Virginia HB 1129: Local motor vehicle license & registration; failure to pay certain taxes, fees, & parking citations.

Bill Text

2026 SESSION

INTRODUCED

26102054D

HOUSE BILL NO. 1129

Offered January 14, 2026

Prefiled January 14, 2026

A BILL to amend and reenact § 46.2-752 of the Code of Virginia, relating to local motor vehicle licenses and motor vehicle registrations; failure to pay certain taxes, fees, and parking citations.

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Patron—Walker

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Referred to Committee on Transportation

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Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That § 46.2-752 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 46.2-752. Taxes and license fees imposed by counties, cities, and towns; limitations on amounts; disposition of revenues; requiring evidence of payment of personal property taxes and certain fines; prohibiting display of licenses after expiration; failure to display valid local license required by other localities; penalty.

A. Except as provided in § 46.2-755, counties, cities, and towns may levy and assess taxes and charge license fees on motor vehicles, trailers, and semitrailers. However, none of these taxes and license fees shall be assessed or charged by any county on vehicles owned by residents of any town located in the county when such town constitutes a separate school district if the vehicles are already subject to town license fees and taxes, nor shall a town charge a license fee to any new resident of the town, previously a resident of a county within which all or part of the town is situated, who has previously paid a license fee for the same tax year to such county. The amount of the license fee or tax imposed by any county, city, or town on any motor vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer shall not be greater than the annual or one-year fee imposed by the Commonwealth on the motor vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer in effect on January 1, 2020. The license fees and taxes shall be imposed in such manner, on such basis, for such periods, and subject to proration for fractional periods of years, as the proper local authorities may determine.

Owners or lessees of motor vehicles, trailers, and semitrailers who have served outside of the United States in the armed services of the United States shall have a 90-day grace period, beginning on the date they are no longer serving outside the United States, in which to comply with the requirements of this section. For purposes of this section, "the armed services of the United States" includes active duty service with the regular Armed Forces of the United States or the National Guard or other reserve component.

Local licenses may be issued free of charge for any or all of the following:

1. Vehicles powered by clean special fuels as defined in § 46.2-749.3, including dual-fuel and bi-fuel vehicles,

2. Vehicles owned by volunteer emergency medical services agencies,

3. Vehicles owned by volunteer fire departments,

4. Vehicles owned or leased by active members or active auxiliary members of volunteer emergency medical services agencies,

5. Vehicles owned or leased by active members or active auxiliary members of volunteer fire departments,

6. Vehicles owned or leased by auxiliary police officers,

7. Vehicles owned or leased by volunteer police chaplains,

8. Vehicles owned by surviving spouses of persons qualified to receive special license plates under § 46.2-739,

9. Vehicles owned or leased by auxiliary deputy sheriffs or volunteer deputy sheriffs,

10. Vehicles owned by persons qualified to receive special license plates under § 46.2-739,

11. Vehicles owned by any of the following who served at least 10 years in the locality: former members of volunteer emergency medical services agencies, former members of volunteer fire departments, former auxiliary police officers, members and former members of authorized police volunteer citizen support units, members and former members of authorized sheriff's volunteer citizen support units, former volunteer police chaplains, and former volunteer special police officers appointed under former § 15.2-1737. In the case of active members of volunteer emergency medical services agencies and active members of volunteer fire departments, applications for such licenses shall be accompanied by written evidence, in a form acceptable to the locality, of their active affiliation or membership, and no member of an emergency medical services agency or member of a volunteer fire department shall be issued more than one such license free of charge,

12. All vehicles having a situs for the imposition of licensing fees under this section in the locality,

13. Vehicles owned or leased by deputy sheriffs; however, no deputy sheriff shall be issued more than one such license free of charge,

14. Vehicles owned or leased by police officers; however, no police officer shall be issued more than one such license free of charge,

15. Vehicles owned or leased by officers of the State Police; however, no officer of the State Police shall be issued more than one such license free of charge,

16. Vehicles owned or leased by sala