Virginia's Section 15.2-2209.5, enacted as 2026 Chapters 567 and 568 and effective July 1, 2026, requires applicants for facilities projected to use 100 megawatts or more of electrical power to submit a sound study covering residential units and schools within 500 feet, along with utility disclosure of substations and transmission voltage. Del. Sam Rasoul of Roanoke's 38th District is one of ten patrons of HB 153, the House companion bill to SB 94; Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed both into law. The statute is explicitly a disclosure measure: it sets no decibel ceiling, no water cap, and no minimum setback, and exemptions apply to expansions of existing facilities. A broader predecessor bill was vetoed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin on May 2, 2025.
The law establishes the first statewide mandatory pre-approval disclosure framework for large data centers in Virginia, the U.S. state with the highest concentration of data center capacity, but its narrow scope means local boards cannot use it to block projects or impose operational limits beyond what existing zoning already permits. The utility substation disclosure requirement is the provision with the most immediate consequence for developers, making grid infrastructure commitments part of the public record in a state where transmission capacity is a binding constraint on new development.
A legislator who helped draft Virginia's new data center law explaining its scope and limitations is a high-value Policy & Regulation story, offering authoritative detail on a law already of interest to the industry. While the Digest published a story on Virginia tightening data center rules, this piece provides new legislative perspective and context from a named delegate distinct enough to warrant selection.