A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 15.2-2247 and 15.2-2290 of the Code of Virginia, relating to zoning; manufactured housing.
HB801 amends Virginia’s zoning laws to make it easier for manufactured homes to be placed in certain agricultural and similar zoning districts. The bill requires localities that adopt zoning ordinances to allow manufactured houses on permanent foundations and on individual lots in agricultural districts, or districts with similar classifications, where site-built homes are already allowed. The manufactured homes must meet development standards that are equivalent to those applied to site-built single-family dwellings in the same or equivalent district.
The bill also clarifies that localities may adopt uniform zoning standards for residential structures in those districts, but those standards cannot be used to exclude manufactured housing that complies with Virginia’s Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Law. It further provides that local zoning ordinances consistent with this section do not override restrictive covenants that may apply to a lot or parcel. In addition, the bill preserves local authority to designate areas for manufactured homes or manufactured home parks and to regulate those uses through subdivision ordinances, subject to state law.
HB801 would change the balance between local zoning control and statewide manufactured housing policy by requiring localities to permit manufactured homes in specified agricultural and similar districts under standards comparable to site-built housing. It would affect local zoning ordinances, subdivision regulations, manufactured home parks, and land-use decisions involving agricultural, horticultural, and forest-use areas, while leaving restrictive covenants and state manufactured housing construction standards intact.
The available context suggests generally favorable treatment of the bill, as reflected by its incorporation into HB655 in the House Counties, Cities and Towns Committee by voice vote. No recorded opposition, roll-call vote, or committee transcript is provided, so the public debate in the available record appears limited. The bill’s movement through committee indicates at least procedural support for the policy change.
The main point of contention likely concerns local zoning autonomy versus statewide requirements for manufactured housing placement. Supporters would favor broader housing access and uniform treatment of manufactured homes, while localities or property-rights advocates may be concerned about reduced discretion in agricultural districts and the impact on local land-use planning. Another possible issue is the interaction with restrictive covenants, since the bill preserves those private restrictions even while limiting zoning-based exclusion.