Bill Text: VA HB725 | 2025 | Regular Session | Prefiled
Bill Title: Local government; powers, conveyance of real property, public hearing requirement.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Engrossed) 2024-02-26 - Continued to 2025 in Local Government (12-Y 3-N) [HB725 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2025-HB725-Prefiled.html
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That §15.2-1800 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:
§15.2-1800. Purchase, sale, use, etc., of real property.
A. A locality may acquire by purchase, gift, devise, bequest, exchange, lease as lessee, or otherwise, title to, or any interests in, any real property, whether improved or unimproved, within its jurisdiction, for any public use. Acquisition of any interest in real property by condemnation is governed by Chapter 19 (§15.2-1901 et seq.). The acquisition of a leasehold or other interest in a telecommunications tower, owned by a nongovernmental source, for the operation of a locality's wireless radio communications systems shall be governed by this chapter.
B. Subject to any applicable requirements of Article VII,
Section 9 of the Constitution, any locality may sell, at public or private
sale, exchange, lease as lessor, mortgage, pledge, subordinate interest in or
otherwise dispose of its real property, which includes the superjacent airspace
(except airspace provided for in §15.2-2030) which may be subdivided and
conveyed separate from the subjacent land surface, provided
that no such real property, whether improved or unimproved, shall be disposed
of until the governing body has held a public hearing concerning such disposal.
However, the holding of a public hearing shall not apply to (i) the leasing of
real property to another public body, political subdivision or authority of the
Commonwealth or; (ii)
conveyance of site development easements, or utility easements related to
transportation projects, across public property, including, but not limited to,
easements for ingress, egress, utilities, cable, telecommunications, storm
water management, and other similar conveyances, that are consistent with the
local capital improvement program, involving improvement of property owned by
the locality; or (iii)
the conveyance of
any utility easement necessary to
provide utilities to any residential
property adjacent to property owned by the locality.
The provisions of this section shall not apply to the vacation of public
interests in real property under the provisions of Articles 6 (§15.2-2240 et
seq.) and 7 (§15.2-2280 et seq.) of Chapter 22.
C. A city or town may also acquire real property for a public use outside its boundaries; a county may acquire real property for a public use outside its boundaries when expressly authorized by law.
D. A locality may construct, insure, and equip buildings, structures and other improvements on real property owned or leased by it.
E. A locality may operate, maintain, and regulate the use of its real property or may contract with other persons to do so.
Notwithstanding any contrary provision of law, general or special, no locality providing access and opportunity to use its real property, whether improved or unimproved, may deny equal access or a fair opportunity to use such real property to, or otherwise discriminate against, the Boy Scouts of America or the Girl Scouts of the USA. Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to require any locality to sponsor the Boy Scouts of America or the Girl Scouts of the USA, or to exempt any such groups from local policies governing access to and use of a locality's real property. The provisions of this paragraph applicable to a locality shall also apply equally to any local governmental entity, including a department, agency, or authority.
F. This section shall not be construed to deprive the resident judge or judges of the right to control the use of the courthouse.
G. "Public use" as used in this section shall have the same meaning as in §1-219.1.
