House Bill 135, enacted by the 2026 General Assembly, amended the second enactment of Chapter 100 of the Acts of Assembly of 2025 to extend the deadline for the Virginia Code Commission's report on the workgroup's ("HB2660 workgroup" or "the workgroup") review of the statutory provisions governing the submission, review, and approval of subdivision plats and site plans from November 1, 2025, to November 1, 2026. HB 135 allowed for the continuation of the HB2660 workgroup's original charge to develop recommendations to organize procedural steps, clarify processes, requirements, and timelines, standardize terminology, and identify and eliminate redundant or duplicative provisions. Specifically, the HB2660 workgroup's charge was:

That the Virginia Code Commission shall convene a workgroup to review existing provisions of the Code of Virginia related to the submission, review, and approval of subdivision plats and site plans, including any amendments adopted during the 2025 Session of the General Assembly. The workgroup shall consist of representatives from the Home Builders Association of Virginia, Virginia Association for Commercial Real Estate, Virginia REALTORS, Virginia Municipal League, Virginia Association of Counties, Virginia Chapter of the American Planning Association, and other relevant stakeholders. The workgroup shall develop recommendations to (i) organize procedural steps in a clear, logical, and sequential order to enhance ease of reference; (ii) clarify the processes, requirements, and timelines applicable to each type of plat or plan; (iii) standardize terminology to ensure consistency, reduce ambiguity, and minimize misinterpretation; and (iv) identify and eliminate redundant or duplicative provisions to streamline the Code and improve its usability. The Virginia Code Commission shall submit a report to the Chairs of the House Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns and the Senate Committee on Local Government detailing any recommendations of the workgroup by November 1, 2026.

The HB2660 workgroup initially conducted its review during 2025 and developed proposed amendments primarily to §§ 15.2-2259 and 15.2-2260 of the Code of Virginia. The 2025 work focused on reorganizing the existing statutory provisions, clarifying terminology and procedures, and making the provisions easier to follow. The workgroup also identified several issues that warranted additional consideration and stakeholder review before final legislation was developed.

As a result of its continued review, the HB2660 workgroup developed a revised bill draft addressing §§ 15.2-2259 and 15.2-2260. The draft further organizes and clarifies the provisions governing final subdivision plats and site plans and preliminary subdivision plats, including provisions concerning official submission, state agency and public authority review, review timelines, deficiencies, resubmissions, deemed approval, disapproval, appeals, and the duration of preliminary subdivision plat approvals.

The bill draft also includes conforming amendments to §§ 15.2-2208.1, 15.2-2209.1, and 15.2-2269. These amendments update statutory cross-references resulting from the revisions to §§ 15.2-2259 and 15.2-2260 and do not represent separate substantive recommendations of the workgroup.

This report summarizes the HB2660 workgroup's review in 2025, the continued work conducted in 2026, and the provisions contained in the resulting bill draft.