Car Club Council of Central Virginia

The Latest News on State Legislation

This is a listing of the auto-related bills in the 2026 General Assembly session. Please click on any bill to see its status and to learn more about that bill. If there is any legislation that will affect the car hobby in a negative way an alert will be posted here and if you are a council member you may get an email alert. If you wish to see all the legislation go to this page https://lis.virginia.gov

SB 12 Issuing citations; certain traffic offenses and odor of marijuana; exclusion of evidence.
Removes provisions prohibiting a law-enforcement officer from stopping a motor vehicle for operating (i) with an expired registration sticker prior to the first day of the fourth month after the original expiration date; (ii) with defective and unsafe equipment; (iii) without tail lights, brake lights, or a supplemental high mount stop light; (iv) without lighted headlights displayed when so required; (v) with certain tinting films, signs, posters, stickers, or decals; (vi) with objects or other equipment suspended so as to obstruct the driver's view; or (vii) with an expired inspection prior to the first day of the fourth month after the original expiration date, as well as the accompanying exclusionary provisions. The bill also authorizes a law-enforcement officer to lawfully stop, search, or seize a person, place, or thing or a search warrant to be issued based solely on the odor of marijuana if such odor creates a reasonable suspicion of a violation of the law prohibiting driving while intoxicated.
SB 13 Display of license plate; only rear plate required; exception.
Permits every registered motor vehicle to display a single license plate issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles on the rear of the vehicle, except for tractor trucks, which shall display such license plate on the front of the vehicle. Current law requires license plates displayed on the front and rear of most such vehicles. Note: Both SB 12 and SB 13 were introduced by Senator Bill DeSteph who sponsered our antique vehicle exhaust bill.
SB 15 Driver improvement clinics; motorcycle driver improvement clinics; Motorcycle Driver Improvement Clinic Fund; created.
Creates motorcycle driver improvement clinics, defined in the bill, as a subset of existing driver improvement clinics and provides requirements and parameters for the instruction and administration of the motorcycle driver improvement clinics. The bill authorizes courts to direct defendants who have committed violations while operating a motorcycle to attend a motorcycle driver improvement clinic and satisfy the requirements thereof. The bill also creates the Motorcycle Driver Improvement Clinic Fund for the operation and administration of motorcycle driver improvement clinics. The bill specifies that priority be given to the creation of motorcycle driver improvement clinics that operate as computer-based clinics.
SB 17 Enforcement of vehicle liens; property value.
Increases from $12,500 to $17,000 the maximum value of property that may be sold at public auction to satisfy a lien on a motor vehicle without petitioning for a court order for the sale of such property.
SB 41 Voluntary contributions during electronic Department of Motor Vehicles transactions. Requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to provide a method by which an individual conducting an electronic Department transaction may make a voluntary contribution to the Virginia Highway Safety Improvement Program. Under current law, the Department is only required to provide a method by which voluntary contributions may be made to the Virginia Donor Registry and Public Awareness Fund.
SB 45 Display of license plate; only rear plate required; exception. Permits every registered motor vehicle to display a single license plate issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles on the rear of the vehicle, except for tractor trucks, which shall display such license plate on the front of the vehicle. Current law requires license plates displayed on the front and rear of most such vehicles.
SB 53 Lighted vehicle headlights; lawful stop by law-enforcement officer. Clarifies that any evidence discovered or obtained following the lawful stop by a law-enforcement officer of a vehicle displaying no lighted headlights may be offered as evidence in any trial, hearing, or other proceeding if such evidence is otherwise admissible.
SB 59 Photo speed monitoring devices; photo-monitoring system for traffic signals; proof of violation; certain persons swearing to or affirming certificates; training. Authorizes retired sworn law-enforcement officers or registered special conservators of the peace to swear or to affirm certificates for the purposes of enforcement of violations recorded by traffic light signal violation monitoring systems or traffic control device violation monitoring systems or photo speed monitoring devices upon completion of a training course developed and approved by the Department of Criminal Justice Services. The bill requires the Department of Criminal Justice Services to develop, approve, and make available such training course no later than July 1, 2027. The bill also requires law-enforcement officers swearing to or affirming such certificates to complete such training course.

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