---
type: "Bill"
title: "Unmanned aircraft; exempts an owner from the requirement to register."
description: "Aircraft registration; unmanned aircraft.Exempts an owner of an unmanned aircraft from the requirement toregister aircrafts."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2021"
identifier: "HB 1851"
citation: "Virginia HB 1851 (2021)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Karrie K. Delaney"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 23
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2021-01-07"
last_action: "2021-03-11"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/9f87afe9-d512-4c4e-a97a-35ef7f2798fc"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+sum+HB1851"
source_hash: "aebb9764b3d2d3ca85728216dc7a9cfa30d673c20eafa70aeeecb5bd74eaf638"
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 1851 (2021) — Unmanned aircraft; exempts an owner from the requirement to register.

Aircraft registration; unmanned aircraft.Exempts an owner of an unmanned aircraft from the requirement toregister aircrafts.

## Version chain

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

1. **CHAP0045** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+ful+CHAP0045)
2. **HB1851ER** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+ful+HB1851ER)
3. **Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/13/21 21100608D** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+ful+HB1851)

## Votes

- Reported from Communications, Technology and Innovation (21-Y 1-N) — **21–1** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Transportation (14-Y 0-N) — **14–0** (pass) · upper
- Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N) — **39–0** (pass) · upper
- Continued to 2021 Sp. Sess. 1 in Transportation (15-Y 0-N) — **15–0** (pass) · upper
- VOTE: Passage (84-Y 15-N) — **83–15** (pass) · lower
- Passed Senate (39-Y 0-N) — **39–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Karrie K. Delaney — primary (person)
- Hala S. Ayala — cosponsor (person)
- Kathleen Murphy — cosponsor (person)
- Michael J. Webert — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2021-01-07** Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/13/21 21100608D `introduction`
- **2021-01-07** Referred to Committee on Communications, Technology and Innovation `referral-committee`
- **2021-01-14** Impact statement from DPB (HB1851)
- **2021-01-18** Reported from Communications, Technology and Innovation (21-Y 1-N) `committee-passage`
- **2021-01-19** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2021-01-20** Passed by for the day
- **2021-01-21** Read second time and engrossed `reading-2`
- **2021-01-22** Read third time and passed House (84-Y 15-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2021-01-22** VOTE: Passage (84-Y 15-N)
- **2021-01-25** Constitutional reading dispensed
- **2021-01-25** Referred to Committee on Transportation `referral-committee`
- **2021-02-05** Continued to 2021 Sp. Sess. 1 in Transportation (15-Y 0-N)
- **2021-02-11** Reported from Transportation (14-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2021-02-15** Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N)
- **2021-02-16** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2021-02-16** Passed Senate (39-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2021-02-19** Enrolled
- **2021-02-19** Impact statement from DPB (HB1851ER)
- **2021-02-19** Signed by Speaker
- **2021-02-22** Signed by President
- **2021-02-24** Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on February 24, 2021
- **2021-02-24** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., March 31, 2021
- **2021-03-11** Approved by Governor-Chapter 45 (effective 7/1/21) `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/9f87afe9-d512-4c4e-a97a-35ef7f2798fc`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).