---
type: "Bill"
title: "Local planning commission; action on proposed plats, site plans, and development plans."
description: "Local planning commission; action on proposedplats, site plans, and development plans; residential use. Requireslocal planning commissions to use the same approval process for residential development projects as is currently required for commercialdevelopment projects."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2024"
identifier: "SB 296"
citation: "Virginia SB 296 (2024)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Schuyler T. VanValkenburg"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 27
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2024-01-09"
last_action: "2024-04-02"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/d65a1281-bb98-4fd6-8e59-759c99594379"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+sum+SB296"
source_hash: "56ba7c626d639c0b910f57ab568bd4e148e13666dc58778a835e4f644c8f0738"
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 296 (2024) — Local planning commission; action on proposed plats, site plans, and development plans.

Local planning commission; action on proposedplats, site plans, and development plans; residential use. Requireslocal planning commissions to use the same approval process for residential development projects as is currently required for commercialdevelopment projects.

## Version chain

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

1. **CHAP0346** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+ful+CHAP0346)
2. **Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/10/24 24103598D** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+ful+SB296)
3. **SB296ER** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+ful+SB296ER)

## Votes

- Subcommittee recommends reporting (6-Y 0-N) — **6–0** (pass) · lower
- Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N) — **39–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Local Government (13-Y 2-N) — **13–2** (pass) · upper
- Read third time and passed Senate (39-Y 1-N) — **39–1** (pass) · upper
- VOTE: Passage (93-Y 2-N) — **92–2** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Counties, Cities and Towns (21-Y 1-N) — **21–1** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Schuyler T. VanValkenburg — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2024-01-09** Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/10/24 24103598D `filing, introduction`
- **2024-01-09** Referred to Committee on Local Government `referral-committee`
- **2024-01-15** Impact statement from DHCD/CLG (SB296)
- **2024-01-22** Reported from Local Government (13-Y 2-N) `committee-passage`
- **2024-01-23** Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N)
- **2024-01-24** Read second time and engrossed `reading-2`
- **2024-01-25** Passed by for the day
- **2024-01-26** Passed by for the day
- **2024-01-29** Read third time and passed Senate (39-Y 1-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2024-02-13** Placed on Calendar
- **2024-02-13** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2024-02-13** Referred to Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns `referral-committee`
- **2024-02-13** Assigned CC & T sub: Subcommittee #3 `referral-committee`
- **2024-02-27** Subcommittee recommends reporting (6-Y 0-N)
- **2024-02-28** Reported from Counties, Cities and Towns (21-Y 1-N) `committee-passage`
- **2024-03-01** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2024-03-04** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2024-03-04** Passed House (93-Y 2-N) `passage`
- **2024-03-04** VOTE: Passage (93-Y 2-N) `passage`
- **2024-03-07** Enrolled `enrolled`
- **2024-03-07** Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB296ER) `passage`
- **2024-03-07** Signed by Speaker `passage`
- **2024-03-08** Signed by President `passage`
- **2024-03-11** Enrolled Bill Communicated to Governor on March 11, 2024 `enrolled`
- **2024-03-11** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 8, 2024 `executive-receipt`
- **2024-04-02** Approved by Governor-Chapter 346 (effective 7/1/24) `executive-signature`
- **2024-04-02** Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0346)

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/d65a1281-bb98-4fd6-8e59-759c99594379`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).