---
type: "Bill"
title: "Wireless communications infrastructure; procedure for approved by localities."
description: "Provides a uniform procedure for the way in which small cell facilities on existing structures are approved by localities and approved and installed in public rights-of-way. The measure includes provisions that establish requirements applicable to the location of micro-wireless facilities. The measure also addresses restrictions by localities and the Department of Transportation regarding the use of public rights-of-way or easements and specifies when a permittee may be required to relocate wireless support structures."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2017"
identifier: "SB 1282"
citation: "Virginia SB 1282 (2017)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Counties", "Cities and Towns", "Public Service Companies"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Ryan T. McDougle"]
version_count: 7
action_count: 33
vote_count: 12
first_action: "2017-01-10"
last_action: "2017-04-26"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/bd338d3b-5e20-454b-be1a-07fad62926e3"
source_url: "http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?171+sum+SB1282"
source_hash: "4cdc30c2bdf612d2eb8c264010f9248bc0511559794dcfda24ed6e49385043f0"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-va"]
---

# Virginia SB 1282 (2017) — Wireless communications infrastructure; procedure for approved by localities.

Provides a uniform procedure for the way in which small cell facilities on existing structures are approved by localities and approved and installed in public rights-of-way. The measure includes provisions that establish requirements applicable to the location of micro-wireless facilities. The measure also addresses restrictions by localities and the Department of Transportation regarding the use of public rights-of-way or easements and specifies when a permittee may be required to relocate wireless support structures.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Governor: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0835)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?171+ful+CHAP0835)
2. **House: Committee substitute printed 17105221D-H1** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?171+ful+SB1282H1)
3. **House: Floor substitute printed 17105460D-H2 (Kilgore)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?171+ful+SB1282H2)
4. **Senate: Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB1282ER)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?171+ful+SB1282ER)
5. **Senate: Committee substitute printed 17104435D-S1** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?171+ful+SB1282S1)
6. **Senate: Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/11/17 17103885D** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?171+ful+SB1282)
7. **Senate: Reenrolled bill text (SB1282ER2)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?171+ful+SB1282ER2)

## Votes

- Reported from Commerce and Labor with substitute — **21–0** (pass) · legislature
- Passed Senate — **21–18** (pass) · legislature
- House concurred in Governor's recommendation to Amendments # 1-7 — **98–0** (pass) · legislature
- Read third time and passed Senate — **21–17** (pass) · legislature
- House substitute agreed to by Senate — **32–4** (pass) · legislature
- Constitutional reading dispensed — **40–0** (pass) · legislature
- Senate concurred in Governor's recommendations #'s 1-7 — **38–0** (pass) · legislature
- Senate concurred in Governor's recommendations #'s 1-7 — **39–0** (pass) · legislature
- Reported from Commerce and Labor with substitute — **12–0** (pass) · legislature
- Reconsideration of Governor's recommendations #'s 1-7 agreed to — **38–0** (pass) · legislature
- Reconsideration of passage agreed to by Senate — **38–0** (pass) · legislature
- Passed House with substitute — **97–0** (pass) · legislature

## Sponsors

- Ryan T. McDougle — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2017-01-10** Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/11/17 17103885D `introduction`
- **2017-01-10** Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor `referral-committee`
- **2017-02-02** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2017-02-02** Reading of substitute waived
- **2017-02-02** Committee substitute agreed to 17104435D-S1
- **2017-02-02** Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute SB1282S1
- **2017-02-08** Placed on Calendar
- **2017-02-08** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2017-02-08** Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor `referral-committee`
- **2017-02-13** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2017-02-14** Floor substitute printed 17105460D-H2 (Kilgore)
- **2017-02-14** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2017-02-14** Committee substitute rejected 17105221D-H1
- **2017-02-14** Substitute by Delegate Kilgore agreed to 17105460D-H2
- **2017-02-14** Engrossed by House - floor substitute SB1282H2
- **2017-02-14** Passed House with substitute (97-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2017-02-15** Title replaced 17105460D-H2
- **2017-02-20** Enrolled
- **2017-02-20** Signed by Speaker
- **2017-02-21** Signed by President
- **2017-02-21** Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on 2/21/17
- **2017-02-21** Governor's Action Deadline Midnight, March 27, 2017
- **2017-03-27** Governor's recommendation received by Senate
- **2017-04-05** Recommendation #8 passed by for the day
- **2017-04-05** House concurred in Governor's recommendation to Amendments # 1-7 (98-Y 0-N)
- **2017-04-05** Governor's recommendation adopted in-part
- **2017-04-05** Reenrolled
- **2017-04-05** Reenrolled bill text (SB1282ER2)
- **2017-04-05** Signed by President as reenrolled
- **2017-04-05** Signed by Speaker as reenrolled
- **2017-04-05** Communicated to Governor
- **2017-04-05** Governor's Action Deadline Midnight, May 5, 2017
- **2017-04-26** Approved by Governor-Chapter 835 (effective 7/1/17) `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/bd338d3b-5e20-454b-be1a-07fad62926e3`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).