Virginia Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act — RPA / RMA Overlay (VA)
Tracked preemption from the Virginia overlay bundle.
Overview
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Effective
1988-07-01
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.
OR
city.is_in_tidewater_chesapeake_bay_jurisdiction==Trueparcel.in_chesapeake_bay_rpa==Trueparcel.in_chesapeake_bay_rma==Trueparcel.geometrygeographic match
Preempted fields
3 fields on the base district schema are rewritten when the trigger fires.
| Field | Op | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
base_districts[*].riparian_buffer_ft | floor_at | 100 | 100-foot vegetated buffer is mandatory within Resource Protection Areas (RPAs). Localities may set wider buffers; the 100-foot floor is non-negotiable per 9VAC25-830-140. |
base_districts[*].impervious_cover_pct | cap_at | 30 | RMA impervious-cover minimization standard; locality may set lower cap. RPA is generally not redevelopable beyond existing footprint without exception. |
review_type | override | chesapeake_bay_preservation_area_review_required | Local CBPA program must be adopted and DEQ-approved; development in RPA/RMA requires water-quality impact assessment (WQIA) and conformance to performance criteria in 9VAC25-830. |
Citation
Authority source
Va. Code §62.1-44.15:67 et seq. (Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act); regulations 9VAC25-830 (Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area Designation and Management Regulations)
§ §§62.1-44.15:67 through 62.1-44.15:79
Research notes
Applies to 84 'Tidewater Virginia' localities listed in §62.1-44.15:68 (29 counties, 17 cities, 38 towns — the Eastern Shore, Northern Neck, Middle Peninsula, Hampton Roads, and tidal-Rappahannock/James/Potomac jurisdictions). Administered by Virginia DEQ (formerly Chesapeake Bay Local Assistance Department). Each locality must adopt a CBPA ordinance designating RPAs (within 100 ft of tidal waters, tributary streams, and tidal wetlands) and RMAs (the rest of the locality's CBPA-designated area). Cities outside Tidewater Virginia are NOT subject.