# Virginia HB278: Local anti-rent gouging authority; civil penalty.

Virginia HB278, Local anti-rent gouging authority; civil penalty., is a 2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Nadarius E. Clark (Democratic); status in committee, last action 2026-01-23 (Continued to 2027 in Counties, Cities and Towns (Voice Vote)) (as of 2026-10-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB278-2026
- As of: 2026-10-11
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Virginia HB278
- State: Virginia
- Session: 2026 Regular Session
- Title: Local anti-rent gouging authority; civil penalty.
- Status: in committee
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2026-01-09
- Last action: 2026-01-23, Continued to 2027 in Counties, Cities and Towns (Voice Vote)
- Sponsor: Nadarius E. Clark (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Subjects: Subcommittee #3
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 2 (0 yes, 0 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 0

## Summary

Local anti-rent gouging authority; civil penalty. Provides that any locality may by ordinance adopt anti-rent gouging provisions. The bill provides for notice and a public hearing prior to the adoption of such ordinance and specifies that all landlords who are under the ordinance may be required to give at least 90 days' written notice of a rent increase and cannot increase the rent by more than the locality's calculated allowance, not to exceed three percent, and states that such allowance is effective for a 12-month period beginning July 1 each year. The bill requires the locality to publish such allowance on its website by June 1 of each year. Certain facilities, as outlined in the bill, are exempt from such ordinance. The bill also requires a locality adopting an anti-rent gouging ordinance to establish an anti-rent gouging board to establish rules and procedures by which landlords may apply for and be granted exemptions from the rent increase limits set by the ordinance or delegate such duties and functions to an existing local board, department, or agency. The bill also requires the anti-rent gouging board to establish a fair return on investment rent increase exemption to the annual anti-rent gouging allowance where necessary to offset increased operating expenses. Finally, the bill provides that a locality shall establish a civil penalty for failure to comply with the requirements set out in its ordinance.

## Bill overview

No economic impacts identified for this bill.

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Nadarius E. Clark (Democratic), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-01-23 | House | Subcommittee recommends continuing to 2027 (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 |   |
| 2026-01-23 | House | Continued to 2027 in Counties, Cities and Towns (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 |   |

## Actions (5)

- 2026-01-23: Continued to 2027 in Counties, Cities and Towns (Voice Vote) (House)
- 2026-01-23: Subcommittee recommends continuing to 2027 (Voice Vote) (House)
- 2026-01-21: Assigned HCCT sub: Subcommittee #3 (House)
- 2026-01-09: Referred to Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns (House)
- 2026-01-09: Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26105101D (House)

## Bill text

- Introduced, 2026-01-09: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1083391.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1083390.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
- [Introduced (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1083391.HTML)
- [Introduced (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1083390.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)
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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB278-2026 (as of 2026-10-11).