# Virginia HB221: Appeals bond; indigent parties, appeal of unlawful detainer.

Virginia HB221, Appeals bond; indigent parties, appeal of unlawful detainer., is a 2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Patrick A. Hope (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-04-13 (Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0579)); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-12).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB221-2026
- As of: 2026-10-12
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Virginia HB221
- State: Virginia
- Session: 2026 Regular Session
- Title: Appeals bond; indigent parties, appeal of unlawful detainer.
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2026-01-08
- Last action: 2026-04-13, Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0579)
- Sponsor: Patrick A. Hope (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Touches household money: yes
- Roll calls: 9 (214 yes, 79 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 2

## Summary

Requirement for appeals bond; indigent parties; appeal of unlawful detainer. Removes the requirement for an indigent defendant, as defined in the bill, to post an appeal bond in an unlawful detainer action appealed from the general district court.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Low-income defendants avoid civil appeal bonds: benefit, low. Virginia defendants who qualify as indigent under state guidelines do not have to post appeal bonds in civil cases, including evictions. This exemption does not itself remove other appeal costs or requirements. When liability insurance covers a judgment, the appeal bond cannot exceed the amount cov…
- Renters face bond and eviction rules: mixed, low. In Virginia, eviction defendants who do not qualify as indigent must post an appeal bond. The judge or clerk approves the amount, or it must cover the judgment, including awarded attorney fees. For residential cases, separate rules require payment of unpaid rent and specified charges and damages in…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Patrick A. Hope (Democratic), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-02-23 | Senate | Passed Senate | pass | 20 | 17 |   |
| 2026-02-23 | Senate | Passed Senate | pass | 21 | 17 |   |
| 2026-02-23 | Senate | Reconsideration of Senate passage agreed to by Senate | pass | 38 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-20 | Senate | Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-20 | Senate | Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) | pass | 40 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-18 | Senate | Reported from Courts of Justice | pass | 11 | 3 |   |
| 2026-02-03 | House | Read third time and passed House | pass | 62 | 35 |   |
| 2026-01-28 | House | Reported from Courts of Justice with amendment(s) | pass | 13 | 6 |   |
| 2026-01-21 | House | Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) | pass | 9 | 1 |   |

## Actions (28)

- 2026-04-13: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0579) (Governor)
- 2026-04-13: Approved by Governor-Chapter 579 (effective 7/1/2026) (Governor)
- 2026-03-10: Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026 (Governor)
- 2026-03-10: Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 10, 2026 (House)
- 2026-02-25: Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB221ER) (House)
- 2026-02-25: Enrolled (House)
- 2026-02-25: Signed by President (Senate)
- 2026-02-25: Signed by Speaker (House)
- 2026-02-23: Passed Senate (21-Y 17-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-02-23: Reconsideration of Senate passage agreed to by Senate (38-Y 0-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-02-23: Passed Senate (20-Y 17-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-02-23: Read third time (Senate)
- 2026-02-20: Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) (Senate)
- 2026-02-20: Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-02-20: Rules suspended (Senate)
- 2026-02-18: Reported from Courts of Justice (11-Y 3-N) (Senate)
- 2026-02-04: Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice (Senate)
- 2026-02-04: Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) (Senate)
- 2026-02-03: Read third time and passed House (62-Y 35-N 0-A) (House)
- 2026-02-02: Engrossed by House as amended (House)
- 2026-02-02: committee amendments agreed to (House)
- 2026-02-02: Read second time (House)
- 2026-01-30: Read first time (House)
- 2026-01-28: Reported from Courts of Justice with amendment(s) (13-Y 6-N) (House)
- 2026-01-21: Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) (9-Y 1-N) (House)
- 2026-01-19: Assigned HCJ sub: Civil (House)
- 2026-01-08: Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice (House)
- 2026-01-08: Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26101270D (House)

## Bill text

- Chaptered, 2026-04-13: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1218843.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1218842.PDF)
- Enrolled, 2026-02-25: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1177975.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1177974.PDF)
- Engrossed, 2026-02-02: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1103167.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1103166.PDF)
- Amendment, 2026-01-29: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1100133.HTML)
- Amendment, 2026-01-21: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1092966.HTML)
- Introduced, 2026-01-08: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1083156.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1083155.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/1218843.HTML)
- [Chaptered (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1218842.PDF)
- [Enrolled (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1177975.HTML)
- [Enrolled (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1177974.PDF)
- [Engrossed (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1103167.HTML)
- [Engrossed (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1103166.PDF)
- [Amendment (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1100133.HTML)
- [Amendment (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1092966.HTML)
- [Introduced (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1083156.HTML)
- [Introduced (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1083155.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-HB221-2026 (as of 2026-10-12).