Virginia Group Home / Assisted Living Preemption (§15.2-2291) (VA)
Tracked preemption from the Virginia overlay bundle.
Overview
← All state preemptionsVirginia overlay roll-upVirginia zoning wikiVirginia building codesFederal overlaysGlossaryFederal-conflict: Yes
Effective
1989-07-01
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
parcel.base_zone_category∈ {res_sf,res_mf,res_th,mu}project.use_type∈ {group_home_disability,assisted_living_small}
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 | group_home_8_or_fewer_residents | Residential facilities licensed by VDBHDS or VDSS serving ≤8 individuals with mental illness, intellectual disability, or developmental disabilities (plus staff), and assisted living facilities serving ≤8 aged/infirm/disabled persons (plus resident counselors/staff), must be classified as single-family residential use. |
base_districts[category~res].group_home_conditions | override | no_conditions_more_restrictive_than_family_residence | Statutory language: 'No conditions more restrictive than those imposed on residences occupied by persons related by blood, marriage, or adoption shall be imposed' on these facilities. Bars spacing requirements, occupancy caps below state license thresholds, mandatory CUPs, and similar discriminatory conditions. |
Citation
Authority source
Va. Code §15.2-2291 (Zoning provisions for certain residential facilities); coordinated with Va. Code §37.2-403 et seq. (VDBHDS licensure of residential facilities) and §63.2-1700 et seq. (VDSS licensure of assisted living)
§ §15.2-2291
Research notes
Reinforces (and is reinforced by) the federal Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. §3604(f)) prohibition on discrimination against persons with disabilities in housing — including discriminatory zoning. FHA reasonable-accommodation doctrine (City of Edmonds v. Oxford House, 514 U.S. 725 (1995)) operates in parallel and may compel relief above the §15.2-2291 8-resident threshold. Federal conflict check: FHA and ADA Title II requirements may compel additional accommodations beyond state preemption. Important: §15.2-2291 does NOT cover substance-abuse recovery houses, halfway houses, or sex-offender residential facilities — those are governed by separate statutes (§15.2-2291.1 et seq.) with different rules.