# Virginia HB867: Affordable housing; local zoning ordinance authority.

Virginia HB867, Affordable housing; local zoning ordinance authority., is a 2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Rae Cousins (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-04-08 (Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0435)); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-12).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB867-2026
- As of: 2026-10-12
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Virginia HB867
- State: Virginia
- Session: 2026 Regular Session
- Title: Affordable housing; local zoning ordinance authority.
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2026-01-13
- Last action: 2026-04-08, Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0435)
- Sponsor: Rae Cousins (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Touches household money: yes
- Roll calls: 9 (225 yes, 91 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 3

## Summary

Affordable housing; local zoning ordinance authority. Authorizes any locality in the Commonwealth to provide for an affordable housing dwelling unit program by amending the zoning ordinance of such locality. Current law restricts such authorization to counties with an urban county executive form of government or county manager plan of government and certain other localities. In addition to optional increases in density, the bill provides that such program may include certain additional implementation measures including lot size reductions and accessory housing unit allowances. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027, and is identical to SB 74.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Affordable housing projects avoid extra payments: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2027, projects covered by an affordable-home program under this law receive protection against extra housing-fund payments. Counties and cities cannot require these projects to contribute to a housing fund outside that program. Payments required within the program remain allowed.…
- More local tools for affordable homes: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2027, eligible Virginia localities can choose to create affordable-home programs through zoning changes. Named localities include Albemarle and Loudoun counties and Alexandria, Charlottesville, Fairfax, and Falls Church cities, alongside counties with urban county executive or cou…
- Public input shapes local affordable housing: benefit, low. Localities adopting covered affordable-home programs on or after July 1, 2027 must first form an advisory committee and actively seek input. They must seek input from residents, low- and moderate-income households, residential and mixed-use developers, and real estate professionals. They must also…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Rae Cousins (Democratic), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-03-06 | House | Senate substitute agreed to by House | pass | 65 | 32 |   |
| 2026-03-04 | Senate | Local Government Substitute agreed to | pass | 0 | 0 |   |
| 2026-03-04 | Senate | Passed Senate with substitute | pass | 21 | 19 |   |
| 2026-03-03 | Senate | Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) | pass | 40 | 0 |   |
| 2026-03-03 | Senate | Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 |   |
| 2026-03-02 | Senate | Reported from Local Government with substitute | pass | 8 | 7 |   |
| 2026-02-05 | House | Read third time and passed House | pass | 68 | 30 |   |
| 2026-01-30 | House | Reported from Counties, Cities and Towns with amendment(s) | pass | 17 | 3 |   |
| 2026-01-29 | House | Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) | pass | 6 | 0 |   |

## Actions (31)

- 2026-04-08: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0435) (Governor)
- 2026-04-08: Approved by Governor - Chapter 435 (effective - 7/1/2027) (Governor)
- 2026-03-14: Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026 (Governor)
- 2026-03-14: Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 14, 2026 (House)
- 2026-03-13: Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB867ER) (House)
- 2026-03-13: Enrolled (House)
- 2026-03-13: Signed by President (Senate)
- 2026-03-13: Signed by Speaker (House)
- 2026-03-06: Senate substitute agreed to by House (65-Y 32-N 0-A) (House)
- 2026-03-04: Passed Senate with substitute (21-Y 19-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-03-04: Local Government Substitute agreed to (Senate)
- 2026-03-04: Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute (Senate)
- 2026-03-04: Read third time (Senate)
- 2026-03-03: Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) (Senate)
- 2026-03-03: Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-03-03: Rules suspended (Senate)
- 2026-03-02: Committee substitute printed 26109001D-S1 (Senate)
- 2026-03-02: Reported from Local Government with substitute (8-Y 7-N) (Senate)
- 2026-02-06: Referred to Committee on Local Government (Senate)
- 2026-02-06: Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) (Senate)
- 2026-02-05: Read third time and passed House (68-Y 30-N 0-A) (House)
- 2026-02-04: Engrossed by House as amended (House)
- 2026-02-04: committee amendments agreed to (House)
- 2026-02-04: Read second time (House)
- 2026-02-03: Read first time (House)
- 2026-01-30: Reported from Counties, Cities and Towns with amendment(s) (17-Y 3-N) (House)
- 2026-01-29: House subcommittee offered (House)
- 2026-01-29: Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) (6-Y 0-N) (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 26103146D (House)

## Bill text

- Chaptered, 2026-04-08: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1217843.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1217842.PDF)
- Enrolled, 2026-03-13: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1203427.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1203426.PDF)
- Substitute, 2026-03-02: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1189129.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1189128.PDF)
- Engrossed, 2026-02-04: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1105448.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1105447.PDF)
- Amendment, 2026-01-30: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1104703.HTML)
- Amendment, 2026-01-29: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1101015.HTML), [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1103141.HTML)
- Introduced, 2026-01-13: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1086256.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1086255.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/1217843.HTML)
- [Chaptered (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1217842.PDF)
- [Enrolled (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1203427.HTML)
- [Enrolled (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1203426.PDF)
- [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1189129.HTML)
- [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1189128.PDF)
- [Engrossed (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1105448.HTML)
- [Engrossed (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1105447.PDF)
- [Amendment (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1104703.HTML)
- [Amendment (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1101015.HTML)
- [Amendment (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1103141.HTML)
- [Introduced (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1086256.HTML)
- [Introduced (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1086255.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)
- [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB867-2026 (as of 2026-10-12).