Battery storage rules: Chesapeake, VA
The Chesapeake Planning Commission recommended denial of a battery storage conditional use permit application on June 10, 2026; the City Council approved the applicant's request to withdraw it on July 21, 2026, and the city has started updating its solar and storage rules. Ask the city for its current rules.
Chesapeake: a battery storage permit application withdrawn; rules being updated
The Planning Commission recommended denial of a battery storage conditional use permit application on June 10, 2026; on July 21, 2026 the City Council approved the applicant's request to withdraw it. The city has started updating its solar and storage rules. City of Chesapeake, Planning Commission (June 10, 2026) and City Council (July 21, 2026) minutes
Fire and building codes in force
- Virginia Statewide Fire Prevention Code (2021 International Fire Code) and Uniform Statewide Building Code (2021 International Building Code), both in force since January 18, 2024
- The building code applies the International Fire Code's energy storage section when a system is built; the state fire code covers its operation and maintenance; a locality may require an operational permit for energy storage systems
- The local building official inspects construction; the local fire official enforces the fire code where the locality has adopted enforcement (in full or in part), otherwise the State Fire Marshal
- In Group R-3 and R-4 homes, each individual energy storage unit is limited to 20 kWh unless otherwise approved under the building code (SFPC 1207.11.4)
How a project is permitted
Local zoning: a locality "may grant a special exception ... for an energy storage project" or allow it by right (Va. Code §15.2-2288.8). Storage sized up to the solar nameplate on a parcel that already has a solar special exception is a permitted accessory use needing no further local land-use approval, but must meet all applicable federal, state, and local safety or fire codes and environmental regulations (§15.2-2316.10). Ask your office: is battery storage allowed in my zone, by special exception or by right? Does my locality enforce the fire code itself, and does it require an energy storage operational permit?
Check a specific system
For a proposal or a system you're evaluating, answer a few questions in BESScheck: you get the rules that apply here, a checklist of what to ask, and the sources behind each line.