Sec. 5.1.66
Dimensional standards
Uses
Conditional / special use1
Accessory1
Extracted standards
24 individual requirements pulled out of this section’s prose, each with the sentence it came from.
Environmental
- Maximum disturbance of habitat cores, forest blocks, corridors10 acresacre43,560 square feet — about the size of an American football field without the end zones.
By-right projects must not disturb more than ten acres in the aggregate of habitat cores, forest blocks, or corridors connecting habitat areas, as these features are identified in the Comprehensive Plan/Biodiversity Action Plan, except that the Board of Supervisors may permit disturbance of more than ten acres by special exception.
- ProhibitedProhibitedNot allowed in the district at all, short of rezoning or a variance. in large forest blocks with score >=4.1
Energy facilities are not permitted within any large forest block with a score of 4.1 or greater as shown on "Map 2: Ranking the Conservation Value of Large Forest Blocks" in the Biodiversity Action Plan.
- ProhibitedProhibitedNot allowed in the district at all, short of rezoning or a variance. in riparian buffers, wetlands, floodplains
No energy facility may be located within riparian buffers, nontidal wetlands, and floodplains, each as defined in Chapter 17 of the Albemarle County Code.
Height
- Maximum heightMaximum heightThe tallest a building may be, given in feet, in storeys, or both — whichever binds first. of lowest edge of ground-mounted PV panels10 ft
The maximum height of the lowest edge of all ground-mounted photovoltaic panels is ten feet as measured from the finished grade.
- Maximum heightMaximum heightThe tallest a building may be, given in feet, in storeys, or both — whichever binds first. of panels, buildings, structures20 ft
The maximum height of panels, buildings, structures, and other components of a solar facility is 20 feet, as measured from the highest natural grade below each element.
Lighting
- Outdoor lighting restrictions
Except for any outdoor lighting required by federal law: a. Outdoor lighting is permitted only during maintenance periods. b. Regardless of the lumens emitted, each outdoor luminaire must be fully shielded to the standard of section 4.17.
Other
- AccessoryAccessory useA secondary activity customarily incidental to the main use of the lot — a garage, a home office. solar facilities subject to structure setbacksSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line.
Accessory solar energy facilities, whether roof- or ground-mounted, are subject to the applicable structure setbacks of the zoning district in which the facility is located. The setback standards do not apply to parcels under common ownership.
- Compliance with County Code Chapter 17 for large facilities
Notwithstanding any exemption in County Code Chapter 17, all ground-mounted energy facilities whose total land disturbance area, including the horizontal projected areas underneath panels, is at least 10,000 square feet, must comply with County Code Chapter 17.
- Compliance with applicable codes
Energy Facilities must be constructed, maintained, and operated in accord with all applicable codes and standards, including (but not limited to): applicable fire, electrical, and building codes adopted by the County; the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 855, Standard for the Installation of Stationary Energy Storage Systems, 2023 Edition and subsequent additions; and the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) 9540A Ed. 4-2019, Standard for Test Method for Evaluating Thermal Runway Fire Propagation in Battery Energy Storage Systems and subsequent editions.
- Decommissioning plan required
Decommissioning must be performed in compliance with an approved decommissioning plan. The applicant, owner, lessee, or developer of the real property must submit a decommissioning plan for approval by the director of community development, prior to the issuance of a Zoning Permit.
- Fence heightMaximum heightThe tallest a building may be, given in feet, in storeys, or both — whichever binds first. range for interior buffer/screening
Any fencing on the interior of the buffer/screening area of ground-mounted energy facilities may not be at a height of less than 61 inches or greater than 96 inches (inclusive of razor/barbed wire). Fences of 61 inches or less in height may not include razor/barbed wire. Such fenced areas must provide wildlife corridors through the facility.
- Gold Certified Virginia Pollinator Smart required
All ground-mounted solar energy facilities with a fenced area of two acres or greater must obtain Gold Certified Virginia Pollinator Smart status within three years of issuance of a building permit. Gold Certified Virginia Pollinator status must be maintained for the life of the facility.
