Governor Spanberger signs bill allowing Charlottesville to tax land and improvements at different rates

The City of Charlottesville will soon have the power to assess land and improvements at different tax rates now that Governor Abigail Spanberger has signed HB282.

Spanberger signed the legislation on April 6 and the bill specifically adds Charlottesville and the City of Falls Church to a list of localities to be able to do so.

This legislation is now one of hundreds that Governor Abigail Spanberger has signed to meet a deadline of April 13.

Another of the bills that will soon become law came up at the March 24, 2026 meeting of the Charlottesville Albemarle Regional Transit Authority.

“House Bill 200 was passed unanimously,” said David Blount, the deputy director of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission. “It has to do with DRPT’s Transit Riders Incentive Program, the TRIP program, to make that statewide as opposed to being an urban only program.”

This fund is used to help transit agencies reduce or eliminate fares, connect with other regions, and improve public safety.

Blount also mentioned HB564 which would allow localities to use cameras on public transit vehicles to enforce parking in bus stop zones or lanes reserved for transit. Governor Spanberger has not yet signed that bill.

Another transit-related bill not yet signed is HB547 which would require private companies hired to provide public transit service to offer the same benefits offered to public employees. Blount said the same idea passed the General Assembly in 2024 and 2025 but was vetoed by former Governor Glenn Youngkin.

Housing:

• HB356 will add to the scope of a report local governments must make to the Department of Housing and Community Development listing any changes that are being made to increase the production of new housing units.
• HB164 and SB328 will eliminate a cap on the amount of money a locality can provide to employees for homeownership or rental assistance.
• HB170 will require anyone seeking to become licensed as a real estate appraiser to complete a course on fair housing laws and appraisal bias.

Transportation:

• HB812 will require people on a bicycle in a bicycle land or shared-use path to obey bicycle signals.
• HB1344 repeals authorization for the Sons of Confederate Veterans and Robert E. Lee special license plates.
• HB55 will allow some localities to use noise abatement monitoring systems to identify illegal exhaust systems.
• HB88 will prohibit the Commonwealth Transportation Board and the Commissioner of Highways from deliberately allowing invasive species to be planted in the right-of-way of state highways.
• HB141 will exempt the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority from certain requirements related to procurement.
• HB230 will exempt emergency medical services personnel from needing to wear a safety belt when administering care in a moving vehicle.
• HB646 will allow vehicles with farm use plates to also use green warning lights.

Elections:

• HB78 will allow a civil penalty against a local election official if they refuse to certify elections and allows the State Board of Elections to step in if that occurs.
• HB82 will extend the deadline for the receipt of absentee ballots from 12 p.m. to noon on the third day after the election.

Education:

• HB253 will enter Virginia into the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact which is intended to make it easier for people to enter the field of education.
• HB299 will make several amendments to the way that the Standards of Learning are assessed.
• HB544 will make permanent the Commission on School Construction and Modernization.
• HB1387 will require that the Board of Education automatically revoke the license of any teacher or instructor convicted of felony and an order to register on the Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry Act.

Public safety:

• HB1352 will require the Board of Education to amend the driver education program to provide additional training on the dangers of reckless driving and driving at excessive speeds.
• HB126 will require the State Board of Local and Regional Jails to establish standards to ensure that inmates have access to legal counsel.
• HB223 will allow localities to fund positions in public defender offices.
• HB343 will allow localities to require people under the age of 14 to wear a helmet when on a motorized scooter or a skateboard.
• HB347 will extend the time a locality has to update an emergency management plan from four years to five years.
• HB648 will prohibit the sale of devices to deliver nitrous oxide through direct inhalation.
• HB1333 will direct the Department of Fire Programs to encourage employers to limit paid firefighters to no more than 42 hours of work in a week.

Other:

• HB322 will declare that food is misbranded if it purports to be a meat or poultry related product.
• HB508 will create a new definition of “agrivoltaics” as a type of small renewable energy project.
• HB550 will allow localities that dedicate a portion of their sales tax to tourism purposes to also be able to levy an admissions tax.
• HB602 will require motion picture theaters to provide open captioning for some screenings.
• HB657 grants a new charter for the Town of Louisa.
• HB674 will require the Department of Health to collect information on food insecurity.
• HB1404 will allow localities to appoint a non-voting youth representative.

The next edition of this newsletter will take a look at certain economic development bills that now been signed into law.

For a full list of approved bills, follow this link to the Virginia Legislative Information System.

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