HB 1219 Virginia House of Delegates · 2026 Regular Session

Unmanned aircraft systems; use by law-enforcement officers, search warrants.

Summary

Use of unmanned aircraft systems by law-enforcement officers; search warrants; model policy. Expedites the issuance of a search warrant for unmanned aircraft systems by law-enforcement officers upon a finding of reasonable and probable cause by an authorized judicial official, as defined in the bill, and permits the use of unmanned aircraft systems without a search warrant when law enforcement is surveying the scene of a crime or to respond to a public safety call for service when such crime scene or call for service is located on public property, to locate a person when such person has fled the offense location during the initial response to an incident, or to provide real-time aerial observation to increase on-scene safety and security. Such provisions are subject to a reenactment clause. The bill also requires the Department of Criminal Justice Services, in consultation with the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission and the Virginia Association of Commonwealth's Attorneys, to establish a model policy for the use of unmanned aircraft systems by December 1, 2026. This bill is identical to SB 647.

Issues: ✗ Criminal Justice

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Mar 2026

House of Delegates Passage

Mar 2026

Senate Passage

Mar 2026

Signed into Law

Apr 2026

Introduced Jan 14, 2026 Signed Apr 6, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 4 comparisons

What changed between versions

Criminal Subcommittee Substitute → Chaptered · 4 edits

MODERATE

This bill was finalized into law (Chaptered) in April 2026, replacing the previous draft version. The substantive policy content regarding law enforcement drone usage and training standards remained largely unchanged, with the primary modifications being the addition of a new subsection requiring consultation with the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission for drone policies and minor formatting updates to section references.

Scope change

The bill's scope and applicability remain the same; it continues to regulate the use of unmanned aircraft systems by law enforcement and establish training standards for criminal justice personnel.

REQUIREMENT

Added a requirement for the Department to consult with the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission and the Virginia Association of Commonwealth's Attorneys when establishing the model policy for unmanned aircraft systems.

TECHNICAL

Updated section references throughout the text to include non-breaking spaces (e.g., changing '§ 9.1-102' to '§ 9.1-102') for proper formatting.

Removed the draft header information (e.g., 'HOUSE SUBSTITUTE', 'AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE') as the bill was officially enacted.

TIMELINE

Added the official approval date of April 6, 2026, and Chapter number 270 to the text.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 5, 2026 · House of Delegates Feb 17, 2026

How they voted

38–0

Passed · 1 other

Total votes 39

Mar 5, 2026

D Democratic20

19 Yea 1

95% Yea

R Republican19

19 Yea

100% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Apr 6, 2026

Signed into law

Approved by Governor-Chapter 270 (effective 7/1/2026)

executive

Mar 14, 2026

Upper · Passed

Signed by President

upper

Mar 14, 2026

Lower · Passed

Signed by Speaker

lower

Mar 14, 2026

Lower · Passed

Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB1219ER)

lower

Mar 9, 2026

Upper · Passed

Passed Senate Block Vote (40-Y 0-N 0-A)

upper

Mar 6, 2026

Upper · Passed

Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)

upper

Mar 5, 2026

Upper · Passed

Passed by for the day (Voice Vote)

upper

Mar 4, 2026

Upper · Passed

Reported from Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N)

upper

Feb 25, 2026

Upper · Passed

Reported from Courts of Justice and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N)

upper

Feb 18, 2026

Committee

Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice

upper

Feb 17, 2026

Lower · Passed

Read third time and passed House Block Vote (97-Y 0-N 0-A)

lower

Feb 11, 2026

Lower · Passed

Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute (22-Y 0-N)

lower

Feb 6, 2026

Lower · Passed

House subcommittee offered

lower

Jan 23, 2026

Committee

Assigned HCJ sub: Criminal

lower

Jan 14, 2026

Committee

Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice

lower

1 primary · 1 co-sponsor