---
type: "Bill"
title: "Allowing certain entities to purchase qualifying tax-delinquent properties before they are offered at public auction"
description: "Allowing certain entities to purchase qualifying tax-delinquent properties before they are offered at public auction"
jurisdiction: "us/states/wv"
legislature: "West Virginia Legislature"
session: "2025"
identifier: "SB 538"
citation: "West Virginia SB 538 (2025)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Real and Personal Property"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Helton"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 38
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2025-02-19"
last_action: "2025-08-08"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/90649930-321c-406a-88c3-580680995324"
source_url: "https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=538&year=2025&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill"
source_hash: "23a86c2d0e267a11ee9777832cfeccab8dcd15f4886eda83e531a1d1e327da92"
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-wv"]
---

# West Virginia SB 538 (2025) — Allowing certain entities to purchase qualifying tax-delinquent properties before they are offered at public auction

## Version chain

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

1. **Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=sb538%20sub1.htm&yr=2025&sesstype=RS&i=538)
2. **Enrolled Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=sb538%20sub1%20enr.htm&yr=2025&sesstype=RS&i=538)
3. **Introduced Version** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=sb538%20intr.htm&yr=2025&sesstype=RS&i=538)

## Votes

- Passage — **31–2** (pass) · upper
- EFFECT FROM PASSAGE — **85–8** (pass) · lower
- PASSAGE — **88–10** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Helton — primary (person)
- Fuller — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2025-02-19** Filed for introduction `filing`
- **2025-02-19** To Government Organization `referral-committee`
- **2025-02-19** Introduced in Senate `introduction`
- **2025-02-19** To Government Organization `referral-committee`
- **2025-03-14** Committee substitute reported
- **2025-03-17** On 1st reading
- **2025-03-17** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2025-03-18** On 2nd reading
- **2025-03-18** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2025-03-19** On 3rd reading
- **2025-03-19** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2025-03-19** Passed Senate (Roll No. 133) `passage`
- **2025-03-19** Ordered to House
- **2025-03-20** House received Senate message
- **2025-03-20** Introduced in House `introduction`
- **2025-03-20** To Government Organization `referral-committee`
- **2025-03-20** To House Government Organization `referral-committee`
- **2025-03-31** Do pass
- **2025-04-01** On 1st reading, Special Calendar
- **2025-04-01** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2025-04-02** On 2nd reading, Special Calendar
- **2025-04-02** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2025-04-03** On 3rd reading, Special Calendar
- **2025-04-03** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2025-04-03** Passed House (Roll No. 379) `passage`
- **2025-04-04** House reconsidered effective date (Roll No. 383)
- **2025-04-04** Communicated to Senate
- **2025-04-07** House Message received
- **2025-04-07** Senate concurred in House changed effective date
- **2025-04-07** Effective from passage (Roll No. 324)
- **2025-04-07** Communicated to House
- **2025-04-03** Completed legislative action
- **2025-04-07** House received Senate message
- **2025-04-09** To Governor 4/9/2025 `executive-receipt`
- **2025-04-10** To Governor 4/9/2025 - House Journal `executive-receipt`
- **2025-04-30** Approved by Governor 4/30/2025 `executive-signature`
- **2025-04-12** Approved by Governor 4/30/2025 - Senate Journal `executive-signature`
- **2025-08-08** Chapter 223, Acts, Regular Session, 2025 `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/90649930-321c-406a-88c3-580680995324`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official West Virginia legislature records).