SB 454 Virginia Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Zoning; by-right multifamily residential development.

Summary

Zoning; by-right multifamily development. Requires local zoning ordinances to permit, on any parcel with an existing tree canopy coverage of at less than 60 percent, located within a city or town having a population of more than 20,000 or within a designated metropolitan planning area, multifamily and mixed-use residential development as a by-right use on at least 75 percent of all land contained in commercial or business zoning district classifications, including any land contained in commercial or business zoning district classifications that allow for the by-right development and construction of single-family residential uses. The bill stipulates that any application for a proposed development authorized pursuant to the bill shall be reviewed and acted upon administratively by a locality. The bill prohibits a locality from (i) requiring that a special exception, special use, or conditional use permit be obtained for such development or (ii) imposing more stringent land use requirements, enumerated in the bill, for such development than would otherwise be required. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2027.

Issues: ✓ Housing

Bill status passed both 4 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Mar 2026

Senate Passage

Feb 2026

House of Delegates Passage

Mar 2026

Governor

Introduced Jan 13, 2026 Last action Mar 10, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 4 comparisons

What changed between versions

Counties, Cities and Towns Substitute → Delegate Helmer Substitute · 1 edit

MINOR

The bill was reformatted from a House Substitute to a Delegate Helmer Floor Amendment, with no substantive policy changes to the zoning provisions. The text remains identical in meaning, though line breaks and spacing were adjusted for the floor amendment format.

TECHNICAL

Formatting changes only: bill title changed from 'HOUSE SUBSTITUTE' to 'HOUSE SUBSTITUTE' with different line breaks, bill number changed from 26108775D to 26109131D, and amendment type changed from 'AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE' to 'FLOOR AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE' to reflect it was proposed by Delegate Helmer on March 4, 2026 instead of the House Committee on February 27, 2026.

Local Government Substitute → Counties, Cities and Towns Substitute · 8 edits

MODERATE

The bill was revised from a Senate Substitute to a Counties, Cities and Towns Substitute, introducing significant policy changes. The most important change is that the requirement for by-right multifamily development was reduced from 75% to 50% of commercial zoning areas, and new infrastructure requirements were added. Additionally, several new exemptions were created to exclude certain properties from the law, including casino sites and military installation buffers.

Scope change

The bill's applicability was expanded to include parcels in designated metropolitan planning areas that are not in towns with populations under 7,500, while also creating new exclusions for properties with heavy industrial uses, Business Ready Sites, and casino gaming locations.

REQUIREMENT

Reduced the mandatory by-right multifamily development requirement from 75% to 50% of commercial zoning areas.

Added new infrastructure requirements that multifamily developments must be served by public water and sewer or located in areas designated for such service in the comprehensive plan.

Modified the administrative review process to reference different code sections (15.2-2258 and 15.2-2261 instead of 15.2-2259 and 15.2-2260).

Added new exceptions allowing localities to require architectural compatibility reviews for historic districts and steep slope mountain development.

Added new exemptions for properties adjacent to military installations where property acquisition or development restrictions are necessary for operational safety.

Removed the tree canopy coverage exemption for parcels with 60% canopy and replaced it with a more comprehensive list of exclusions.

Added new provisions clarifying that heavy industrial and heavy manufacturing uses do not include enclosed administrative, business, or professional office uses.

ELIGIBILITY

Added new exemptions for properties with heavy industrial uses, Business Ready Sites, certified sites, and casino gaming locations approved by July 1, 2026.

Floor votes · Senate Feb 3, 2026

How they voted

38–0

Passed · 1 other

Total votes 39

Feb 3, 2026

D Democratic20

20 Yea

100% Yea

R Republican19

18 Yea 1

94% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Mar 4, 2026

Committee

Rereferred to Counties, Cities and Towns

lower

Mar 4, 2026

Lower · Passed

Reconsideration of passed by for the day

lower

Mar 4, 2026

Lower · Passed

Passed by for the day

lower

Feb 27, 2026

Lower · Passed

Reported from Counties, Cities and Towns with substitute (11-Y 10-N)

lower

Feb 26, 2026

Lower · Passed

House committee offered

lower

Feb 10, 2026

Committee

Referred to Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns

lower

Feb 5, 2026

Upper · Passed

Read third time and passed Senate (21-Y 19-N 0-A)

upper

Feb 5, 2026

Introduced

Engrossed by Senate as amended (Voice Vote)

upper

Feb 5, 2026

Upper · Passed

Senator VanValkenburg Amendments agreed to

upper

Feb 5, 2026

Introduced

Reading of amendments waived (Voice Vote)

upper

Feb 5, 2026

Introduced

Floor offered Senator VanValkenburg Amendments

upper

Feb 3, 2026

Upper · Passed

Passed by for the day

upper

Feb 3, 2026

Upper · Passed

Passed by for the day (Voice Vote)

upper

Feb 2, 2026

Upper · Passed

Reported from Local Government with substitute (8-Y 4-N 3-A)

upper

Feb 2, 2026

Upper · Passed

Senate committee offered

upper

Jan 13, 2026

Committee

Referred to Committee on Local Government

upper

1 primary · 7 co-sponsors