Va. Residential Property Disclosure Act; required disclosures for buyer to beware, aircraft noise.
Summary
SB1210 amends Virginia’s Residential Property Disclosure Act to add a new “buyer beware” disclosure item for aircraft noise. The bill requires sellers of residential real property to state that they make no representations or warranties about a property’s proximity to a public use airport or noise from aircraft associated with flight operations. Buyers are directed to conduct their own due diligence, including checking maps or information from the locality, the airport, or the Virginia Department of Aviation.
The bill also requires the Department of Aviation to provide the Real Estate Board with a website address by July 31, 2025, so purchasers can access public use airport aircraft noise zone maps if those maps are available from localities or airport operators. The Real Estate Board must include that website address on the standard residential property disclosure statement. The measure leaves the existing disclosure framework intact while adding aircraft noise to the list of conditions and land-use issues buyers are warned to investigate before settlement.
Impact
This act expands Code of Virginia § 55.1-703 by adding aircraft noise and public use airport proximity to the mandatory residential property disclosure statement. It also creates a related administrative duty for the Department of Aviation to supply a public website address and for the Real Estate Board to publish that link on its disclosure form. In practical terms, sellers, buyers, real estate agents, and local governments with airport noise maps are affected, and the bill reinforces that buyers must investigate environmental, zoning, and infrastructure-related risks before closing.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have broad bipartisan support and little visible opposition. It passed the Senate 40-0 and the House 94-0, and committee votes were unanimous as well. The lack of recorded dissent suggests the measure was viewed as a straightforward consumer-information and transparency update rather than a controversial policy change.
Contention
No committee transcript or recorded debate is provided, and the voting history shows no opposition. The only potential point of practical concern is implementation: localities and airport operators may need to make noise-zone maps available in a format that meets FAA modeling criteria and shows day-night average sound levels, and the Department of Aviation must provide the web link by the statutory deadline. Otherwise, the bill’s content is largely informational and nonregulatory, shifting responsibility to purchasers to investigate aircraft noise risk.