An Act to amend and reenact § 15.2-1127 of the Code of Virginia, relating to vacant building registration; registered agents.
HB802 amends Virginia’s vacant building registration law to clarify who may be required to register certain vacant properties and to expand the categories of buildings covered. Under the bill, a county, city, or town may require the owner or the owner’s registered agent to register buildings that have been vacant for at least 12 months if they are derelict, criminal blight, or are being occupied without the owner’s authorization. The bill also preserves local authority to require registration of buildings vacant for three years or more.
The measure allows localities that adopt a vacant building registration ordinance to charge an annual fee of up to $100 to cover administrative costs. It also requires registration forms to include the name and contact information, including a telephone number, for the owner or registered agent responsible for the property. Failure to register remains subject to civil penalties, with a standard penalty of up to $200 and a higher penalty of up to $400 in conservation and rehabilitation districts or other areas designated as blighted.
HB802 changes § 15.2-1127 of the Code of Virginia by expressly adding registered agents as persons who may be required to register vacant buildings and by broadening the types of vacant properties subject to local registration ordinances. The bill affects property owners, registered agents, and local governments that enforce vacant building registration programs, while leaving in place local discretion to adopt ordinances, set registration requirements, and impose fees and civil penalties within statutory limits.
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee discussion or roll-call votes in the provided materials, the bill appears to have been a straightforward administrative and code-clarifying measure rather than a controversial one. Its final enactment as Chapter 427 suggests it received sufficient support to pass without documented opposition in the available record.
The main policy issue in the bill is the scope of local authority over vacant properties and who bears responsibility for registration. Potential points of contention include the expansion of obligations from owners to registered agents, the inclusion of buildings occupied without authorization, and the civil penalties for noncompliance. Local governments and code enforcement officials would likely favor the added enforcement tools, while property owners or agents could view the registration and penalty provisions as an added regulatory burden.