SB 471 Virginia Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Hunting dogs; releasing on state or local roadway, hunting, fishing, and trapping special license.

Summary
Releasing of hunting dogs; state or local roadway; hunting, fishing, and trapping special license; penalty. Creates a Class 3 misdemeanor for the release of hunting dogs on or within 15 feet of the edge of a roadway owned or maintained by the Department of Transportation or a locality and provides that a second or subsequent offense is a Class 1 misdemeanor. The bill allows a court to prohibit any person who released hunting dogs on or within 15 feet of the edge of a roadway owned or maintained by the Department or locality from hunting, trapping, or fishing in the Commonwealth for a period of up to five years. The bill permits the stopping of a vehicle on a highway for the retrieval of a companion animal from a highway or area adjacent to a highway. The bill allows certain people such as a landowner and other people associated with such landowner, stockholder, tenant, or guest of the landowner in certain circumstances, to apply for a special license to hunt, fish, and trap exclusively on a landowner's property in lieu of other hunting, fishing, and trapping licenses required by state law.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 13, 2026 Last action Feb 3, 2026
Floor votes

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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
4
Key actions
0
Committee
2
Jan 28, 2026
Committee
Assigned HACNR sub: Rural Affairs
upper
Jan 13, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Dave Marsden
Dave Marsden
DDemocratic
VA
35