---
type: "Bill"
title: "Search warrants; date and time of issuance, exceptions."
description: "Execution of search warrants. Provides that a search warrant for the search of any place of abode shall be executed by initial entry of the abode only in the daytime hours between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. unless (i) a judge or a magistrate, if a judge is not available, authorizes the execution of such search warrant at another time for good cause shown by particularized facts in an affidavit; or (ii) prior to the issuance of the search warrant, law-enforcement officers lawfully entered and secured the place to be searched and remained at such place continuously. The bill also provides that a law-enforcement officer shall make reasonable efforts to locate a judge before seeking authorization to execute the warrant at another time, unless the warrant was issued after 5 p.m., in which case the law-enforcement officer may seek such authorization from a magistrate without first making reasonable efforts to locate a judge."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2021"
identifier: "SB 1475"
citation: "Virginia SB 1475 (2021)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Richard H. Stuart"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 34
vote_count: 9
first_action: "2021-01-22"
last_action: "2021-03-01"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/a4359727-69b7-435c-9069-3ce0653cbc0c"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+sum+SB1475"
source_hash: "610bbaaa6612beb6e7fc23275d51e3021cdb9bf7854566b5dc1b5885a5efad11"
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 1475 (2021) — Search warrants; date and time of issuance, exceptions.

Execution of search warrants. Provides that a search warrant for the search of any place of abode shall be executed by initial entry of the abode only in the daytime hours between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. unless (i) a judge or a magistrate, if a judge is not available, authorizes the execution of such search warrant at another time for good cause shown by particularized facts in an affidavit; or (ii) prior to the issuance of the search warrant, law-enforcement officers lawfully entered and secured the place to be searched and remained at such place continuously. The bill also provides that a law-enforcement officer shall make reasonable efforts to locate a judge before seeking authorization to execute the warrant at another time, unless the warrant was issued after 5 p.m., in which case the law-enforcement officer may seek such authorization from a magistrate without first making reasonable efforts to locate a judge.

## Version chain

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

1. **CHAP0034** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+ful+CHAP0034)
2. **Committee substitute printed 21104245D-S1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+ful+SB1475S1)
3. **Presented and ordered printed 21103588D** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+ful+SB1475)
4. **SB1475ER** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+ful+SB1475ER)

## Votes

- Reported from Courts of Justice with amendment(s) (22-Y 0-N) — **22–0** (pass) · lower
- Constitutional reading dispensed (36-Y 0-N) — **36–0** (pass) · upper
- Continued to Special Session 1 in Courts of Justice — **0–0** (fail) · lower
- Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N) — **39–0** (pass) · upper
- Passed Senate (38-Y 1-N) — **38–1** (pass) · upper
- VOTE: Block Vote Passage (99-Y 0-N) — **98–0** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Judiciary with substitute (14-Y 0-N) — **14–0** (pass) · upper
- Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendments (7-Y 1-N) — **7–1** (pass) · lower
- House amendments agreed to by Senate (38-Y 0-N) — **38–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Richard H. Stuart — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2021-01-22** Presented and ordered printed 21103588D `introduction`
- **2021-01-22** Referred to Committee on the Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2021-02-01** Senate committee, floor amendments and substitutes offered
- **2021-02-01** Reported from Judiciary with substitute (14-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2021-02-01** Committee substitute printed 21104245D-S1 `substitution`
- **2021-02-02** Constitutional reading dispensed (36-Y 0-N)
- **2021-02-03** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2021-02-03** Reading of substitute waived
- **2021-02-03** Committee substitute agreed to 21104245D-S1
- **2021-02-03** Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute SB1475S1
- **2021-02-03** Emergency clause added
- **2021-02-03** Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N)
- **2021-02-03** Passed Senate (38-Y 1-N) `passage`
- **2021-02-05** Placed on Calendar
- **2021-02-05** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2021-02-05** Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice `referral-committee`
- **2021-02-08** Continued to Special Session 1 in Courts of Justice
- **2021-02-09** Assigned Courts sub: Criminal `referral-committee`
- **2021-02-10** Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendments (7-Y 1-N)
- **2021-02-12** House committee, floor amendments and substitutes offered
- **2021-02-12** Reported from Courts of Justice with amendment(s) (22-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2021-02-16** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2021-02-17** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2021-02-17** Committee amendments agreed to
- **2021-02-17** Engrossed by House as amended
- **2021-02-17** Passed House with amendments BLOCK VOTE (99-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2021-02-17** VOTE: Block Vote Passage (99-Y 0-N)
- **2021-02-19** House amendments agreed to by Senate (38-Y 0-N)
- **2021-02-24** Enrolled
- **2021-02-24** Signed by President
- **2021-02-25** Signed by Speaker
- **2021-02-26** Enrolled Bill Communicated to Governor on February 26, 2021
- **2021-02-26** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., March 31, 2021
- **2021-03-01** Approved by Governor-Chapter 34 (effective 3/1/21) `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/a4359727-69b7-435c-9069-3ce0653cbc0c`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).