Zoning › State preemptions › Virginia

Virginia Agricultural and Forestal Districts (§15.2-4300 et seq.) (VA)

Tracked preemption from the Virginia overlay bundle.

Overview

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Effective
1977-07-01
Sunset
—
Authority
state
Scope
state:VA
Other Virginia preemptions
Virginia 2024-2025 Housing Preemption Bills (Status: None Enacted)Virginia Small Cell Wireless Facility Preemption (§§15.2-2316.3 / 15.2-2316.4)Virginia Stormwater Management Program (VSMP)Virginia Military Air Installation Influence Areas (§15.2-2294)Virginia Local Hazard Mitigation Plan Integration (44 CFR 201.6 / Va. Code §44-146.18:2)Virginia Family Day Home Preemption (§15.2-2292)Virginia RPA 100-ft Riparian Buffer (Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act)Virginia Floodplain Management — NFIP Coordination (Va. Code §10.1-600 et seq.)

Trigger predicate

When this evaluates true for a parcel, the law's preempted fields take precedence over base zoning.

AND
  • city.has_local_afd_program == True
  • parcel.in_agricultural_forestal_district == True

Preempted fields

2 fields on the base district schema are rewritten when the trigger fires.

FieldOpValueNote
base_districts[*].non_agricultural_uses_in_afdwaive—Within an AFD, the locality may not exercise eminent domain, impose special assessments for non-agricultural improvements, enact ordinances that unreasonably restrict farm structures, or permit non-agricultural development inconsistent with the district purpose without an AFD Advisory Committee finding.
review_typeaddafd_advisory_committee_reviewRezonings, special-use permits, and public-facility siting decisions affecting AFD parcels must be reviewed by the locality's AFD Advisory Committee (§15.2-4312) before governing-body action.

Citation

Authority source
Va. Code §15.2-4300 et seq. (Agricultural and Forestal Districts Act)
§ §§15.2-4300 through 15.2-4314
https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title15.2/chapter43/

Research notes

Voluntary 4–10 year landowner program (renewable). Reinforces the Virginia Right-to-Farm Act (§3.2-300 et seq.) and the §§15.2-2288 / 15.2-2288.6 SUP-exemption preemptions. Localities establishing AFDs receive use-value-assessment tools and may enter into AFD-specific land-use covenants. Common in Albemarle, Fauquier, Loudoun, Hanover, Goochland, Powhatan, Augusta, Rockingham, and most rural Piedmont/Shenandoah counties.