SB 77 Virginia Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Repairs or maintenance of property; entering adjoining property, petition for entry.

Summary
Repairs or maintenance of property; entering adjoining property; petition for entry. Allows an owner of real property who seeks to repair or maintain the exterior of his property to petition the circuit court for a right of entry to an adjoining property for the purpose of performing the repairs or maintenance when the property is so situated that it is impossible to perform the repairs or maintenance without entering such adjoining property and permission to enter such adjoining property has been denied. The bill requires the petition and affidavits to contain specific information including the nature of the repairs and what efforts were made by the owner to obtain permission. The bill also provides that the petitioner shall be required to return the adjoining property to its previous condition and shall be liable to the adjoining owner or his lessee for actual damages occurring as a result of the entry. This bill is identical to HB 803.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Dec 2025
Committee Review
Feb 2026
Senate Passage
Feb 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Feb 2026
Signed into Law
Apr 2026
Introduced Dec 23, 2025 Signed Apr 8, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

Enrolled Chaptered · 2 edits
MINOR
This bill officially enacts a new section to the Virginia Code regarding property repair and maintenance disputes. The primary change is the addition of a specific chapter number and the approval date, formalizing the law passed in the 2026 session.
Scope change
The bill's substantive scope remains unchanged as it adds a new section to the code; the diff reflects the transition from an enrolled bill to a chaptered law.
TECHNICAL

Added the official chapter number (Chapter 429) and the specific approval date (April 8, 2026) to finalize the bill as law.

Removed the placeholder text indicating the session year and the generic 'Approved' status.

Floor votes · Senate Jan 20, 2026 · House of Delegates Feb 23, 2026

How they voted

390
Passed
Total votes 39
Jan 20, 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
29
Key actions
10
Committee
5
Apr 8, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor-Chapter 429 (effective 7/1/2026)
executive
Feb 24, 2026
Upper · Passed
Signed by President
upper
Feb 24, 2026
Lower · Passed
Signed by Speaker
lower
Feb 24, 2026
Upper · Passed
Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB77ER)
upper
Feb 23, 2026
Lower · Passed
Passed House (74-Y 22-N 0-A)
lower
Feb 18, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported from Courts of Justice (18-Y 4-N)
lower
Feb 3, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice
lower
Jan 22, 2026
Upper · Passed
Read third time and passed Senate (34-Y 5-N 0-A)
upper
Jan 20, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed by for the day (Voice Vote)
upper
Jan 19, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute (13-Y 2-N)
upper
Jan 19, 2026
Upper · Passed
Senate committee offered
upper
Dec 23, 2025
Committee
Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Schuyler VanValkenburg
Schuyler VanValkenburg
DDemocratic
VA
16