SB 823 Virginia Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Contractors; regulation, solar installation companies, sale, lease, etc., of solar energy systems.

Summary
Regulation of contractors; solar installation companies; sale, lease, or power purchase of solar energy systems; civil penalty. Authorizes the Board for Contractors (the Board) to require specific contract provisions and disclosures relating to the sale, lease, or power purchase agreement for a residential solar energy system, as defined in the bill. The bill requires a sale, lease, or power purchase agreement for a residential solar energy system to have a written contract that includes specific provisions related to the solar installation company, system design and performance or production guarantees, and information related to invoices and payments. The bill includes several mandatory disclosures to be included with a sale, lease, or power purchase agreement for a residential solar energy system. Under the bill, a willful violation of such requirements shall be subject to a civil penalty of no more than $2,500 per violation. The bill also directs the Board to adopt regulations and update existing regulations to implement the provisions of the bill by January 1, 2027. The remaining provisions of the bill have a delayed effective date of January 1, 2027. This bill is identical to HB 1439.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
Mar 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Mar 2026
Signed into Law
Apr 2026
Introduced Jan 23, 2026 Signed Apr 13, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 5 comparisons

What changed between versions

Enrolled General Laws and Technology Substitute · 2 edits
MINOR
The bill text was converted from an 'Enrolled' final version into a 'General Laws and Technology Substitute' draft, indicating it is being returned to the Senate for further review and amendment. While the substantive policy language regarding solar contractor regulations appears identical in both versions, the document's status has shifted from a finalized law to a working draft.
Scope change
The bill's scope remains unchanged; it still regulates solar installation companies and mandates specific contract disclosures for solar sales, leases, and power purchase agreements.
TECHNICAL

The document header changed from 'Enrolled' (final) to 'General Laws and Technology Substitute' (draft), and the date was updated to 2/04/2026, indicating the bill is no longer in its final form.

The text was reformatted from a continuous legal narrative into a numbered line-by-line amendment format typical of legislative substitutes, though the actual policy content remains the same.

Floor votes · Senate Feb 11, 2026 · House of Delegates Mar 11, 2026

How they voted

390
Passed
Total votes 39
Feb 11, 2026
D Democratic20
20 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican19
19 Yea
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
54
Key actions
16
Committee
12
Apr 13, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor-Chapter 852 (effective 7/1/2026)
executive
Mar 31, 2026
Lower · Passed
Signed by Speaker
lower
Mar 30, 2026
Upper · Passed
Signed by President
upper
Mar 30, 2026
Upper · Passed
Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB823ER)
upper
Mar 13, 2026
Upper · Passed
Conference report agreed to by Senate (39-Y 0-N 0-A)
upper
Mar 13, 2026
Lower · Passed
Conference report agreed to by House (92-Y 3-N 0-A)
lower
Mar 13, 2026
Legislature · Passed
Conference Report released
legislature
Mar 12, 2026
Committee
House requested conference committee
lower
Mar 11, 2026
Lower · Passed
Passed House with substitute (95-Y 4-N 0-A)
lower
Mar 10, 2026
Lower · Passed
Passed by for the day
lower
Mar 5, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported from Labor and Commerce with substitute (20-Y 1-N)
lower
Mar 3, 2026
Lower · Passed
House subcommittee offered
lower
Feb 25, 2026
Committee
Assigned HCL sub: Subcommittee #3
lower
Feb 24, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee on Labor and Commerce
lower
Feb 13, 2026
Upper · Passed
Read third time and passed Senate (39-Y 0-N 0-A)
upper
Feb 11, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
upper
Feb 10, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported from Finance and Appropriations with substitute (15-Y 0-N)
upper
Feb 4, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported from General Laws and Technology with substitute and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N)
upper
Feb 4, 2026
Upper · Passed
Senate committee offered
upper
Jan 23, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee on General Laws and Technology
upper
Jan 23, 2026
Introduced
Presented and ordered printed 26104433D
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Lamont Bagby
Lamont Bagby
DDemocratic
VA
14