| Bills | Committee | Last action | Date |
| HB 151 - Helmer - Energy, Department of; building standards for certain local buildings. | (H) Committee on General Laws (S) Committee on Finance and Appropriations | (G) Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0687) | 04/08/24 |
| notes: Requires the Department of Energy to provide technical assistance to localities, subject to available budgetary resources, as localities implement mandates related to energy and resilience standards for construction or renovation of certain public buildings. The bill also requires the Department to conduct an annual survey of localities to obtain information on related activities and to identify the needs of localities with respect to technical assistance and training. The bill also makes several technical and clarifying changes to the existing statute, in part by defining or redefining existing terms found in the statute. | |||
| HB 285 - McQuinn - Uniform Statewide Building Code; construction of bus shelters. | (H) Committee on General Laws (S) Committee on Finance and Appropriations | (G) Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0806) | 04/17/24 |
| notes: Exempts plans and specifications for bus shelters that do not exceed 256 square feet that are to be constructed for transit agencies receiving state money and that will be constructed on state-owned property from the Department of General Services' review process required by the Uniform Statewide Building Code. The bill authorizes the local building official of the locality in which the state-owned property is located to conduct the review process within 60 days of the applicant's initial submission of the plans and specifications for such bus shelter. | |||
| HB 368 - McClure - Uniform Statewide Building Code; Board of HCD to convene advisory group to evaluate. | (H) Committee on General Laws (S) Committee on General Laws and Technology | (G) Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0384) | 04/04/24 |
| notes: Directs the Board of Housing and Community Development (the Board) to convene a stakeholder advisory group to evaluate and recommend revisions to the Uniform Statewide Building Code to permit Group R-2 occupancies to be served by a single exit, provided that the building has not more than six stories above grade plane. The bill requires the stakeholder advisory group to submit its findings and recommendations to the Board and to the Chairmen of the House Committee on General Laws and the Senate Committee on General Laws and Technology no later than December 1, 2024. Senate cognate is SB195. | |||
| HB 578 - McQuinn - Uniform Statewide Building Code; violations, increases fines. | (H) Committee on General Laws (S) Committee on General Laws and Technology | (G) Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0641) | 04/08/24 |
| notes: Increases from $2,500 to $5,000 the minimum amount and from $5,000 to $10,000 the maximum amount that any person, firm, or corporation shall be fined when convicted of a third or subsequent offense of violating the provisions of the Building Code committed within 10 years of another such offense after having been at least twice previously convicted of such an offense. The bill also adds penalties for similar violations committed by owners of a blighted multifamily property. | |||
| HB 1092 - Oates - Uniform Statewide Building Code; amending Code, local building officials. | (H) Committee on General Laws | (H) Continued to 2025 in General Laws | 02/08/24 |
| notes: Requires the Board of Housing and Community Development to amend the Uniform Statewide Building Code and corresponding regulations to remove any authority for local building departments to appoint local building officials for permanent terms. The bill requires the Board to require local building departments to appoint such officials for a term not to exceed 10 years and to only reappoint such officials after holding a performance evaluation. | |||
| HB 1425 - Austin - Virginia Passenger Rail Authority; exempts railway tunnels and bridges from Building Code. | (H) Committee on Transportation (S) Committee on Transportation | (G) Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0078) | 03/14/24 |
| notes: Exempts railway tunnels and bridges owned by the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority from the Uniform Statewide Building Code and the Statewide Fire Prevention Code Act. The bill requires the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority to report annually to the State Fire Marshal on the maintenance and operability of installed fire protection and detection systems in its railway tunnels and bridges. | |||
| HB 1475 - Keys-Gamarra - Uniform Statewide Building Code; certain building owners and operators to supply cooling & heating. | (H) Committee on General Laws (S) Committee on General Laws and Technology | (H) House sustained Governor's veto | 04/17/24 |
| notes: Directs the Board of Housing and Community Development to amend the Uniform Statewide Building Code to require that owners and operators of certain apartment buildings begin to supply cooling to maintain certain temperatures by April 1 of each year. Under the current regulations, such required cooling period begins May 15. | |||
| SB 48 - Locke - Vacant buildings; registration. | (H) Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns (S) Committee on Local Government | (G) Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0616) | 04/08/24 |
| notes: Permits any county, city, or town to require, by ordinance, the owner of any building that has been vacant for at least 12 months and (i) that meets the definition of "derelict building" in relevant law, (ii) that meets the definition of "criminal blight" in relevant law, or (iii) in which a locality has determined a person is living without the authority of the owner to register such building annually. Under current law, any city and certain towns are permitted to require the owner of any building that has been vacant for at least 12 months and meets the definition of "derelict building" in relevant law to register such building annually. This bill is a recommendation of the Virginia Housing Commission. | |||
| SB 195 - VanValkenburg - Uniform Statewide Building Code; Board of HCD to convene advisory group to evaluate. | (H) Committee on Appropriations (S) Committee on General Laws and Technology | (G) Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0385) | 04/04/24 |
| notes: Directs the Board of Housing and Community Development (the Board) to convene a stakeholder advisory group, including firefighting processionals, to evaluate and recommend revisions to the Uniform Statewide Building Code to permit Group R-2 occupancies to be served by a single exit, provided that the building has not more than six stories above grade plane. The bill requires the stakeholder advisory group to submit its findings and recommendations to the Board and to the Chairmen of the House Committee on General Laws and the Senate Committee on General Laws and Technology no later than December 1, 2024. House cognate is HB368. | |||
| SB 538 - Bagby - Uniform Statewide Building Code; violations, increases fines. | (H) Committee on General Laws (S) Committee on General Laws and Technology | (G) Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0681) | 04/08/24 |
| notes: Increases from $2,500 to $5,000 the minimum amount and from $5,000 to $10,000 the maximum amount that any person, firm, or corporation shall be fined when convicted of a third or subsequent offense of violating the provisions of the Building Code committed within 10 years of another such offense after having been at least twice previously convicted of such an offense. The bill also adds penalties for similar violations committed by owners of a blighted multifamily property. | |||