Zoning › State preemptions › Virginia

Virginia Stormwater Management Program (VSMP) (VA)

Tracked preemption from the Virginia overlay bundle.

Overview

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Effective
2014-07-01
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 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.)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.

OR
  • project.land_disturbance_acres ≥ 1
  • AND
    • city.is_in_tidewater_chesapeake_bay_jurisdiction == True
    • project.land_disturbance_sf ≥ 2500

Preempted fields

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

FieldOpValueNote
review_typeaddvsmp_construction_general_permit_requiredLand disturbance ≥1 acre requires VSMP Construction General Permit (or coverage under local VSMP authority) and an approved Stormwater Management Plan.
base_districts[*].stormwater_water_quality_standardfloor_at0.41_lb_P_per_acre_per_yearPost-construction water-quality phosphorus standard: 0.41 lb/ac/yr for new development, 0.45 lb/ac/yr for redevelopment (per 9VAC25-875-580 / -590; formerly 9VAC25-870-65, repealed).
base_districts[*].stormwater_water_quantity_standardoverrideenergy_balance_method_channel_protection_flood_protectionChannel-protection and flood-protection criteria per 9VAC25-875-600 / -710 / -720 (Energy Balance Method; formerly 9VAC25-870-66, repealed).

Citation

Authority source
Va. Code §62.1-44.15:24 et seq. (Virginia Stormwater Management Act, consolidated with VESCL as the Virginia Erosion and Stormwater Management Act effective July 1, 2024); regulations 9VAC25-875 (Virginia Erosion and Stormwater Management Regulation, effective July 1, 2024, replacing repealed 9VAC25-870 and 9VAC25-840)
§ §§62.1-44.15:24 through 62.1-44.15:50; 9VAC25-875
https://law.lis.virginia.gov/admincode/title9/agency25/chapter875/

Research notes

Issued under federal Clean Water Act §402 NPDES delegation (EPA → VA DEQ). Localities elect to be VESMP Authorities (formerly VSMP Authorities) or defer to DEQ; most populous localities (Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William, Arlington, Henrico, Chesterfield, Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Richmond, etc.) operate their own programs. Effective July 1, 2024, ESC and VSMP were administratively consolidated as the Virginia Erosion and Stormwater Management Program (VESMP) under unified regulations 9VAC25-875; the former 9VAC25-870 (VSMP) and 9VAC25-840 (ESC) chapters were repealed in their entirety.