---
type: "Bill"
title: "Aircraft; no aircraft shall be required to be registered if brought into Commonwealth for repairs."
description: "Aircraft; registration; definition. Requires an aircraft be registered in the Commonwealth if it is based in the Commonwealth for more than 90 days during a calendar year. Current law requires registration if the aircraft is based in the Commonwealth for more than 60 days during a 12-month period. The bill creates an exception to registration for aircraft that are in the Commonwealth solely for major repairs or maintenance. The bill also adds a definition of \"unmanned aircraft,\" and specifies that owners of unmanned aircraft are not required to register such aircraft. This bill incorporates SB 865."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2020"
identifier: "SB 356"
citation: "Virginia SB 356 (2020)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["John A. Cosgrove, Jr."]
version_count: 6
action_count: 47
vote_count: 10
first_action: "2020-01-06"
last_action: "2020-04-22"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/60b87219-3592-4517-9060-26a9fccad5be"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+sum+SB356"
source_hash: "cad8fa05c8b506cac40837f10d694004fe9df7017451f4b35690ad0e38055ac8"
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 356 (2020) — Aircraft; no aircraft shall be required to be registered if brought into Commonwealth for repairs.

Aircraft; registration; definition. Requires an aircraft be registered in the Commonwealth if it is based in the Commonwealth for more than 90 days during a calendar year. Current law requires registration if the aircraft is based in the Commonwealth for more than 60 days during a 12-month period. The bill creates an exception to registration for aircraft that are in the Commonwealth solely for major repairs or maintenance. The bill also adds a definition of "unmanned aircraft," and specifies that owners of unmanned aircraft are not required to register such aircraft. This bill incorporates SB 865.

## Version chain

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

1. **Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP1255)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+CHAP1255)
2. **Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB356ER)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+SB356ER)
3. **Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute SB356S1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+SB356S1)
4. **Impact statement from DPB (SB356)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+SB356)
5. **Reenrolled bill text (SB356ER2)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+SB356ER2)
6. **SB356S2** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+SB356S2)

## Votes

- Subcommittee recommends reporting (10-Y 0-N) — **10–0** (pass) · lower
- Read third time and passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Senate concurred in Governor's recommendation (40-Y 0-N) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Amendments specific and severable (40-Y 0-N) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Transportation (21-Y 1-N) — **21–1** (pass) · lower
- VOTE: Passage (87-Y 13-N) — **86–13** (pass) · lower
- Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N) — **39–0** (pass) · upper
- VOTE: (92-Y 0-N) — **91–0** (pass) · lower
- House amendment agreed to by Senate (40-Y 0-N) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Transportation with substitute (14-Y 1-N) — **14–1** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- John A. Cosgrove, Jr. — primary (person)
- Barbara A. Favola — cosponsor (person)
- Jennifer A. Kiggans — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2020-01-06** Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/08/20 20101049D `introduction`
- **2020-01-06** Referred to Committee on Transportation `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-23** Impact statement from DPB (SB356)
- **2020-01-23** Reported from Transportation with substitute (14-Y 1-N) `committee-passage`
- **2020-01-23** Incorporates SB865 (Favola)
- **2020-01-23** Committee substitute printed 20106437D-S1 `substitution`
- **2020-01-27** Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N)
- **2020-01-28** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2020-01-28** Reading of substitute waived
- **2020-01-28** Committee substitute agreed to 20106437D-S1
- **2020-01-28** Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute SB356S1
- **2020-01-29** Read third time and passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2020-02-03** Placed on Calendar
- **2020-02-03** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2020-02-03** Referred to Committee on Transportation `referral-committee`
- **2020-02-04** Impact statement from DPB (SB356S1)
- **2020-02-11** Assigned Transportation sub: Transportation Innovations and General Topics `referral-committee`
- **2020-02-18** Subcommittee recommends reporting (10-Y 0-N)
- **2020-02-20** Reported from Transportation (21-Y 1-N) `committee-passage`
- **2020-02-24** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2020-02-25** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2020-02-25** Passed by for the day
- **2020-02-26** House committee, floor amendments and substitutes offered
- **2020-02-26** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2020-02-26** Amendment by Delegate Carter agreed to `amendment-passage`
- **2020-02-26** Engrossed by House as amended
- **2020-02-26** Passed House with amendment (87-Y 13-N) `passage`
- **2020-02-26** VOTE: Passage (87-Y 13-N)
- **2020-02-26** House amendment agreed to by Senate (40-Y 0-N)
- **2020-03-03** Enrolled
- **2020-03-03** Impact statement from DPB (SB356ER)
- **2020-03-03** Signed by Speaker
- **2020-03-04** Signed by President
- **2020-03-12** Enrolled Bill Communicated to Governor on March 12, 2020
- **2020-03-12** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 11, 2020
- **2020-04-11** Governor's recommendation received by Senate
- **2020-04-11** Governor's substitute printed 20109557D-S2
- **2020-04-22** Amendments specific and severable (40-Y 0-N)
- **2020-04-22** Senate concurred in Governor's recommendation (40-Y 0-N)
- **2020-04-22** House concurred in Governor's recommendation (92-Y 0-N)
- **2020-04-22** VOTE: (92-Y 0-N)
- **2020-04-22** Governor's recommendation adopted
- **2020-04-22** Reenrolled
- **2020-04-22** Reenrolled bill text (SB356ER2)
- **2020-04-22** Signed by President as reenrolled
- **2020-04-22** Signed by Speaker as reenrolled
- **2020-04-22** Enacted, Chapter 1255 (effective 7/1/20) `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/60b87219-3592-4517-9060-26a9fccad5be`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).