# Virginia HB1217: Keeper of livery stable; liens, requirements.

Virginia HB1217, Keeper of livery stable; liens, requirements., is a 2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Delores Oates (Republican); status signed, last action 2026-04-13 (Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0753)); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-12).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB1217-2026
- As of: 2026-10-12
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Virginia HB1217
- State: Virginia
- Session: 2026 Regular Session
- Title: Keeper of livery stable; liens, requirements.
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2026-01-14
- Last action: 2026-04-13, Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0753)
- Sponsor: Delores Oates (Republican)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Touches household money: yes
- Roll calls: 8 (266 yes, 16 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 2

## Summary

Keeper of livery stable; liens; requirements. Creates a process by which any person that boards, pastures, or otherwise keeps any horse, cattle, or other animal pursuant to an agreement with the owner of such horse, cattle, or other animal may impose a possessory lien for the reasonable charges due for such animal's care, feeding, and maintenance, which includes a provision for the lienholder to retain possession of the animal for 30 days until certain conditions are met and a procedure for the owner of the animal to dispute such lien. The bill also provides that if no such action has occurred upon the expiration of the 30 days, the lienholder may proceed with enforcing the lien as provided by current law.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Animal boarding liens and owner protections: mixed, low. Keepers who board, pasture, or keep animals under an agreement with the owner can hold them for unpaid bills. This lien covers reasonable care, feeding, and maintenance charges. To enforce it, keepers must send the owner certified-mail notice within 10 days of the lien’s effective date. The notice…
- Boat and aircraft liens face limits: mixed, low. Covered keepers, including hangar, tie-down, and marina operators, can hold property until towing, storage, recovery, and care charges are paid. Covered property includes boats, aircraft, and harness. For boats or aircraft securing a loan, storage liens are capped at $500 and alteration or repair l…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Delores Oates (Republican), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-03-11 | House | Senate amendments agreed to by House | pass | 95 | 4 |   |
| 2026-03-10 | Senate | Courts of Justice Amendment agreed to | pass | 0 | 0 |   |
| 2026-03-09 | Senate | Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) | pass | 40 | 0 |   |
| 2026-03-09 | Senate | Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 |   |
| 2026-03-05 | Senate | Reported from Courts of Justice with amendments | pass | 14 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-17 | House | Read third time and passed House | pass | 87 | 10 |   |
| 2026-02-11 | House | Reported from Courts of Justice | pass | 21 | 1 |   |
| 2026-02-04 | House | Subcommittee recommends reporting | pass | 9 | 1 |   |

## Actions (28)

- 2026-04-13: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0753) (Governor)
- 2026-04-13: Approved by Governor-Chapter 753 (effective 7/1/2026) (Governor)
- 2026-03-31: Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026 (Governor)
- 2026-03-31: Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 31, 2026 (House)
- 2026-03-31: Signed by Speaker (House)
- 2026-03-30: Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB1217ER) (House)
- 2026-03-30: Enrolled (House)
- 2026-03-30: Signed by President (Senate)
- 2026-03-11: Senate amendments agreed to by House (95-Y 4-N 0-A) (House)
- 2026-03-10: Courts of Justice Amendment agreed to (Senate)
- 2026-03-10: Passed Senate with amendments Block Vote (40-Y 0-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-03-10: Engrossed by Senate as amended (Senate)
- 2026-03-10: Read third time (Senate)
- 2026-03-09: Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) (Senate)
- 2026-03-09: Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-03-09: Rules suspended (Senate)
- 2026-03-05: Senate committee offered (Senate)
- 2026-03-05: Reported from Courts of Justice with amendments (14-Y 0-N) (Senate)
- 2026-02-18: Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice (Senate)
- 2026-02-18: Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) (Senate)
- 2026-02-17: Read third time and passed House (87-Y 10-N 0-A) (House)
- 2026-02-16: Read second time and engrossed (House)
- 2026-02-13: Read first time (House)
- 2026-02-11: Reported from Courts of Justice (21-Y 1-N) (House)
- 2026-02-04: Subcommittee recommends reporting (9-Y 1-N) (House)
- 2026-02-02: Assigned HCJ sub: Civil (House)
- 2026-01-14: Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice (House)
- 2026-01-14: Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26100053D (House)

## Bill text

- Chaptered, 2026-04-13: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1222547.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1222546.PDF)
- Enrolled, 2026-03-30: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1212417.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1212416.PDF)
- Amendment, 2026-03-10: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1203227.HTML)
- Amendment, 2026-03-09: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1199540.HTML)
- Amendment, 2026-03-05: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1197356.HTML)
- Introduced, 2026-01-14: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1088428.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1088427.PDF)

## Related bills

- HB5: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties. (signed)
- SB199: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties. (signed)
- HB95: Va. Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; landlord remedies, noncompliance with rental agreement. (signed)
- HB1393: Electric utilities; pilot program for energy assistance and weatherization for certain individuals. (signed)
- HB834: Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; fire or casualty damage, termination by landlord. (signed)
- HB675: Protection of employees; coercion or threat based on immigration status, civil penalty. (signed)

## Sources
- [Chaptered (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1222547.HTML)
- [Chaptered (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1222546.PDF)
- [Enrolled (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1212417.HTML)
- [Enrolled (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1212416.PDF)
- [Amendment (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1203227.HTML)
- [Amendment (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1199540.HTML)
- [Amendment (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1197356.HTML)
- [Introduced (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1088428.HTML)
- [Introduced (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1088427.PDF)

## Related
- [HB5: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB5-2026)
- [SB199: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-SB199-2026)
- [HB95: Va. Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; landlord remedies, noncompliance with…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB95-2026)
- [HB1393: Electric utilities; pilot program for energy assistance and weatherization for…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB1393-2026)
- [HB834: Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; fire or casualty damage, terminat…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB834-2026)
- [HB675: Protection of employees; coercion or threat based on immigration status, civil…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB675-2026)
- [Virginia bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/virginia/bills)
- [Virginia state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/virginia)
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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB1217-2026 (as of 2026-10-12).