- Maximum area for ground-mounted accessoryAccessory useA secondary activity customarily incidental to the main use of the lot — a garage, a home office. solar outside RA500 sqftsq ftSquare feet. An acre is 43,560 sq ft; a typical suburban lot is 7,000–10,000.
Ground-mounted accessory solar energy facilities located outside the Rural Areas (RA) zoning district are limited to 500 square feet of fenced area, or 400 square feet of panel zone when placed over existing pervious areas.
- Maximum fenced area for by-rightBy rightPermitted outright: if the plans meet the written rules, permission cannot be withheld. ground-mounted solar in RA21 acresacre43,560 square feet — about the size of an American football field without the end zones.
By-right ground mounted solar energy facilities in the Rural Areas (RA) zoning district are limited to a maximum of 21 acres of fenced area on any parcel in existence at the time of adoption of this ordinance.
- Maximum disturbance of prime farmland10 acresacre43,560 square feet — about the size of an American football field without the end zones.
By-right projects must not disturb either (a) more than 10 acres of prime farmland (as determined/identified by the United States Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service) and/or (b) areas used for an agricultural activity within the five years preceding an application, unless portions of the parcels used for the facility will continue to be used for an agricultural activity.
- Notice and glint/glare study for facilities near airports
Any solar energy facility with greater than one acre of fenced area within five nautical miles of a licensed airport must provide the Chief Operation Officer of the airport with both (i) written notice stating the system's location, technology to be used, and total land coverage; and (ii) a glint/glare study.
- Removal after six months inactive6 months
Solar facilities that have reached the end of their operation or have not been in active and continuous service for a period of six months must be removed at the owner's or operator's expense.
- Screening for facilities with fenced area >=10 acresacre43,560 square feet — about the size of an American football field without the end zones.
Energy facilities with a fenced area of at least ten acres must be screened from public streets and abutting parcels not under common ownership. Screening provided must meet the screening level provided by a triple staggered row of evergreen trees and screening shrubs planted 15 feet on center with screening shrubs making up not more than 33 percent of the plantings and equally dispersed.
- Separation standards for by-rightBy rightPermitted outright: if the plans meet the written rules, permission cannot be withheld. solar in RA
By-right solar energy facilities in the Rural Areas (RA) zoning district are subject to the following separation standards from other by-right solar energy facilities. [table omitted]
- Separation between rows for fire access
Energy facilities must maintain sufficient separation between rows of photovoltaic panels or battery energy storage facilities to provide fire access and meet clear zone requirements.
- Site plan not required but subject to section 32
Notwithstanding section 32.2, a site plan is not required for an energy facility, but the energy facility is subject to the requirements of section 32.
- Transmission lines minimized intrusiveness
Any new associated electrical transmission lines, whether connecting internal portions of the project or connecting to a switchyard, substation, or point of interconnection, and whether above or below ground, must be located in a manner to minimize intrusiveness and mitigate their impact to surrounding parcels.
Setback
- Battery energy storage facility setbacksSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line.
Battery energy storage facilities must have the following setbacks: a. 100 feet from adjacent parcels not under common ownership, and all public rights-of-way; and b. 300 feet from dwellings on adjacent parcels not under common ownership.
- SetbacksSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line. for ground-mounted solar >21 acresacre43,560 square feet — about the size of an American football field without the end zones.
Ground-mounted solar energy facilities with greater than 21 fenced acres, are subject to the following setbacks: a. 100 feet from adjacent parcels, not under common ownership, and all public rights-of-way; and b. 300 feet from dwellings on adjacent parcels, not under common ownership.
From the ordinance
The maximum height of the lowest edge of all ground-mounted photovoltaic panels is ten feet as measured from the finished grade. The maximum height of panels, buildings, structures, and other components of a solar facility is 20 feet, as measured from the highest natural grade below each element.