---
type: "Bill"
title: "Owner of a servient estate; reasonable rules of use for easement."
description: "Owner of a servient estate; reasonable rules of use for easement. Provides that an owner of a servient estate upon which an easement lies may establish reasonable rules of use of such easement, including establishing a reasonable speed limit. The bill further provides that a servient estate owner may bring a civil action against someone in violation of such reasonable rules and may recover actual damages or $500, whichever is greater, and reasonable attorney fees and costs and may seek injunctive relief."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2026"
identifier: "HB 733"
citation: "Virginia HB 733 (2026)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["James A. \"Jay\" Leftwich"]
version_count: 6
action_count: 29
vote_count: 8
first_action: "2026-01-13"
last_action: "2026-04-13"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/0a517a9e-7e8a-4364-81d3-f31c1bce263c"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB733"
source_hash: "59f05efd344b839aec2f44cf7869b46563b4b2aa7ed0cb3a518daea53ff444ed"
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 733 (2026) — Owner of a servient estate; reasonable rules of use for easement.

Owner of a servient estate; reasonable rules of use for easement. Provides that an owner of a servient estate upon which an easement lies may establish reasonable rules of use of such easement, including establishing a reasonable speed limit. The bill further provides that a servient estate owner may bring a civil action against someone in violation of such reasonable rules and may recover actual damages or $500, whichever is greater, and reasonable attorney fees and costs and may seek injunctive relief.

## 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/1085683.PDF)
2. **Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1221768.PDF)
3. **Civil Subcommittee Amendment** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1135476.HTML)
4. **Courts of Justice Amendment** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1142349.HTML)
5. **Engrossed** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1143971.PDF)
6. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1212169.PDF)

## Votes

- H VOTE: — **96–0** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Courts of Justice with amendment(s) — **22–0** (pass) · lower
- Passage R — **39–0** (pass) · upper
- Reconsider R — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Constitutional reading dispensed (on 2nd reading) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Courts of Justice — **15–0** (pass) · upper
- Passage R — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) — **10–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- James A. "Jay" Leftwich — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2026-01-13** Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26105001D `filing, introduction`
- **2026-01-13** Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice `referral-committee`
- **2026-02-05** Assigned HCJ sub: Civil `referral-committee`
- **2026-02-09** House subcommittee offered
- **2026-02-09** Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) (10-Y 0-N)
- **2026-02-11** Reported from Courts of Justice with amendment(s) (22-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2026-02-13** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2026-02-16** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2026-02-16** Committee amendment agreed to `amendment-passage`
- **2026-02-16** Engrossed by House as amended
- **2026-02-17** Read third time and passed House (97-Y 0-N 0-A) `passage, reading-3`
- **2026-02-18** Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)
- **2026-02-18** Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice `referral-committee`
- **2026-03-09** Reported from Courts of Justice (15-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2026-03-10** Rules suspended
- **2026-03-10** Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
- **2026-03-10** Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
- **2026-03-11** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2026-03-11** Passed Senate Block Vote (39-Y 0-N 0-A) `passage`
- **2026-03-11** Reconsideration of Senate passage agreed to by Senate (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
- **2026-03-11** Passed Senate Block Vote (40-Y 0-N 0-A) `passage`
- **2026-03-30** Enrolled `enrolled`
- **2026-03-30** Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB733ER) `passage`
- **2026-03-30** Signed by President `passage`
- **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`
- **2026-04-13** Approved by Governor-Chapter 664 (effective 7/1/2026) `executive-signature`
- **2026-04-13** Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0664)

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/0a517a9e-7e8a-4364-81d3-f31c1bce263c`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).