SB74 • 2026

Affordable housing; local zoning ordinance authority.

An Act to amend and reenact § 15.2-2304 of the Code of Virginia, relating to affordable housing; local zoning ordinance authority.

Housing Land

Enacted

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

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

Plain English Breakdown

The requirement for an advisory committee is specific and applies only when adopting new programs after the effective date.

Making It Easier for Localities to Build Affordable Housing

This law allows any city or county in Virginia to change their zoning rules to support building more affordable homes.

What This Bill Does

Allows local governments to amend their zoning ordinances to provide for an affordable housing dwelling unit program.
Permits localities to implement measures such as lot size reductions, accessory housing unit allowances, and encouragement of mixed-use developments.
Requires localities to form advisory committees before adopting new programs to ensure input from various community groups.

Who It Names or Affects

Local governments in Virginia
Home builders and developers
People looking for affordable housing

Terms To Know

Zoning ordinance: Rules set by local government that control how land can be used, like where houses or businesses can be built.
Accessory unit: A small living space on a property, such as an apartment above a garage or a tiny house in the backyard.

Limits and Unknowns

The law only applies to localities that adopt new zoning rules after July 1, 2027.
Existing affordable housing programs before January 1, 2026, are not affected by this change.

Amendments

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

SB74AC

2026-03-11 • Conference

Conference Report

Plain English: The amendment recommends rejecting a specific version of the bill and accepting another version to resolve disagreements between the Senate and the House.

Rejects the House Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute (26107961D).
Accepts the engrossed bill (SB74E) to resolve differences.

The amendment does not provide details about what changes are included in SB74E or why it is being accepted over the House substitute.
Further information would be needed to understand specific amendments and their impacts.

SB74ASC1

2026-02-02 • Committee

Local Government Amendment

Plain English: The amendment adds the term 'modular' to a section of Virginia's zoning law that previously only mentioned 'manufactured'.

Adds the word 'modular' after 'manufactured' in two specific lines of the bill.

The exact impact and meaning of this change are not fully explained by the amendment text alone.

SB74AS1

2026-02-03 • Committee

Local Government Amendment

Plain English: The amendment adds the term 'modular' to a section of Virginia's zoning law that previously only mentioned 'manufactured'.

Adds the word 'modular' after 'manufactured' in two places within the zoning ordinance.
This change includes modular housing units under the same regulations as manufactured ones.

The exact impact of this amendment on local zoning ordinances is not detailed beyond adding the term 'modular'.

Bill History

2026-04-08 Governor
Approved by Governor-Chapter 436 (effective 7/1/2027)
2026-04-08 Governor
Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0436)
2026-03-31 Senate
Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 31, 2026
2026-03-31 Governor
Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026
2026-03-31 House
Signed by Speaker
2026-03-31 Senate
Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 31, 2026
2026-03-31 Governor
Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026
2026-03-30 Senate
Signed by President
2026-03-30 Senate
Enrolled
2026-03-30 Senate
Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB74ER)
2026-03-12 House
Conference report agreed to by House (65-Y 32-N 0-A)
2026-03-11 Conference
Conference Report released
2026-03-11 Senate
Conference report agreed to by Senate (21-Y 19-N 0-A)
2026-02-24 House
Conferees appointed by House
2026-02-24 House
House Conferees: Cousins, Askew, Morefield
2026-02-23 Senate
Conferees appointed by Senate
2026-02-23 Senate
Senate Conferees: McPike, Aird, Hackworth
2026-02-23 Senate
Senate acceded to request (38-Y 0-N 0-A)
2026-02-19 House
House insisted on substitute
2026-02-19 House
House requested conference committee
2026-02-18 Senate
House substitute rejected by Senate
2026-02-16 House
Read third time
2026-02-16 House
committee substitute agreed to
2026-02-16 House
Engrossed by House - committee substitute
2026-02-16 House
Passed House with substitute (65-Y 33-N 0-A)
2026-02-15 House
Read second time
2026-02-13 Counties, Cities and Towns
Reported from Counties, Cities and Towns with substitute (16-Y 5-N)
2026-02-13 House
House committee offered
2026-02-13 Counties, Cities and Towns
Committee substitute printed 26107961D-H1
2026-02-10 House
Placed on Calendar
2026-02-10 House
Read first time
2026-02-10 Counties, Cities and Towns
Referred to Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns
2026-02-05 Senate
Read third time and passed Senate (21-Y 19-N 0-A)
2026-02-04 Senate
Read second time
2026-02-04 Senate
Engrossed by Senate as amended (Voice Vote)
2026-02-04 Local Government
Local Government Amendments agreed to
2026-02-04 Senate
Engrossed by Senate (Voice Vote)
2026-02-03 Senate
Rules suspended
2026-02-03 Senate
Passed by for the day
2026-02-03 Senate
Passed by for the day
2026-02-03 Senate
Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) (39-Y 0-N 0-A)
2026-02-03 Senate
Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
2026-02-02 Local Government
Reported from Local Government with amendments (8-Y 7-N)
2026-02-02 Local Government
Senate committee amendments offered
2025-12-18 Senate
Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26100873D
2025-12-18 Local Government
Referred to Committee on Local Government

