Virginia Family Day Home Preemption (§15.2-2292) (VA)
Tracked preemption from the Virginia overlay bundle.
Overview
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Effective
1993-07-01
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 RPA 100-ft Riparian Buffer (Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act)Virginia Floodplain Management — NFIP Coordination (Va. Code §10.1-600 et seq.)Virginia Group Home / Assisted Living Preemption (§15.2-2291)
Trigger predicate
When this evaluates true for a parcel, the law's preempted fields take precedence over base zoning.
AND
parcel.base_zone_category∈ {res_sf,res_mf,res_th,mu}project.use_type==family_day_home
Preempted fields
2 fields on the base district schema are rewritten when the trigger fires.
| Field | Op | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
base_districts[category~res].allowed_uses | add | family_day_home_1_to_4_children | Family day homes serving 1-4 children (excluding the provider's own children) must be treated as a permitted single-family residential use; no conditions more restrictive than those imposed on residences occupied by persons related by blood, marriage, or adoption may be applied. |
base_districts[category~res].family_day_home_5_to_12_review | override | administrative_permit_with_30_day_neighbor_notice | For homes serving 5-12 children, locality may require an administrative permit process with registered/certified-mail notice to adjacent property owners and a 30-day written-objection window. If no objections are received and the home complies, the zoning administrator SHALL issue the permit. If objections received, applicant may request a public hearing before the governing body. |
Citation
Authority source
Va. Code §15.2-2292 (Zoning provisions for family day homes); coordinated with Va. Code §22.1-289.02 (licensure of family day homes by the Department of Education / VDOE)
§ §15.2-2292
Research notes
Dillon's Rule preemption: localities have no authority to treat licensed family day homes differently from family residences except as expressly permitted in §15.2-2292. Important distinction from group homes (§15.2-2291): family day homes are child care; group homes serve persons with disabilities. The 1-4 child tier requires zero process; the 5-12 child tier permits only a narrow administrative-permit process with statutory neighbor-notice mechanics. Substantive denial requires specific findings on traffic, parking, lot size, or comparable factors — not a generalized neighborhood-character objection.