Virginia FY2026-2028 Biennial Budget: Data Center Electricity Tax…
Virginia — Virginia FY2026-2028 Biennial Budget: Data Center Electricity Tax, Water Cooling and Noise Provisions
Virginia · Virginia FY2026-2028 Biennial Budget: Data Center Electricity Tax, Water Cooling and Noise Provisions
- Status
- Enacted (not yet in effect)
- Applies to
- Virginia
Virginia's new two-year budget imposes a first-of-its-kind $0.011/kWh tax on data center electricity consumption effective July 1, 2026, and directs regulators to establish water-cooling scarcity rules and first-ever noise standards for data centers.
Who is protected: People subject to the measure.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | Virginia |
|---|---|
| Level | State |
| Strength | Limited |
| Enacted | June 30, 2026 |
| Citation | Virginia FY2026-2028 Biennial Budget: Data Center Electricity Tax, Water Cooling and Noise Provisions |
| Topics | data-center siting and energy · consumer protection · government use of AI |
| News report | Virginia has a new two-year budget. Here's what lawmakers now require of data centers. - Virginia Mercury |
More AI rules in Virginia
- Virginia § 15.2-1723.2 (facial recognition by local law enforcement, eff. July 1, 2026) · In effect
- Virginia IVO AI Safety Study (SB 384/HB 797, 2026) · In effect
- Virginia VITA EA400 AI Utilization Policy (Executive Branch AI deployment standard, 2026) · In effect
- Virginia SCC data center transmission cost order (2026) · In effect
- Virginia § 15.2-2209.5 data center siting disclosure law (2026) · In effect
- Virginia EO 22 (2026) — data center accountability + AI task force · In effect
Related data-center siting and energy rules elsewhere
- Superior WI Data Center Moratorium (1-year) · In effect
- Dane County WI Hyperscale Data Center Moratorium · In effect
- Madison WI Data Center Moratorium (1-year) · In effect
- Manitowoc County WI Data Center Moratorium · In effect
- WA SB 5982 (Data Center / Clean Energy) · In effect
- Dayton OH data center moratorium (180-day, Apr 2026) · In effect
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