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Fairfax County, Virginia · Tax exemption

Solar Energy Equipment Tax Exemption (Fairfax County)

Run by Fairfax County Department of Tax Administration

Fairfax County takes the installed cost of certified solar equipment off your home's taxable value, as a credit on your real estate tax bill every year for five years. No cost to apply.

Open Checked Oct 20, 2026

Amounts

How much you get

The documented installed cost (equipment plus labor) of certified solar equipment is the exemption value; for solar panels and hot water systems that is 100% of cost. The county converts it to a credit by applying the real estate tax rate (for example, $12,000 of exempt value at $1.09 per $100 saves $130.80 a year) and deducts it from the tax bill each year for five years. Other measures, like south-facing windows or greenhouses, count at a percentage set by the Virginia Administrative Code.

Eligibility

Do I qualify?

You need to meet all 4 of these.

  • Your home is in Fairfax County, Virginia.

  • Owner of residential or commercial property in Fairfax County where the solar equipment is installed.

  • Solar equipment designed and used primarily to collect and use solar energy for water heating, space heating or cooling, or other uses that would otherwise need a conventional energy source (for example solar panels, solar hot water, passive solar).

  • The installation needs a building permit and must pass the required inspections before Land Development Services certifies it.

    What to doHave your installer pull the permit and pass final inspection, then submit the certification application.

Applying

How to apply

You apply in person. No deadline is published; DTA's letter states the years the exemption applies.

  1. Get the building permit and install the system.
  2. Submit the certification application with plans, a short description of how the system works, and cost documentation.

    To Land Development Services' Permit Application Center, 12055 Government Center Parkway. Receipts, cancelled checks or installation contracts count as cost documentation.

  3. Pass the final inspections.

    Land Development Services then forwards the application to the Department of Tax Administration.

  4. Receive DTA's letter.

    It confirms the exemption amount and the years it applies; the credit then appears on your real estate tax bill.

What you'll need

  • Certification application

  • Plans

  • specifications and drawings

  • Narrative description of the system

  • Cost documentation (receipts

  • cancelled checks or contracts)

  • Building permit application

Forms and instructionsSolar Energy Equipment, Facilities or Devices Certification for Real or Personal Property Tax Exemption (form) · Going Solar (Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination)

Questions about applying703-222-8234 or DTARED@fairfaxcounty.gov

Your address

Next steps

Check that it covers your address. Then, if you want, ask for a contractor quote.

FAQ

Questions

How much does Solar Energy Equipment Tax Exemption (Fairfax County) pay?

The documented installed cost (equipment plus labor) of certified solar equipment is the exemption value; for solar panels and hot water systems that is 100% of cost. The county converts it to a credit by applying the real estate tax rate (for example, $12,000 of exempt value at $1.09 per $100 saves $130.80 a year) and deducts it from the tax bill each year for five years. Other measures, like south-facing windows or greenhouses, count at a percentage set by the Virginia Administrative Code.

Do renters qualify?

Owner of residential or commercial property in Fairfax County where the solar equipment is installed.

Do I need approval before I buy?

The installation needs a building permit and must pass the required inspections before Land Development Services certifies it. Have your installer pull the permit and pass final inspection, then submit the certification application.

What’s the deadline?

No fixed deadline. Apply any time while it’s open.

Is it still available?

Yes. It was open when we last checked, on October 20, 2026.

References

Sources

This page is built from these official pages, run by the program itself.

  1. Solar Energy Equipment Tax Exemption (Department of Tax Administration)fairfaxcounty.gov · Read Oct 20, 2026 · Re-checked weekly
  2. Solar Energy Equipment, Facilities or Devices Certification for Real or Personal Property Tax Exemption (form)fairfaxcounty.gov · Read Oct 20, 2026 · Re-checked monthly
  3. Going Solar (Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination)fairfaxcounty.gov · Read Oct 20, 2026 · Re-checked monthly

When one of these pages changes, we re-check this page against it.

Report a problem with this page

Nearby

More in Virginia

  • All of Virginia

    Exemption for solar facilities of 25 kW or less (Va. Code § 58.1-3661 A)

    Amount varies

    Statewide, a home or farm solar system of 25 kW DC or less, installed as Virginia's solar zoning law allows on residential or agricultural property, is wholly exempt from state and local taxes, including property tax on the equipment.

    Checked Oct 20, 2026

  • Arlington County, Virginia

    Arlington County Solar Exemption Tax Credit Program

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    Arlington County credits the assessed value of certified solar equipment against your real estate tax bill every year for five years, starting January 1 after approval.

    Checked Oct 21, 2026

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