2026 incentives · Manassas, VA
Solar incentives in Manassas, VA
Two things changed for Manassas in 2026: the 30% federal credit ended on December 31, 2025, and City of Manassas Utilities moved new solar customers onto municipal net metering policy, adopted 2015. Here is what is actually left, and what it is worth on a real roof.
The short answer · as of August 2026
Manassas homeowners cannot claim a Virginia state tax credit, because Virginia does not offer one. What applies instead is the property-tax exemption for residential systems of 25 kW or less, any further exemption your locality has adopted, and retail net metering. City of Manassas Utilities credits exported power at set by the city under its own net metering policy under municipal net metering policy, adopted 2015. The 30% federal credit is no longer available.
Local incentive reality
The incentive picture in Manassas
The statewide position applies in Manassas as anywhere in Virginia: no state income tax credit, the mandatory property-tax exemption for residential systems of 25 kW or less, and whatever further exemption the locality has adopted. What does not automatically apply is the net metering treatment, because that is set by the city rather than by the Commission.
So the incentive question here splits in two. The tax half is settled by statute and we can state it. The utility half is settled by the city and we obtain it in writing. Virginia offers no state income tax credit for residential solar and the federal residential credit expired for systems placed in service on or after 1 January 2026. What exists instead is the mandatory property-tax exemption for residential systems of 25 kW or less under §58.1-3661 as amended by SB 686, any further exemption your locality has adopted by ordinance, and the retail net metering that survived the SCC proceeding in April 2026.
Written for Manassas specifically. Your own roof, bill and meter still decide the answer, which is what the free assessment settles.
Start here, it matters most
What City of Manassas Utilities pays you for solar in Manassas
People search for incentives and mean tax credits. In Manassas the bigger lever is what your utility credits you for the power you send back, because that applies every month for 25 years rather than once at tax time.
| Item | Current position (August 2026) |
|---|---|
| Programme | municipal net metering policy, adopted 2015, which replaced one-for-one net metering for new residential systems from January 1, 2026 |
| Retail rate you avoid | set by the city, confirmed against your own bill for power you use as you generate it |
| Export credit | set by the city under its own net metering policy for power you send back, on a time-of-use basis |
| Monthly rider | None specific to this programme, though standard service charges still apply. |
| Annual true-up | Leftover credits settle each November at an avoided-cost rate |
| Upfront utility rebate | None. There is no residential cash-back programme in this territory. |
| Who confirms your territory | We do, at the assessment. In and around Manassas, NOVEC serves addresses immediately outside the city, and terms differ. |
The practical consequence: a kilowatt-hour you use yourself is worth roughly three to five times a kilowatt-hour you export. That is why we size to your consumption rather than to your roof area, and why load shifting or storage now matters more in Manassas than it did two years ago.
Rebates
Why Manassas has no utility rebate, and who does
There is no upfront residential solar rebate in City of Manassas Utilities territory. We say that plainly because it is one of the most common false expectations we meet, usually set by a national page that lists every programme in the state without saying which utility each one belongs to.
For context, and so you can check anything you have been told: Santee Cooper, which serves much of the Grand Strand, runs a per-kW rebate of $950 up to $5,700, requiring a NABCEP-certified crew and Trade Ally participation, with a 6 kW-AC lifetime cap per meter and an annual funding waitlist. Duke Energy has run PowerPair for solar plus battery, but its Progress territory closed to new applications in late 2025 and Carolinas has been at or near capacity, so it should not be counted on without checking your address.
None of those apply in Manassas. If a salesperson has quoted you a utility rebate here, ask which programme and which utility, and check it against the utility's own page before you sign anything.
Statewide rules
The parts that are the same everywhere in Virginia
Two things apply statewide and neither is a tax credit, because Virginia does not have one. Residential solar of 25 kW or less is exempt from state and local property tax under §58.1-3661 as amended by SB 686, and many localities have adopted further exemptions by ordinance. Separately, an association may impose only reasonable restrictions on rooftop solar: under SB 504 a restriction is unreasonable if it raises project cost by more than 5% or cuts generation by more than 10%. The 30% federal credit expired for systems placed in service on or after 1 January 2026.
The cap is the part that catches people out. Because you can only claim $3,500 a year, a system whose 25% credit is $6,000 arrives across two tax returns rather than as one payment, and low state tax liability stretches it further still.
