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HB749 • 2026

Fertilizer and lime; amends provisions governing permit requirements.

An Act to amend and reenact §§ 3.2-3700 and 3.2-3704 of the Code of Virginia, relating to fertilizer and lime permit requirements.

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Runion
Last action
2026-04-08
Official status
Acts of Assembly Chapter
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not support claims about removing language regarding permit expiration, costs, penalties, or clarifying requirements for employees/agents of contractor-applicators. It also lacks details on the Commissioner's authority limitations.

Changes to Fertilizer and Lime Permit Requirements

This act modifies Virginia's fertilizer and lime permit requirements by allowing licensed distributors to sell bulk liming materials without needing a separate contractor permit.

What This Bill Does

  • Adds licensed distributors of regulated products to the list of people who can sell bulk liming material.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Licensed distributors who sell regulated products
  • People selling bulk liming materials

Terms To Know

Bulk
Materials in nonpackaged form.
Contractor
A person required to hold a permit to sell any bulk liming material to the consumer pursuant to § 3.2-3704.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify the effective date.
  • It is unclear how this change will impact existing regulations and enforcement practices.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

HB749ASC1

2026-02-25

Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Amendment

Plain English: The amendment changes the term 'contract-applicator' to 'contractor-applicator' in the bill text.

  • Changes the word 'contract-applicator' to 'contractor-applicator'.
  • The amendment does not provide additional context or details about what this change means beyond the textual alteration.
HB749AS1

2026-03-04 • Committee

Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Amendment

Plain English: The amendment changes the term 'contract-applicator' to 'contractor-applicator' in the bill text.

  • Changes the word 'contract-applicator' to 'contractor-applicator'.
  • The full impact of this change is not clear without additional context about how these terms are used and defined within the bill.
HB749EDOC

2026-03-09 • Senate

Senate Amendment

Plain English: The amendment changes the term 'contract-applicator' to 'contractor-applicator' in the bill text.

  • Changes the word 'contract-applicator' to 'contractor-applicator'.
  • The full impact of this change is not clear without additional context about how these terms are used and defined within the bill.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-08 Governor

    Approved by Governor-Chapter 419 (effective 7/1/2026)

  2. 2026-04-08 Governor

    Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0419)

  3. 2026-03-31 House

    Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 31, 2026

  4. 2026-03-31 Governor

    Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026

  5. 2026-03-31 House

    Signed by Speaker

  6. 2026-03-31 House

    Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 31, 2026

  7. 2026-03-31 Governor

    Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026

  8. 2026-03-31 House

    Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB749)

  9. 2026-03-30 Senate

    Signed by President

  10. 2026-03-30 House

    Enrolled

  11. 2026-03-30 House

    Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB749ER)

  12. 2026-03-10 House

    Senate amendment agreed to by House (99-Y 0-N 0-A)

  13. 2026-03-09 Senate

    Read third time

  14. 2026-03-09 Senate

    Engrossed by Senate as amended

  15. 2026-03-09 Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources

    Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Amendment agreed to

  16. 2026-03-09 Senate

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

  17. 2026-03-06 Senate

    Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)

  18. 2026-03-06 Senate

    Passed by for the day

  19. 2026-03-05 Senate

    Rules suspended

  20. 2026-03-05 Senate

    Rules suspended

  21. 2026-03-05 Senate

    Passed by for the day

  22. 2026-03-05 Senate

    Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (39-Y 0-N 0-A)

  23. 2026-03-05 Senate

    Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)

  24. 2026-03-03 Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources

    Reported from Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources with amendment (15-Y 0-N)

  25. 2026-02-25 Rural Affairs

    Senate subcommittee offered

  26. 2026-02-25 Rural Affairs

    Assigned HACNR sub: Rural Affairs

  27. 2026-02-11 Senate

    Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)

  28. 2026-02-11 Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources

    Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources

  29. 2026-02-10 House

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

  30. 2026-02-09 House

    Read second time and engrossed

  31. 2026-02-06 House

    Read first time

  32. 2026-02-04 Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources

    Reported from Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources (21-Y 1-N)

  33. 2026-01-28 Agriculture

    Subcommittee recommends reporting (10-Y 0-N)

  34. 2026-01-27 Agriculture

    Assigned HACNR sub: Agriculture

  35. 2026-01-23 House

    Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB749)

