A BILL to amend and reenact § 15.2-901 of the Code of Virginia, relating to removal of clutter; agricultural use exemption; Planning District 19.
HB315 amends Virginia’s local nuisance-abatement statute governing removal of trash, clutter, grass, weeds, and other overgrowth. The bill keeps the general authority for local governments to require property owners to clean up debris and maintain vegetation, but it adds a specific limitation for localities in Planning District 19: ordinances requiring removal of clutter would not apply to land zoned for agricultural use unless the parcel is one acre or less and used for a residential purpose. The bill also preserves existing exemptions for land in active farming operations and other agricultural land in certain planning districts, while continuing to define “clutter” broadly to include items such as mechanical equipment, furniture, and containers left in public view.
The measure also leaves in place the enforcement framework for local cleanup ordinances. Localities may remove clutter or overgrowth after notice, assess the cost against the property owner, and collect unpaid charges as taxes are collected. Those charges remain a lien on the property, and localities may waive liens in limited circumstances to facilitate a sale. The bill does not change the authority to impose civil penalties or, in some repeat-violation cases, classify violations as misdemeanors.
In practical terms, HB315 would narrow local enforcement authority in Planning District 19 for agricultural-zoned property, reducing the reach of clutter-removal ordinances on larger agricultural parcels used for farming. It would affect local governments in that planning district, as well as property owners with agricultural zoning there, by limiting when cleanup requirements can be imposed on clutter. The bill otherwise leaves the statewide structure of § 15.2-901 intact.
The available legislative history shows little recorded debate or voting activity, and the bill was left in the House Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns. That suggests the measure did not advance beyond committee and that no formal floor vote occurred. Because there are no transcripts or recorded votes, the public record here does not show a developed opposition or support narrative.
The main point of contention implied by the text is the balance between local code-enforcement powers and agricultural land use protections. Supporters would likely view the bill as a targeted exemption for farmers and rural landowners in Planning District 19, while critics could see it as weakening local nuisance enforcement and creating a special carve-out for one region. The bill’s narrow geographic scope and its distinction between agricultural and residential use are the most notable policy choices.
HB315 would amend § 15.2-901 of the Code of Virginia to create a Planning District 19-specific limitation on local ordinances requiring removal of clutter from agricultural-zoned land, unless the parcel is one acre or less and used for residential purposes. It would leave intact the broader authority of localities to require removal of trash, litter, grass, weeds, and other overgrowth, to assess cleanup costs as liens collectible like taxes, and to impose civil penalties or misdemeanor treatment for repeat violations. The bill would primarily affect local governments and property owners in Planning District 19, especially those with agricultural zoning.
There is no recorded committee transcript or vote history to show direct debate, and the bill was left in the House Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns. Based on the text, the measure appears to have been framed as a targeted agricultural exemption rather than a broad regulatory change. The lack of advancement suggests either limited support, unresolved concerns, or both, but the available record does not document a formal pro- or anti-bill coalition.
The central policy tension is between local governments’ ability to enforce property-maintenance and nuisance ordinances and landowners’ interest in protecting agricultural uses from clutter-removal requirements. The bill specifically favors agricultural-zoned property in Planning District 19, which may be viewed as a needed rural exemption by supporters and as an uneven carve-out by opponents. Another possible point of contention is the bill’s geographic specificity, since it applies only to one planning district rather than statewide, creating different rules for similar land uses in different parts of Virginia.