---
type: "Bill"
title: "Restrictive covenants; deeds of reformation."
description: "Restrictive covenants; certificate of release of certain prohibited covenants. Prohibits a deed containing a restrictive covenant from being recorded on or after July 1, 2020, and provides the form for a Certificate of Release of Certain Prohibited Covenants to be recorded to remove any such restrictive covenant."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2020"
identifier: "HB 788"
citation: "Virginia HB 788 (2020)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Lamont Bagby"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 28
vote_count: 7
first_action: "2020-01-07"
last_action: "2020-04-06"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/6f5efb64-64e5-479f-91f3-c13f5e9b949a"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+sum+HB788"
source_hash: "f708ada341ab0b7708829dd532f3bf681995163b136befba5c14b592b0acd093"
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 HB 788 (2020) — Restrictive covenants; deeds of reformation.

Restrictive covenants; certificate of release of certain prohibited covenants. Prohibits a deed containing a restrictive covenant from being recorded on or after July 1, 2020, and provides the form for a Certificate of Release of Certain Prohibited Covenants to be recorded to remove any such restrictive covenant.

## Version chain

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

1. **Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0748)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+CHAP0748)
2. **Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB788ER)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+HB788ER)
3. **Engrossed by House - committee substitute HB788H1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+HB788)
4. **Engrossed by House - committee substitute HB788H1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+HB788H1)

## Votes

- Subcommittee recommends reporting (8-Y 0-N) — **8–0** (pass) · lower
- VOTE: Block Vote Passage (96-Y 0-N) — **95–0** (pass) · lower
- VOTE: Block Vote Passage #2 (99-Y 0-N) — **98–0** (pass) · lower
- Reported from General Laws and Technology (15-Y 0-N) — **15–0** (pass) · upper
- Constitutional reading dispensed (32-Y 0-N) — **32–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from General Laws with substitute (21-Y 0-N) — **21–0** (pass) · lower
- Passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) — **40–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Lamont Bagby — primary (person)
- Lashrecse D. Aird — cosponsor (person)
- Marcia S. "Cia" Price — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2020-01-07** Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/08/20 20104616D `introduction`
- **2020-01-07** Referred to Committee on General Laws `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-15** Assigned GL sub: Housing/Consumer Protection `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-16** Subcommittee recommends reporting (8-Y 0-N)
- **2020-01-30** House committee, floor amendments and substitutes offered
- **2020-01-30** Reported from General Laws with substitute (21-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2020-01-30** Committee substitute printed 20107122D-H1 `substitution`
- **2020-02-03** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2020-02-04** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2020-02-04** Committee substitute agreed to 20107122D-H1
- **2020-02-04** Engrossed by House - committee substitute HB788H1
- **2020-02-05** Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE (96-Y 0-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2020-02-05** VOTE: Block Vote Passage (96-Y 0-N)
- **2020-02-05** Reconsideration of passage agreed to by House
- **2020-02-05** Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE (99-Y 0-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2020-02-05** VOTE: Block Vote Passage #2 (99-Y 0-N)
- **2020-02-06** Constitutional reading dispensed
- **2020-02-06** Referred to Committee on General Laws and Technology `referral-committee`
- **2020-02-19** Reported from General Laws and Technology (15-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2020-02-21** Constitutional reading dispensed (32-Y 0-N)
- **2020-02-24** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2020-02-24** Passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2020-02-28** Enrolled
- **2020-02-28** Signed by Speaker
- **2020-03-02** Signed by President
- **2020-03-11** Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 11, 2020
- **2020-03-11** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 11, 2020
- **2020-04-06** Approved by Governor-Chapter 748 (effective 7/1/20) `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/6f5efb64-64e5-479f-91f3-c13f5e9b949a`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).