Official Summary Text

Affordable housing; local zoning ordinance authority.
Authorizes any locality in the Commonwealth to provide for an affordable housing dwelling unit program by amending the zoning ordinance of such locality. Current law restricts such authorization to counties with an urban county executive form of government or county manager plan of government and certain other localities. In addition to optional increases in density, the bill provides that such program may include certain additional implementation measures including lot size reductions and accessory housing unit allowances. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027, and is identical to HB 867.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

An Act to amend and reenact §
15.2-2304
of the Code of Virginia, relating to affordable housing; local zoning ordinance authority.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That §
15.2-2304
of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:
§
15.2-2304
. Affordable dwelling unit ordinances in certain localities.
In furtherance of the purpose of providing affordable shelter for all residents of the Commonwealth, the governing body of any
county where the urban county executive form of government or the county manager plan of government is in effect, the Counties of Albemarle and Loudoun, and the Cities of Alexandria, Charlottesville, Fairfax, and Falls Church
locality in the Commonwealth
may by amendment to the zoning ordinances of such locality provide for an affordable housing dwelling unit program. The program shall address housing needs, promote a full range of housing choices,
help ensure that the housing needs for older residents to live independently are accommodated,
and encourage the construction and continued existence of moderately priced housing by providing for optional increases in density in order to reduce land costs for such moderately priced housing.
In addition to optional increases in density, the program may also include any combination of the following implementation measures and tools:
1. Lot size reductions, dimensional and form modifications, or floor area ratio increases for the production of affordable housing units, or any combination thereof;
2. Contribution to a local housing trust fund in lieu of construction of affordable housing units;
3. Accessory housing unit allowances;
4. Housing inspection programs designed to ensure the quality and safety of affordable housing constructed in accordance with the locality's comprehensive plan;
5. Allowance of duplexes, triplexes, and quadruplexes in areas with primarily single-family detached homes for the purpose of providing affordable housing and creating mixed-income homeownership options;
6. Allowance of conversion of office, light industrial, and commercial space to multifamily use;
7. Encouragement of transit-oriented development;
8. Provision of financial incentives or removal of financial disincentives to promote development of new affordable housing where such development would not otherwise occur under existing conditions;
9. Allowance of lower-cost home construction alternatives, including manufactured or modular

homes and duplex manufactured or modular

homes; and
10. Other policies, measures, or tools that have a positive impact on the production and maintenance of affordable housing units.
Any project that is subject to an affordable housing dwelling unit program adopted pursuant to this section shall not be subject to an additional requirement outside of such program to contribute to a county or city housing fund.
Any local ordinance of any other locality providing optional increases in density for provision of low and moderate income housing adopted before December 31, 1988, shall continue in full force and effect.
Localities adopting such ordinances on or after July 1, 2027, shall, in developing and prior to adopting such housing programs, create an advisory committee and actively seek input from residents, developers of residential and mixed-use property, real estate professionals, historic preservation professionals, redevelopment and housing professionals and advocates, planners, urban design professionals, representatives of low-income and moderate-income households, and finance professionals. The advisory committee shall assess the effectiveness and feasibility of any incentives or other measures necessary for economic viability and the development of maximum affordable units. In conducting this assessment, a locality may consult with a planning district commission of which it is a member, pursuant to subsection B of §
15.2-4207
.
2. That the provisions of this act shall not apply to any local ordinance adopted prior to January 1, 2026.
3. That the provisions of this act shall become effective on July 1, 2027.