  36. 2026-01-13 House

    Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26101414D

  37. 2026-01-13 Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources

    Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources

Official Summary Text

Fertilizer and lime permit requirements.
Amends the provisions governing the permit requirements for bulk lime materials to add a distributor who holds a valid license to distribute a regulated product, as defined in the bill, to the list of people who can sell bulk liming material. The bill also removes duplicative language relating to (i) when a permit expires, (ii) the cost of obtaining a permit, and (iii) the authority of the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services to issue written notices and collect fees for failing to obtain a permit.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
An Act to amend and reenact §§
3.2-3700
and
3.2-3704
of the Code of Virginia, relating to fertilizer and lime permit requirements.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That §§
3.2-3700
and
3.2-3704
of the Code of Virginia are amended and reenacted as follows:
§
3.2-3700
. Definitions.
As used in this chapter, unless the context requires a different meaning:
"Agricultural liming material" means any limestone with calcium and magnesium compounds that has the capacity, and whose intended purpose is, to neutralize soil acidity.
"Applicant" means the person who applies for, or requests, a license, or applies for registration of any liming material
; or applies to become a contractor
.
"Brand" means the term, designation, trademark, product name or other specific designation under which any liming material is offered for sale.
"Bulk" means materials in nonpackaged form.
"Calcium carbonate equivalent" means the acid neutralizing capacity of any liming material, expressed as weight percentage of calcium carbonate.
"Contractor" means any person required to hold a permit to sell any bulk liming material to the consumer pursuant to §
3.2-3704
.
"Distributor" means any person who imports or consigns, manufactures, produces, compounds, mixes, or blends any liming material, or who offers for sale, sells, barters or otherwise supplies any liming material.
"Effective Neutralizing Value" or "ENV" means a relative value using the calcium oxide content, magnesium oxide content and fineness to express the effectiveness of an agricultural liming material in neutralizing soil acidity. This term is synonymous with Effective Neutralizing Power (ENP).
"Fineness" means the percentage by weight of the material that will pass through United States Standards sieves of specified sizes.
"Industrial co-product used to neutralize soil acid" means a waste or by-product of an industrial process that contains any compound not normally found in limestone that has the capacity, and whose intended purpose is, to neutralize soil acidity.
"Kind" means one of the two classes of liming material.
"Label" means any written or printed matter on, or attached to, the package, or on the delivery ticket that accompanies bulk shipments, of any liming material.
"Licensed" or "licensee" means the person issued a license to distribute any liming material in the Commonwealth.
"Limestone" means a material consisting essentially of calcium carbonate, or a combination of calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate, capable of neutralizing soil acidity.
"Liming material" means any agricultural liming material and any industrial co-product used to neutralize soil acid.
"Manufacturer" means any person who manufactures, produces, compounds, mixes, blends, imports or consigns liming material, or who offers for sale, sells, barters or otherwise supplies liming material.
"Percent" or "percentage" means by weight.
"Quantity statement" means the net weight (mass), net volume (liquid or dry), count or other form of measurement of a commodity.
"Registrant" means the person registering any liming material pursuant to the provisions of this chapter.
"Standard liming ton" means a ton of agricultural liming material with a calcium carbonate equivalent of 90 percent.
"Stop sale, use, removal or seizure order" means an order that prohibits the distributor from selling, relocating, using, or disposing of a lot of liming material, or portion thereof, in any manner, until the Commissioner or a court gives written permission to sell, relocate, use or dispose of the lot of liming material or portion thereof.
"Ton" means a unit of 2,000 pounds avoirdupois weight.
"Type" means the identification of the agricultural liming material as follows:
1. "Burnt" means any agricultural liming material with calcium and magnesium compounds capable of neutralizing soil acidity, and that consists essentially of calcium oxide, or a combination of calcium oxide and magnesium oxide.
2. "Calcitic" means any agricultural liming material in which 85 percent or more of the total neutralizing value, expressed as calcium carbonate equivalent, is derived from calcium.
3. "Dolomitic" means any agricultural liming material in which 15 percent or more of the total carbonate content is magnesium carbonate.
4. "Hydrated" means any agricultural liming material, made from burnt lime, that consists essentially of: (i) calcium hydroxide; (ii) a combination of calcium hydroxide, magnesium oxide and magnesium hydroxide; or (iii) a combination of calcium hydroxide, and either magnesium oxide or magnesium hydroxide.
5. "Marl" means a granular or loosely consolidated earthy agricultural liming material composed largely of calcium carbonate.
§
3.2-3704
. Sale of Bulk Liming Material.
A. It is unlawful for any person, other than a registrant
or
,
licensee,
or person who (i) is licensed to distribute a regulated product, as that term is defined in §
3.2-3600
, pursuant to §
3.2-3606
; (ii) holds a valid permit to be a contractor-applicator pursuant to §
3.2-3608
; or (iii) is an employee or agent of a person holding a valid permit to be a contractor-applicator pursuant to §
3.2-3608
,
to sell bulk liming material
unless the person: (i) obtains a license by completing a contractor application form furnished or approved by the Commissioner and pays the $50 annual fee required to be a contractor; (ii) is an employee or agent of a contractor who holds a valid permit, in which case no permit is required and no fee is due from the employee or agent; or (iii) holds a valid permit to be a contractor-applicator pursuant to subsection A of §
3.2-3608
, or is an employee or agent of person holding a valid permit to be a contractor-applicator pursuant to subsection A of §
3.2-3608
, in which case no additional permit is required and no additional fee is due. Each permit to do business as a contractor shall expire on June 30 of the permitting year for which the Commissioner issued the permit. Every such permit shall be valid through July 31 of the next permitting year or until issuance of the renewal permit, whichever occurs first, if the holder of the permit has filed a renewal application with the Commissioner on or before June 30 of the permitting year for which the Commissioner issued the permit
.
B.
The Commissioner shall grant to a contractor who has failed to obtain a contractor's permit to do business during the permitting year a grace period of 15 working days, starting upon issuance of notification, to obtain the permit without the payment of a late fee. If the contractor fails to obtain a permit by the 15th day of the grace period, the contractor shall pay to the Commissioner a $50 late fee in addition to the permit fee, and the Commissioner shall cause a stop sale, use, removal or seizure order to be issued on any liming material the contractor sells until the contractor obtains the required permit.
C. The contractor
A person authorized to sell bulk liming material pursuant to this section
shall guarantee the consumer that
the contractor shall comply
he has complied
with all provisions of this chapter that apply to the sale and delivery of bulk liming material.