one of Virginia's DSIRE-tracked solar incentive programs. Eligibility is scoped to residential customers, with a stated benefit of Property tax exemption (by locality). DSIRE lists no scheduled sunset, though enabling legislation and appropriations can still be revised year to year.
That baseline is slower than most states, which raises the stakes for every incentive on the table. Virginia averages 4.8 kWh/m²/day of usable sunlight and residential rates of 13.8¢/kWh, producing an estimated 8,410 kWh/year and $1,161 of annual utility offset on a typical 6 kW system costing $17,400. That baseline already implies a 15-year simple payback and a 25-year modeled net of roughly $11,625 before this incentive - every dollar this tax exemption delivers compresses that payback further.
Virginia bundles a deep incentive stack, so this program rarely stands alone. Virginia has 4 solar incentive programs indexed in DSIRE, including adjacent options like VA Net Metering, Dominion Energy VA Community Solar. The state's net-metering policy is classified as full, which governs how excess generation is credited and often decides whether a given program is worth claiming for a specific household.
Other Virginia incentives
Frequently asked questions
Where does the VA Solar Property Tax Exemption sit in Virginia's deep program stack?
How does this tax exemption work beside Virginia's other programs?
Who qualifies, and what does a late in-state directory place mean?
How does this incentive affect solar ROI in Virginia?
Which other Virginia programs stack with this one?
Incentive data from the DSIRE (Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency); state solar economics from NREL and the U.S. EIA. See our methodology · Virginia solar data · ROI calculator · All incentives.