# Virginia HB611: Zoning; development and use of accessory dwelling units.

Virginia HB611, Zoning; development and use of accessory dwelling units., is a 2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Laura Jane Cohen (Democratic); status in committee, last action 2026-01-30 (Continued to 2027 in Counties, Cities and Towns (Voice Vote)) (as of 2026-10-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB611-2026
- As of: 2026-10-11
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Virginia HB611
- State: Virginia
- Session: 2026 Regular Session
- Title: Zoning; development and use of accessory dwelling units.
- Status: in committee
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2026-01-13
- Last action: 2026-01-30, Continued to 2027 in Counties, Cities and Towns (Voice Vote)
- Sponsor: Laura Jane Cohen (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Subjects: Subcommittee #3
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 1 (0 yes, 0 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 0

## Summary

Zoning; development and use of accessory dwelling units. Requires a locality to include in its zoning ordinances for single-family residential zoning districts accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, as defined in the bill, as a permitted accessory use. The bill requires a person to seek a permit for an ADU from the locality, requires the locality to issue such permit if the person meets certain requirements enumerated in the bill, and restricts the fee for such permit to $500 or less. The bill prohibits the locality from requiring (i) construction of new dedicated parking for an ADU in most instances; (ii) setbacks for the ADU more than five feet from the property line; (iii) conditions for ADUs that are more restrictive than those for single-family dwellings within the same zoning area with regard to height, rear or side setbacks, lot size or coverage, or building frontage; or (iv) consanguinity or affinity between the occupants of the ADU and the primary dwelling. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027.

## Bill overview

No economic impacts identified for this bill.

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Laura Jane Cohen (Democratic), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-01-30 | House | Continued to 2027 in Counties, Cities and Towns (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 |   |

## Actions (4)

- 2026-01-30: Continued to 2027 in Counties, Cities and Towns (Voice Vote) (House)
- 2026-01-28: Assigned HCCT sub: Subcommittee #3 (House)
- 2026-01-13: Referred to Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns (House)
- 2026-01-13: Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26105079D (House)

## Bill text

- Introduced, 2026-01-13: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1085161.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1085158.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/1085161.HTML)
- [Introduced (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1085158.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-HB611-2026 (as of 2026-10-11).