---
type: "Bill"
title: "Comprehensive plan; solar facilities review."
description: "Comprehensive plan; solar facilities review. Exempts a solar facility that is 150 megawatts or less from the requirement that it be reviewed for substantial accord with a locality's comprehensive plan if the zoning ordinance of the locality permits solar facilities with a conditional use permit and the locality waives the requirement that solar facilities be reviewed."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2020"
identifier: "HB 657"
citation: "Virginia HB 657 (2020)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Steve E. Heretick"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 41
vote_count: 8
first_action: "2020-01-06"
last_action: "2020-04-06"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/7d963032-a130-4478-a41f-6d0d42e16d1e"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+sum+HB657"
source_hash: "57926e818ffb55577aab6de8ed9eaeff7b27e3ed56217e5b708330a0ea5beec5"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-va"]
---

# Virginia HB 657 (2020) — Comprehensive plan; solar facilities review.

Comprehensive plan; solar facilities review. Exempts a solar facility that is 150 megawatts or less from the requirement that it be reviewed for substantial accord with a locality's comprehensive plan if the zoning ordinance of the locality permits solar facilities with a conditional use permit and the locality waives the requirement that solar facilities be reviewed.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0665)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+CHAP0665)
2. **Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB657ER)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+HB657ER)
3. **Engrossed by House - committee substitute HB657H1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+HB657H1)
4. **Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute HB657S1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+HB657S1)
5. **Impact statement from DHCD (HB657)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+HB657)

## Votes

- Reported from Labor and Commerce with substitute (18-Y 4-N) — **18–4** (pass) · lower
- Passed Senate with substitute (26-Y 13-N 1-A) — **26–13** (pass) · upper
- Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (10-Y 0-N) — **10–0** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Local Government with substitute (10-Y 2-N) — **10–2** (pass) · upper
- VOTE: Adoption (65-Y 32-N 1-A) — **64–32** (pass) · lower
- VOTE: Passage (59-Y 41-N) — **58–41** (pass) · lower
- Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N) — **39–0** (pass) · upper
- Referred from Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources — **0–0** (fail) · lower

## Sponsors

- Steve E. Heretick — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2020-01-06** Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/08/20 20102662D `introduction`
- **2020-01-06** Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-15** Referred from Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources
- **2020-01-15** Referred to Committee on Labor and Commerce `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-16** Assigned L & C sub: Subcommittee #3 `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-18** Impact statement from DHCD (HB657)
- **2020-01-30** House subcommittee amendments and substitutes offered
- **2020-01-30** Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (10-Y 0-N)
- **2020-02-04** Reported from Labor and Commerce with substitute (18-Y 4-N) `committee-passage`
- **2020-02-04** Committee substitute printed 20107257D-H1 `substitution`
- **2020-02-05** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2020-02-06** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2020-02-06** Committee substitute agreed to 20107257D-H1
- **2020-02-06** Engrossed by House - committee substitute HB657H1
- **2020-02-07** Read third time and passed House (59-Y 41-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2020-02-07** VOTE: Passage (59-Y 41-N)
- **2020-02-10** Constitutional reading dispensed
- **2020-02-10** Referred to Committee on Local Government `referral-committee`
- **2020-02-24** Reported from Local Government with substitute (10-Y 2-N) `committee-passage`
- **2020-02-24** Committee substitute printed 20108882D-S1 `substitution`
- **2020-02-25** Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N)
- **2020-02-26** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2020-02-26** Reading of substitute waived
- **2020-02-26** Committee substitute agreed to 20108882D-S1
- **2020-02-26** Passed by for the day
- **2020-02-27** Passed by for the day
- **2020-02-28** Passed by for the day
- **2020-03-02** Passed by for the day
- **2020-03-03** Passed by for the day
- **2020-03-04** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2020-03-04** Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute HB657S1
- **2020-03-04** Passed Senate with substitute (26-Y 13-N 1-A) `passage`
- **2020-03-05** Placed on Calendar
- **2020-03-05** Senate substitute agreed to by House 20108882D-S1 (65-Y 32-N 1-A)
- **2020-03-05** VOTE: Adoption (65-Y 32-N 1-A)
- **2020-03-12** Enrolled
- **2020-03-12** Signed by Speaker
- **2020-03-12** Signed by President
- **2020-03-17** Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 17, 2020
- **2020-03-17** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 11, 2020
- **2020-04-06** Approved by Governor-Chapter 665 (effective 7/1/20) `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/7d963032-a130-4478-a41f-6d0d42e16d1e`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).