Full mechanics, worked examples and the utility-by-utility comparison →
Eligibility depends on your circumstances and none of this is tax advice, so confirm with a tax professional. Property-tax treatment is administered locally, see City of Manassas (independent city) below.
City of Manassas (independent city)
What the exemption is worth in City of Manassas (independent city)
An eligible rooftop system of 20 kW or less should not increase your assessed value in City of Manassas (independent city), so you are not paying annually for an improvement that is reducing your power bill.
The exemption's cash value scales with local millage, so it is worth more in higher-millage jurisdictions. We do not publish a millage figure for City of Manassas (independent city) without an auditor-current schedule on file, because a wrong number here is worse than no number. Your assessment walks through how the exemption works for your parcel instead.
The 20 kW threshold matters if you are considering a large system in Manassas. Sizing past it can cost you the exemption entirely, which is another reason right-sizing beats maximising, and another reason City of Manassas Utilities's export rate of set by the city under its own net metering policy should shape the design.
Adding it up
What a Manassas homeowner actually nets in 2026
An illustrative stack on a 9.5 kW system at the local benchmark. An example to show the shape of it, not a quote and not a promise.
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| 9.5 kW system at $2.90 per watt | $27,550 |
| State sales tax | Confirm with your state revenue department |
| Federal credit | $0, expired for 2026 installs |
| City of Manassas Utilities rebate | $0, no programme in this territory |
| Virginia state credit | $0, Virginia has no solar income tax credit |
| Net cost | about $27,550 |
| Annual property tax added | $0 on residential systems ≤25 kW |
For what that net figure means as a payback period, and why the answer depends far more on when you use power than on which panels you buy, see solar panel cost in Manassas.
Businesses
Incentives for Manassas businesses
Commercial solar is treated differently from residential. Federal commercial provisions and depreciation treatment may still apply where the residential credit does not, and the structuring genuinely matters.
We are installers, not tax advisers, so we will not model your commercial position for you. What we will do is scope and build the system, document it properly for your accountant, and route the tax questions to your CPA rather than guess at them.
Commercial solar in Manassas · how we approach commercial projects
Manassas incentives FAQ
Common questions about solar incentives in Manassas
What solar incentives can I get in Manassas, VA in 2026?
Virginia has no state income tax credit for residential solar, and the federal residential credit expired for systems placed in service on or after 1 January 2026. Residential solar of 25 kW or less is exempt from state and local property tax under §58.1-3661 as amended by SB 686, and many localities have adopted further exemptions by ordinance. Virginia has no general solar sales-tax exemption for residential systems; confirm your own position with a tax professional. The 30% federal credit expired for systems placed in service on or after January 1, 2026.
Does Manassas still have net metering?
Not in the original form. One-for-one net metering closed to new applicants in Virginia before the current programme took over, and new customers are enrolled in municipal net metering policy, adopted 2015 instead. Under that programme exported power is credited at set by the city under its own net metering policy rather than at the set by the city, confirmed against your own bill retail rate, and settled against your usage over the year.
How do I claim no Virginia state tax credit?
There is nothing to claim. Virginia has no state income tax credit for residential solar, and the federal residential credit expired for systems placed in service on or after 1 January 2026. What carries a Virginia system instead is the export credit, and one-for-one retail net metering survived a contested proceeding at the State Corporation Commission in April 2026. Confirm your own tax position with a professional.
Is there a City of Manassas Utilities rebate for solar in Manassas?
No. City of Manassas Utilities does not offer an upfront residential solar rebate, so there is no cash-back programme to stack here. Rebates in Virginia are set by individual providers rather than statewide, so the answer genuinely depends on which utility serves your meter.
Will solar panels increase my property taxes in Manassas?
Residential solar of 25 kW or less is exempt from state and local property tax under §58.1-3661 as amended by SB 686, and many localities have adopted further exemptions by ordinance. Confirm your own position with City of Manassas (independent city) and a tax professional, since eligibility depends on your circumstances.
Are there solar incentives for Manassas businesses?
Commercial solar is treated differently from residential and federal commercial provisions such as 48E and depreciation may still apply. We do not give tax advice on commercial structuring, and we will route those questions to your CPA rather than guess. See our commercial solar page for how we scope the work itself.
Nearby
Solar incentives near Manassas
Free, no-pressure assessment
See which incentives you actually qualify for in Manassas
We will confirm your utility and territory, size a system to your real usage, and show you what the state credit is worth in your tax position, with no guaranteed-savings math.
Mon–Sat, 10am–6:30pm ET · We typically follow up within the hour.