Bill Commons

VA SB 471

Status unknown

Hunting dogs; releasing on state or local roadway, hunting, fishing, and trapping special license.

Virginia · 2026 Regular Session · upper

Quick answers

Did VA SB 471 pass?

The current status of VA SB 471 is not known from the official record. Latest recorded action (2026-02-03): Passed by indefinitely in Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources (10-Y 4-N)

What is VA SB 471 about?

Releasing of hunting dogs; state or local roadway; hunting, fishing, and trapping special license; penalty. Creates a Class 3 misdemeanor for the release of hunting dogs on or within 15 feet of the edge of a roadway owned or maintained by the Department of Transportation or a locality and provides that a second or subsequent offense is a Class 1 misdemeanor. The bill allows a court to prohibit any person who released hunting dogs on or within 15 feet of the edge of a roadway owned or maintained by the Department or locality from hunting, trapping, or fishing in the Commonwealth for a period of up to five years. The bill permits the stopping of a vehicle on a highway for the retrieval of a companion animal from a highway or area adjacent to a highway. The bill allows certain people such as a landowner and other people associated with such landowner, stockholder, tenant, or guest of the landowner in certain circumstances, to apply for a special license to hunt, fish, and trap exclusively on a landowner's property in lieu of other hunting, fishing, and trapping licenses required by state law.

Who sponsors VA SB 471?

David W. Marsden is the primary sponsor of VA SB 471.

Description

Releasing of hunting dogs; state or local roadway; hunting, fishing, and trapping special license; penalty. Creates a Class 3 misdemeanor for the release of hunting dogs on or within 15 feet of the edge of a roadway owned or maintained by the Department of Transportation or a locality and provides that a second or subsequent offense is a Class 1 misdemeanor. The bill allows a court to prohibit any person who released hunting dogs on or within 15 feet of the edge of a roadway owned or maintained by the Department or locality from hunting, trapping, or fishing in the Commonwealth for a period of up to five years. The bill permits the stopping of a vehicle on a highway for the retrieval of a companion animal from a highway or area adjacent to a highway. The bill allows certain people such as a landowner and other people associated with such landowner, stockholder, tenant, or guest of the landowner in certain circumstances, to apply for a special license to hunt, fish, and trap exclusively on a landowner's property in lieu of other hunting, fishing, and trapping licenses required by state law.

Introduced
2026-01-13
Latest action
2026-02-03 — Passed by indefinitely in Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources (10-Y 4-N)
Bill type
bill
Last updated
—

Sponsors

  • David W. Marsdenprimary

Committees

Not provided by source.

Action timeline

  1. 2026-01-13

    Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26102612D

    filing,introduction

  2. 2026-01-13

    Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources

    referral-committee

  3. 2026-01-28

    Assigned HACNR sub: Rural Affairs

    referral-committee

  4. 2026-02-03

    Passed by indefinitely in Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources (10-Y 4-N)

    deferral

Versions

Documents

Votes

  • Passed by indefinitely in Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources

    2026-02-03 · pass · 10-4

    Member-level votes (15)
    • David W. Marsden: no
    • Mark D. Obenshain: yes
    • Richard H. Stuart: yes
    • William M. Stanley, Jr.: yes
    • David R. Suetterlein: yes
    • T. Travis Hackworth: yes
    • Angelia Williams Graves: yes
    • Russet Perry: yes
    • Stella G. Pekarsky: no
    • Timmy French: yes
    • Saddam Azlan Salim: no
    • Tammy Brankley Mulchi: not voting
    • Danica A. Roem: no
    • Kannan Srinivasan: yes
    • Michael J. Jones: yes

Related bills

No related bills recorded for this bill.

Official source

https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/SB471

Attribution

Data from openstates_bulk_csv, retrieved 2026-07-24T05:35:59.552682Z

Inspect retained evidence for changes recorded after evidence tracking began:

Source and document changesStatus and relationship changes

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