S.B. 94: Data centers; site assessment, sound profile of the high energy use facility.
Virginia, 2026 Regular Session. In effect since 2026-07-01, July 1, 2026.
Last verified
S.B. 94 at a glance
Status In effect In effect since 2026-07-01, .
No official summary is on file yet. The full text is on the legislature's page, linked below.
Siting of data centers; site assessment; high energy use facility. Provides that, prior to any approval of a rezoning application, special exception application, or special use permit for the siting of a new high energy use facility (HEUF), as defined in the bill, a locality shall require that an applicant perform and submit a site assessment to examine the sound profile of the HEUF on residential units and schools located within 500 feet of the HEUF property boundary. The bill also allows a locality to require that a site assessment examine the effect of the proposed facility on (i) ground and surface water resources, (ii) agricultural resources, (iii) parks, (iv) registered historic sites, and (v) forestland on the HEUF site or immediately contiguous land. The provisions of the bill shall not apply to a site with an existing legislative or administrative approval where an applicant is seeking an expansion or modification of an already existing or approved facility and such expansion does not exceed an additional 100 megawatts or more of electrical power. Finally, the bill provides that its provisions shall not be construed to prohibit, limit, or otherwise supersede existing local zoning authority. This bill incorporates SB 130 and is identical to HB 153.
Measure Bill.
Sponsors Danica Roem (D); Adam Ebbin (D)
Subjects None on file. The legislature's own list.
Official page lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/SB94. Found through LegiScan (bill 2067369), whose data is CC BY 4.0; the citation is the legislature's own page.
What happened, and when
- July 1, 2026 In effect
S.B. 94 took effect on July 01, 2026. The date is the one Virginia law sets for an act of the 2026 regular session that names no date of its own, not a date the record has observed the act operating on. lis.virginia.gov primary source [1] The official action text: No emergency or delayed effective date clause; the act takes effect under the Constitution of Virginia, Article IV, Section 13..
- April 13, 2026 Signed
S.B. 94 was signed. lis.virginia.gov primary source [1] The official action text: Approved by Governor-Chapter 568 (effective 7/1/2026).
- March 30, 2026 Passed second chamber
S.B. 94 passed the House of Delegates. lis.virginia.gov primary source [1] The official action text: Enrolled.
- March 14, 2026 Passed first chamber
S.B. 94 passed the House of Delegates. lis.virginia.gov primary source [1] The official action text: Conference report agreed to by House (91-Y 4-N 0-A).
- February 25, 2026 Passed first chamber
S.B. 94 passed the Senate. lis.virginia.gov primary source [1] The official action text: Engrossed by House - committee substitute.
- February 20, 2026 In committee
S.B. 94 went to committee in the House of Delegates. lis.virginia.gov primary source [1] The official action text: Reported from Counties, Cities and Towns with substitute (15-Y 6-N).
- February 17, 2026 In committee
S.B. 94 went to committee in the House of Delegates. lis.virginia.gov primary source [1] The official action text: Referred to Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns.
- February 11, 2026 Passed first chamber
S.B. 94 passed the Senate. lis.virginia.gov primary source [1] The official action text: Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute as amended (Voice Vote).
- February 3, 2026 In committee
S.B. 94 went to committee in the Senate. lis.virginia.gov primary source [1] The official action text: Reported from Finance and Appropriations with substitute (10-Y 5-N).
- January 26, 2026 In committee
S.B. 94 went to committee in the Senate. lis.virginia.gov primary source [1] The official action text: Reported from Local Government with amendments and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (8-Y 5-N 1-A).
- December 31, 2025 In committee
S.B. 94 went to committee in the Senate. lis.virginia.gov primary source [1] The official action text: Referred to Committee on Local Government.
- December 31, 2025 Introduced
S.B. 94 was introduced in the Senate. lis.virginia.gov primary source [1] The official action text: Referred to Committee on Local Government.
Newest first. A stage is never overwritten; each entry carries the source it rests on. The status at the top is derived from the newest entry. The action text in Researcher mode is the legislature's own wording.
Sources
Bill data from LegiScan, licensed CC BY 4.0. The record chooses the bills, writes each stage in its own words and cites the legislature's own page for every bill. Bills on this record are also found through the legislatures' own records; the citation is always the legislature's own page or the clerk's own file. This bill was found through LegiScan.
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Cite this page
Data Center Record, "S.B. 94: Data centers; site assessment, sound profile of the high energy use facility.", https://datacenterrecord.org/bills/va-2026-sb-94. Data: Data Center Record, datacenterrecord.org, CC BY 4.0.
The structured rows are CC BY 4.0. Link to this page; that is what turns a reuse into a citation. Prose stays under copyright.
