Siting of Data Centers; Site Assessment (2025 HB 1601 / SB 1449 -- vetoed)

single-reviewer statute withdrawn va-hb1601-2025-datacenter-siting-vetoed

This record is listed in full and read in part. Its identity, citation, docket, status and review state are open, and so are all 2 of its source documents with their pinpoints, so you can go read the primary text yourself. The first 2 extracted quotes are open too. The recorded term fields, and the remaining quotes, are in the $99 Virginia pass and the $199 all-states pass. Pricing.

Record created 2026-08-19, last updated 2026-08-19. Snapshot built September 14, 2026. JSON

Fields, as recorded

State: VA
Kind: statute
Status: withdrawn
Agency: Virginia General Assembly; Office of the Governor of Virginia
Citation: 2025 H 1601 (Enrolled, as passed by the General Assembly; never enacted -- vetoed by the Governor)
Threshold MW: $99 Virginia pass
Mandatory: $99 Virginia pass
Summary: $99 Virginia pass
Locked fields: $99 Virginia pass 3 recorded fields on this record are in the state and all-states passes.

Sources

2 rows, every one with a quote and a pinpoint. 2 quotes open here

2025 Session, Enrolled HB1601ER -- An Act to amend the Code of Virginia by adding § 15.2-2209.4, relating to siting of data centers; site assessment; high energy use facility docket two-reviewer
“A. As used in this section, "high energy use facility" or "HEUF" means a facility that an applicant reasonably anticipates at the time of filing a rezoning application, special exception application, or special use permit application will require 100 megawatts or more of electrical power from an electric utility providing retail service to the facility. B. Prior to any approval of a rezoning application, special exception, or special use permit for the siting of a new HEUF, a locality shall require that an applicant perform and submit a site assessment to examine, to the extent practicable and within the timeline provided by subdivision A 7 of § 15.2-2286, the sound profile of the HEUF on residential units and schools located within 500 feet of the HEUF property boundary.”
full text (single-page enrolled bill)
https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1069079.PDF
Downloaded directly (PDF, 1 page) and text-extracted with pdfplumber. The enrolled bill's "Approved [blank]" signature line has no date filled in, consistent with a veto rather than a signature. Bill citation on the document: "[H 1601]".
McGuireWoods, "Virginia Governor Vetoes Data Center Bill" (client alert) company two-reviewer
“On May 2, 2025, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed Senate Bill 1449 and HB 1601, which would have imposed new requirements on local governments reviewing land use applications for high-energy-use facilities, including data centers. Citing concerns over reduced local autonomy and increased regulatory burdens, the governor stated his concern that the bill’s one-size-fits-all approach could hinder data center development and chill future investment. He emphasized the industry’s critical role in Virginia’s economy, highlighting $24 billion in FY23 capital investment, $733 million in tax revenue for Loudoun County and statewide contributions of 74,000 jobs and $9.1 billion to GDP.”
article body, paragraphs 1-2
https://www.mcguirewoods.com/client-resources/alerts/2025/5/virginia-governor-vetoes-data-center-bill/
Fetched directly via curl (raw HTML), tags stripped locally, not via a summarizing fetch tool. Byline: Tracy M. Baynard, Gregory A. Riegle, Scott E. Adams; published May 8, 2025.