---
type: "Bill"
title: "Fertilizer and lime; amends provisions governing permit requirements."
description: "Fertilizer and lime permit requirements. Amends the provisions governing the permit requirements for bulk lime materials to add a distributor who holds a valid license to distribute a regulated product, as defined in the bill, to the list of people who can sell bulk liming material. The bill also removes duplicative language relating to (i) when a permit expires, (ii) the cost of obtaining a permit, and (iii) the authority of the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services to issue written notices and collect fees for failing to obtain a permit."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2026"
identifier: "HB 749"
citation: "Virginia HB 749 (2026)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Chris S. Runion"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 32
vote_count: 7
first_action: "2026-01-13"
last_action: "2026-04-08"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/4c8062c6-1382-4b25-8810-a3d0edd33bf2"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB749"
source_hash: "fa009f49c1c2cb401ebb83b0157d3e4a80c871e0704a16b49b7e8022037f2076"
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 749 (2026) — Fertilizer and lime; amends provisions governing permit requirements.

Fertilizer and lime permit requirements. Amends the provisions governing the permit requirements for bulk lime materials to add a distributor who holds a valid license to distribute a regulated product, as defined in the bill, to the list of people who can sell bulk liming material. The bill also removes duplicative language relating to (i) when a permit expires, (ii) the cost of obtaining a permit, and (iii) the authority of the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services to issue written notices and collect fees for failing to obtain a permit.

## Version chain

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

1. **Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1085736.PDF)
2. **Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Amendment** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1192290.HTML)
3. **Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1217902.PDF)
4. **Senate Amendment** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1200805.HTML)
5. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1210884.PDF)

## Votes

- Reported from Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources — **21–1** (pass) · lower
- H VOTE: — **97–0** (pass) · lower
- Subcommittee recommends reporting — **10–0** (pass) · lower
- Passage R — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources with amendment — **15–0** (pass) · upper
- H VOTE: — **99–0** (pass) · lower
- Constitutional reading dispensed (on 2nd reading) — **39–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Chris S. Runion — primary (person)
- Hyland F. "Buddy" Fowler, Jr. — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2026-01-13** Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26101414D `filing, introduction`
- **2026-01-13** Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources `referral-committee`
- **2026-01-23** Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB749)
- **2026-01-27** Assigned HACNR sub: Agriculture `referral-committee`
- **2026-01-28** Subcommittee recommends reporting (10-Y 0-N)
- **2026-02-04** Reported from Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources (21-Y 1-N) `committee-passage`
- **2026-02-06** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2026-02-09** Read second time and engrossed `reading-2`
- **2026-02-10** Read third time and passed House (97-Y 0-N 0-A) `passage, reading-3`
- **2026-02-11** Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)
- **2026-02-11** Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources `referral-committee`
- **2026-02-25** Assigned HACNR sub: Rural Affairs `referral-committee`
- **2026-02-25** Senate subcommittee offered
- **2026-03-03** Reported from Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources with amendment (15-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2026-03-05** Rules suspended
- **2026-03-05** Constitutional reading dispensed (on 2nd reading) (39-Y 0-N 0-A)
- **2026-03-05** Passed by for the day (Voice Vote)
- **2026-03-06** Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
- **2026-03-09** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2026-03-09** Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Amendment agreed to `amendment-passage`
- **2026-03-09** Engrossed by Senate as amended
- **2026-03-09** Passed Senate with amendment Block Vote (40-Y 0-N 0-A) `passage`
- **2026-03-10** Senate amendment agreed to by House (99-Y 0-N 0-A) `amendment-passage`
- **2026-03-30** Enrolled `enrolled`
- **2026-03-30** Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB749ER) `passage`
- **2026-03-30** Signed by President `passage`
- **2026-03-31** Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB749)
- **2026-03-31** Signed by Speaker `passage`
- **2026-03-31** Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 31, 2026 `enrolled, executive-receipt`
- **2026-03-31** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026 `executive-receipt`
- **2026-04-08** Approved by Governor-Chapter 419 (effective 7/1/2026) `executive-signature`
- **2026-04-08** Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0419)

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/4c8062c6-1382-4b25-8810-a3d0edd33bf2`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).