Substantial risk orders; eligible petitioners, court jurisdiction, constr. possession of firearms.
Summary
Substantial risk orders; eligible petitioners; substantial risk factors and considerations; court jurisdiction; constructive possession of firearms; penalty. Expands the list of persons eligible to file a petition for an emergency substantial risk order. The bill provides various factors that a judge or magistrate shall consider for the purpose of determining whether to issue an emergency substantial risk order or a substantial risk order. The bill expands court jurisdiction over substantial risk orders from circuit courts to juvenile and domestic relations district courts and general district courts and requires petitions against minors to be filed in juvenile and domestic relations district courts. The bill requires a copy of the order to be served on the parent or guardian of the minor at any address where the minor resides or the local board of social services in the case where the minor is the subject of a dependency or court-approved out-of-home placement. The bill also provides the process for which firearms not owned by the subject of a petition are returned to the lawful owner of such firearms. The bill provides that any emergency substantial risk order or substantial risk order issued remains in full force and effect pending any appeal. Lastly, the bill provides that any person that makes a materially false statement or representation to a court during the petitioning process is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. This bill is identical to HB 901.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Feb 2026
Senate Passage
Feb 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Feb 2026
Signed into Law
Apr 2026
Introduced Jan 13, 2026
Signed Apr 13, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons
What changed between versions
Courts of Justice Substitute
→
Enrolled
·
4 edits
·
Feb 27, 2026
MODERATE
This bill updates the official title and status of a Virginia law regarding 'substantial risk orders' to reflect its final enrolled state. The primary substantive change involves correcting a reference in the text regarding who receives copies of these orders when issued against minors, changing it from the state Department of Social Services to the local board of social services. Additionally, the bill standardizes the formatting of legal citations throughout the document.
Scope change
The bill's scope and applicability remain unchanged; it does not alter who can file petitions, the criteria for issuing orders, or the penalties involved. The changes are primarily technical corrections and a specific update to the service requirements for minors.
REQUIREMENT
Updated the recipient of order copies for minors from the Virginia Department of Social Services to the local board of social services in cases involving dependency or out-of-home placement.
TECHNICAL
Standardized the formatting of legal citations (e.g., changing '§ 16.1-241' to '§ 16.1-241') throughout the text to match official legislative style.
Removed the placeholder date '2/04/2026' and replaced it with the official session year '2026' and 'ENROLLED' status.
Corrected a minor grammatical inconsistency in the text regarding the duration of an emergency order's effect pending appeal.
Floor votes · Senate Feb 6, 2026 · House of Delegates Feb 23, 2026
How they voted
38–0
Passed · 1 other
Total votes 39
Feb 6, 2026
D
Democratic20
100% Yea
R
Republican19
94% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
33
Key actions
13
Committee
5
Amendments
3
Apr 13, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor-Chapter 699 (effective 7/1/2026)
executive
Feb 27, 2026
Upper · Passed
Signed by President
upper
Feb 27, 2026
Lower · Passed
Signed by Speaker
lower
Feb 27, 2026
Upper · Passed
Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB495ER)
upper
Feb 25, 2026
Upper · Passed
House amendments agreed to by Senate (21-Y 19-N 0-A)
upper
Feb 23, 2026
Lower · Passed
Passed House with amendment (63-Y 34-N 0-A)
lower
Feb 23, 2026
Introduced
Engrossed by House as amended
lower
Feb 23, 2026
Lower · Passed
committee amendments agreed to
lower
Feb 18, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported from Courts of Justice with amendment(s) (15-Y 7-N)
lower
Feb 13, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice
lower
Feb 10, 2026
Upper · Passed
Read third time and passed Senate (21-Y 19-N 0-A)
upper
Feb 6, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed by for the day
upper
Feb 6, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed by for the day (Voice Vote)
upper
Feb 4, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute (9-Y 5-N)
upper
Feb 4, 2026
Upper · Passed
Senate committee offered
upper
Jan 13, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice
upper
1 primary · 1 co-sponsor
Sponsors
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