---
type: "Bill"
title: "Subaqueous beds; nontidal waters, permit requirements, penalty."
description: "Subaqueous beds; nontidal waters, permit requirements, penalty."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2023"
identifier: "HB 2181"
citation: "Virginia HB 2181 (2023)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Morefield"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 32
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2023-01-11"
last_action: "2023-03-22"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/4bb7ff7e-eda5-4a1c-9d9d-024050b5c23b"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+sum+HB2181"
source_hash: "c12b56298c39a3a29bdf0b36e5af893e8cf0b00def8aecce753d6a34d3a12aa7"
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 2181 (2023) — Subaqueous beds; nontidal waters, permit requirements, penalty.

## Version chain

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

1. **CHAP0258** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+ful+CHAP0258)
2. **HB2181ER** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+ful+HB2181ER)
3. **Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/11/23 23101289D** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+ful+HB2181)
4. **Printed as engrossed 23101289D-E** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+ful+HB2181E)

## Votes

- Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · upper
- Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (7-Y 2-N) — **0–0** (fail) · lower
- Reported from Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources (12-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · upper
- VOTE: (99-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · lower
- Passed Senate (39-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · upper
- Reported from Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources with amendment(s) (22-Y 0-N) — **0–0** (fail) · lower

## Sponsors

- Morefield — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2023-01-11** Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/11/23 23101289D `filing, introduction`
- **2023-01-11** Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources `referral-committee`
- **2023-01-20** Assigned ACNR sub: Chesapeake `referral-committee`
- **2023-01-23** House subcommittee amendments and substitutes offered
- **2023-01-23** House subcommittee amendments and substitutes offered
- **2023-01-23** House subcommittee amendments and substitutes offered
- **2023-01-23** Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (7-Y 2-N) `substitution`
- **2023-01-25** Impact statement from DPB (HB2181)
- **2023-01-25** Reported from Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources with amendment(s) (22-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2023-01-27** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2023-01-30** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2023-01-30** Committee amendments agreed to `amendment-passage`
- **2023-01-30** Engrossed by House as amended HB2181E
- **2023-01-30** Printed as engrossed 23101289D-E
- **2023-01-31** Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE (99-Y 0-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-01-31** VOTE: (99-Y 0-N)
- **2023-02-01** Constitutional reading dispensed
- **2023-02-01** Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources `referral-committee`
- **2023-02-02** Impact statement from DPB (HB2181E)
- **2023-02-14** Reported from Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources (12-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2023-02-16** Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N)
- **2023-02-17** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2023-02-17** Passed Senate (39-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2023-02-22** Enrolled `enrolled`
- **2023-02-22** Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB2181ER) `passage`
- **2023-02-22** Impact statement from DPB (HB2181ER)
- **2023-02-22** Signed by Speaker `passage`
- **2023-02-24** Signed by President `passage`
- **2023-03-02** Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 2, 2023 `enrolled, executive-receipt`
- **2023-03-02** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., March 27, 2023 `executive-receipt`
- **2023-03-22** Approved by Governor-Chapter 258 (effective 7/1/23) `executive-signature`
- **2023-03-22** Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0258)

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/4bb7ff7e-eda5-4a1c-9d9d-024050b5c23b`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).