Plug-In Balcony Solar Is Coming to Virginia: What Homeowners and Renters Should Know

Starting January 1, 2027, Virginians can plug a small solar device of up to 1,200 watts into an ordinary outlet without asking their utility's permission or paying a fee. You do have to send your utility a short notification form first. These devices can trim a bill, but they're a small supplement, not a replacement for a rooftop system.

The Short Version

• A new Virginia law, Code § 56-596.8, takes effect January 1, 2027.

• It covers "small portable solar generation devices": plug-in solar of up to 1,200 watts per customer, or per unit in multi-family housing.

• No utility approval, fees, or extra equipment can be required. You must file the SCC's notification form with your utility before installing.

• The devices sit outside net metering and interconnection rules.

• Many renters get new rights too, under Code § 55.1-1212.1.

What Counts as Plug-In Solar Under the Law

Plug-in solar (often called "balcony solar") is a panel or small kit that plugs into a standard outlet and feeds power into your home's circuits. To qualify under Virginia law, a device must:

• Put out no more than 1,200 watts per customer (or per residential unit in multi-family housing)

• Be designed to connect through an electrical outlet

• Sit on your side of the meter and mainly offset part of your own electricity use

• Meet the most recent National Electrical Code

• Be certified by a nationally recognized testing laboratory

• Include a feature that keeps it from affecting or exporting power to the building's electrical system during a power outage

That last point protects line workers during outages.

The law adds that devices with no more than 391 watts of output to the outlet are exempt from product-listing provisions that would require changes to the building's wiring or electrical panel.

What Your Utility Can and Can't Do

The law applies to customers of any electric service provider, including Dominion, Appalachian Power, and electric co-ops. Your utility:

• Can't require you to get its approval before installing or using a qualifying device

• Can't charge you a fee related to the device

• Can't make you install extra controls or equipment beyond what's built into the device

• May install an automatic, locking disconnect switch if a property has more than one device, or if the local distribution circuit requires it

• Isn't liable for damage, injury, or service interruptions caused by the device

The One Step You Can't Skip: The SCC Notification Form

Before you install, you must notify your utility using the State Corporation Commission's Customer Device Notification Form (Form SPGDN), online or by mail. It asks for:

• Your contact information, utility account number, and meter number

• Where the device will go and your proposed installation date

• The manufacturer, model, and serial or SKU number

• The testing lab and certifications (the form names UL 3700 and UL 1741 as examples)

Your utility has 15 days to review the form for accuracy and completeness and tell you about any problems. If it doesn't respond within 15 days, you're considered notified and can install. If you later remove or replace the device, you re-submit the form.

What This Means for Renters

Under Code § 55.1-1212.1:

• A landlord who owns more than four rental units in Virginia can't prohibit a tenant from installing a qualifying device on the exterior of the tenant's own premises.

• The landlord can set reasonable rules on size, placement, and how it's mounted, and can restrict devices elsewhere on the property.

• You must give the landlord at least seven days' notice, with documentation that the device qualifies and where it will go.

• You're responsible for any damage the device causes.

• Tenants in units billed through a ratio utility billing system (where utility costs are split by formula) can't use these devices. Anything requiring changes to wiring or panels needs the landlord's written approval.

The law speaks to utilities and landlords. It doesn't address HOA or condo association rules, so check your community's rules before mounting anything outside.

Plug-In Solar vs. a Rooftop System

• Size. Plug-in devices are capped at 1,200 watts. A typical home rooftop system is many times larger.

• Net metering. Plug-in devices are exempt from net metering, so plan on using the power as it's produced rather than earning bill credits. Rooftop systems that net meter can bank extra production as credits.

• Paperwork. Plug-in solar needs only the notification form. Rooftop systems go through your utility's interconnection and net metering process.

If you want to cover most of your usage, a rooftop system is still the main path. Our guide to how net metering works in Virginia explains how rooftop credits work today.

Questions to Ask Before You Buy

• Is the device certified by a nationally recognized testing lab, and can the seller show the documentation?

• Does it automatically shut off during a power outage?

• Is its total output 1,200 watts or less, counting every device at your home?

• Is the outlet you plan to use on a circuit that can safely handle it?

• If you rent or live in an HOA, have you checked the rules and given the required notice?

Final Thoughts

Plug-in solar gives renters, condo owners, and anyone without a good roof a legal, low-paperwork way to make some of their own power, starting January 1, 2027. Keep expectations modest, buy certified equipment, and file the SCC form before you plug in.

If you're weighing a full rooftop system instead and already have a quote, we're happy to look it over, free and with no sales pitch.

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Sources

Virginia law

• Va. Code § 56-596.8, Small portable solar generation devices; exempt from interconnection, Code of Virginia (effective Jan. 1, 2027)

• Va. Code § 55.1-1212.1, Installation of small portable solar generation devices, Code of Virginia (effective Jan. 1, 2027)

Virginia State Corporation Commission

• Small Portable Solar Generation Devices, Virginia SCC

• Customer Device Notification Form (Form SPGDN), Virginia SCC