Loudoun County, VA Solar Energy: Panel Permits (2026)

C, "Solar Facility, Site-Specific (On-Site Accessory Use)," governs the panels most homeowners in unincorporated Loudoun install. In Residential Zoning Districts the facility may be installed on the roof of the principal structure or ground-mounted on the same property it serves; in Agricultural districts it can go on the roof of the dwelling or another on-site structure, or be ground-mounted. A site-specific system must serve the on-site electric or thermal needs of that property, though the ordinance expressly does not preclude net metering, so exporting surplus power back to the grid is allowed.

Roof-mounted panels follow whatever height limit already applies to the underlying zoning district, no separate cap. Ground-mounted arrays, however, cannot exceed 20 feet in height at maximum tilt, measured from grade to the top of the panel or its support structure, whichever is higher; that limit does not apply to the electric utility poles the array interconnects with. 2. C, which applicants must satisfy alongside the placement and height rules before the Zoning Administrator will sign off on the accessory use. Because this is an accessory use rather than a stand-alone principal use, a homeowner still needs to obtain the applicable zoning and building permits for the installation, and the array must stay tied to the host structure's own energy demand rather than operating as a commercial generating facility.