HB 4962 West Virginia House of Delegates · 2026 Regular Session

Drug-Related Nuisances

HB 4962 creates a legal process for residents, tenants, or community groups to address drug activity on properties. To file a lawsuit, they must prove specific neighborhood harms like increased police calls, trash accumulation, safety concerns, or diminished property values. Property owners found responsible for drug-related nuisances face civil penalties or criminal charges under this law.

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Feb 2026

House of Delegates Passage

Feb 2026

Senate Passage

Governor

Introduced Jan 29, 2026 Last action Feb 27, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Committee Substitute → Engrossed Committee Substitute · 3 edits · Feb 26, 2026

MINOR

The bill text was updated from the 'Committee Substitute' version to the 'Engrossed' version, indicating it has passed further legislative review. The substantive policy language regarding drug-related nuisances, including the authority to close properties and civil penalties, remains unchanged. The primary changes are formatting updates to the header and the official status designation.

TECHNICAL

Updated the document title from 'Committee Substitute' to 'Engrossed Version' to reflect its current legislative status.

Removed the previous 'Engrossed Version' link and replaced it with the current 'Committee Substitute' link in the navigation section.

Added a blank line after the bill's origin and reporting date information.

Floor votes · House of Delegates Feb 26, 2026

How they voted

91–2

Passed · 7 other

Total votes 100

Feb 26, 2026

D Democratic9

7 Yea 1 Nay 1

77% Yea

R Republican91

84 Yea 1 Nay 6

92% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Feb 27, 2026

Committee

To Judiciary

upper

Feb 27, 2026

Introduced

Introduced in Senate

upper

Feb 26, 2026

Lower · Passed

Passed House (Roll No. 204)

lower

Feb 23, 2026

Lower · Passed

By substitute, do pass

lower

Feb 4, 2026

Committee

To House Homeland Security

lower

Feb 3, 2026

Committee

To House Homeland Security

lower

Jan 29, 2026

Committee

To House Judiciary

lower

Jan 29, 2026

Introduced

Introduced in House

lower

Jan 29, 2026

Committee

To Judiciary

lower

1 primary · 10 co-sponsors