HB 593 Virginia House of Delegates · 2026 Regular Session

Summons for unlawful detainer; legal resources, plain-language overview of process.

Summary

Summons for unlawful detainer; additional information; legal resources; plain-language overview of process. Provides that any summons for an unlawful detainer issued may, with the approval of the chief judge of the general district court or the chief judge of the circuit court, have attached additional information prepared by the Commonwealth, the locality in which the unlawful detainer hearing is to be held, or a nonprofit organization serving the jurisdiction in which such hearing is to be held regarding (i) legal resources available to the plaintiff and defendant, (ii) a plain-language overview of the unlawful detainer process, and (iii) the Eviction Diversion Program eligibility and applicability.

Issues: ✓ Housing

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Mar 2026

House of Delegates Passage

Mar 2026

Senate Passage

Mar 2026

Signed into Law

Apr 2026

Introduced Jan 13, 2026 Signed Apr 13, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

Enrolled → Chaptered · 3 edits

MINOR

This bill primarily updates the formatting and layout of an existing law regarding eviction summons, converting it from a standard legislative draft to the final 'Chaptered' version. The substantive legal text, including timelines for hearings, definitions of termination notices, and rules for calculating rent owed, remains unchanged. The main differences are the addition of the official chapter number (635), the specific approval date (April 13, 2026), and the removal of the placeholder 'Enrolled' title in favor of the final 'Acts of Assembly' heading.

TECHNICAL

The document structure was updated to reflect the final approved status, including the addition of Chapter 635 and the specific approval date of April 13, 2026.

Placeholder text indicating the bill was 'Enrolled' was removed and replaced with the final 'Acts of Assembly' designation.

Formatting was adjusted to align with the official 'Chaptered' style, including changes to line breaks and spacing, while the actual legal content of the statute remains identical.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 10, 2026 · House of Delegates Feb 17, 2026

How they voted

39–0

Passed

Total votes 39

Mar 10, 2026

D Democratic20

20 Yea

100% Yea

R Republican19

19 Yea

100% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Apr 13, 2026

Signed into law

Approved by Governor-Chapter 635 (effective 7/1/2026)

executive

Mar 31, 2026

Lower · Passed

Signed by Speaker

lower

Mar 30, 2026

Upper · Passed

Signed by President

upper

Mar 30, 2026

Lower · Passed

Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB593ER)

lower

Mar 12, 2026

Lower · Passed

Senate amendments agreed to by House (83-Y 15-N 0-A)

lower

Mar 11, 2026

Upper · Passed

Passed Senate with amendments (24-Y 16-N 0-A)

upper

Mar 11, 2026

Introduced

Engrossed by Senate as amended

upper

Mar 11, 2026

Upper · Passed

Courts of Justice Amendments agreed to

upper

Mar 10, 2026

Upper · Passed

Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)

upper

Mar 9, 2026

Upper · Passed

Senate committee offered

upper

Mar 9, 2026

Upper · Passed

Reported from Courts of Justice with amendments (10-Y 5-N)

upper

Feb 18, 2026

Committee

Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice

upper

Feb 17, 2026

Lower · Passed

Read third time and passed House (97-Y 0-N 0-A)

lower

Feb 16, 2026

Introduced

Engrossed by House as amended

lower

Feb 16, 2026

Lower · Passed

committee amendments agreed to

lower

Feb 11, 2026

Lower · Passed

Reported from Courts of Justice with amendment(s) (22-Y 0-N)

lower

Feb 9, 2026

Lower · Passed

Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) (10-Y 0-N)

lower

Jan 29, 2026

Committee

Assigned HCJ sub: Civil

lower

Jan 13, 2026

Committee

Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice

lower

1 primary · 3 co-sponsors