---
type: "Bill"
title: "Prohibiting certain restrictions on regulation of accessory dwelling units"
description: "Prohibiting certain restrictions on regulation of accessory dwelling units"
jurisdiction: "us/states/wv"
legislature: "West Virginia Legislature"
session: "2026"
identifier: "SB 659"
citation: "West Virginia SB 659 (2026)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Municipalities"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Rucker"]
version_count: 6
action_count: 38
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2026-01-29"
last_action: "2026-06-25"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/5051f286-ed0d-40da-a086-e791d8f38ff1"
source_url: "https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=659&year=2026&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill"
source_hash: "3c1d8c8c578fece021638714582cdeb0c5760e40f62627134117bbfe12dbffc7"
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 659 (2026) — Prohibiting certain restrictions on regulation of accessory dwelling units

## 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=sb659%20sub1.htm&yr=2026&sesstype=RS&i=659)
2. **Engrossed Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=sb659%20sub1%20eng.htm&yr=2026&sesstype=RS&i=659)
3. **Enrolled Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=sb659%20sub1%20enr.htm&yr=2026&sesstype=RS&i=659)
4. **Introduced Version** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=sb659%20intr.htm&yr=2026&sesstype=RS&i=659)
5. **sb659 sfa rucker _1 2-19 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/legisdocs/chamber/2026/RS/floor_amends/sb659%20sfa%20rucker%20_1%202-19%20adopted.htm)
6. **sb659 sub hfa phillips 2-26 _1 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/legisdocs/chamber/2026/RS/floor_amends/sb659%20sub%20hfa%20phillips%202-26%20_1%20adopted.htm)

## Votes

- Passage — **27–1** (pass) · upper
- PASSAGE — **85–10** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Rucker — primary (person)
- Thorne — cosponsor (person)
- Z. Maynard — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2026-01-29** Filed for introduction `filing`
- **2026-01-29** To Government Organization `referral-committee`
- **2026-01-29** Introduced in Senate `introduction`
- **2026-01-29** To Government Organization `referral-committee`
- **2026-02-18** Committee substitute reported
- **2026-02-19** On 1st reading
- **2026-02-19** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2026-02-20** On 2nd reading
- **2026-02-20** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2026-02-20** Floor amendments adopted (Voice vote)
- **2026-02-21** On 3rd reading
- **2026-02-21** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2026-02-21** Passed Senate (Roll No. 180) `passage`
- **2026-02-21** Ordered to House
- **2026-02-23** House received Senate message
- **2026-02-23** Introduced in House `introduction`
- **2026-02-23** To Government Organization `referral-committee`
- **2026-02-23** To House Government Organization `referral-committee`
- **2026-02-25** Do pass
- **2026-02-26** On 1st reading, Special Calendar
- **2026-02-26** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2026-02-27** On 2nd reading, Special Calendar
- **2026-02-27** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2026-02-27** Amendment reported by the Clerk
- **2026-02-27** Amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- **2026-03-02** On 3rd reading, Special Calendar
- **2026-03-02** Postponed on 3rd reading, Special Calendar, until 3/3/2026
- **2026-03-03** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2026-03-03** Passed House (Roll No. 254) `passage`
- **2026-03-03** Communicated to Senate
- **2026-03-06** House Message received
- **2026-03-06** Senate concurred in House amendments and passed bill (Roll No. 361)
- **2026-03-06** Communicated to House
- **2026-03-06** Completed legislative action
- **2026-03-09** House received Senate message
- **2026-03-09** To Governor 3/9/2026 `executive-receipt`
- **2026-03-14** Approved by Governor 3/14/2026 `executive-signature`
- **2026-06-25** Chapter 241, Acts, Regular Session, 2026 `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/5051f286-ed0d-40da-a086-e791d8f38ff1`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official West Virginia legislature records).