Here Are 10 New VA Laws Going Into Effect On July 1, 2026

From salary history to renter protections to a contentious assault weapons ban, hundreds of new laws and amendments passed during the 2026 General Assembly session are scheduled to take effect on July 1.

Here’s a roundup of the changes that could directly affect the lives of Virginians:

1. More criminal records can be sealed

One of the biggest changes this year allows many Virginians to seal eligible misdemeanor and felony convictions from public view. Misdemeanor offences like possession or distribution of marijuana or disorderly conduct will automatically be sealed, while a petition process will be created to request that eligible felonies be sealed. Eligible felonies are limited to class 5 or 6, considered the least serious, and do not include many categories of violent crime, including sex offenses, firearm offenses, animal cruelty and more. The change could affect employment, housing and professional licensing opportunities for thousands of Virginians with less-serious criminal convictions.

Read the law here.

2. Non-compete agreements can’t be enforced for employees fired without cause and without severance

Virginia is expanding its limits on non-compete agreements. Any noncompete agreement entered into after July 1 will not be enforceable if an employee is fired without cause and not given severance pay or some other type of prior, disclosed compensation. Virginia had already banned noncompete agreements for workers making less than the state’s average weekly wage. This new change gives workers more freedom to change jobs or to seek work after losing a job.

Read more here and see the text of the law here.

3. Non-compete agreements can’t be imposed on health care professionals

Health care professionals have been added to the categories of employees who are not subject to non-disclosure agreements. A health care professional is defined as any person licensed, registered or certified by the Board of Medicine, Nursing, Counseling, Optometry, Psychology, or Social Work. This extends job protections and expands professional mobility for health care professionals.

Read the law here.

4. Employers can’t ask about salary histories and must include salary ranges with job postings

Virginia employers must now post “good faith” wage or salary ranges on all public and internal job postings and can’t ask prospective employees about their wage or salary histories. This gives job seekers more information about remuneration and prevents employers from using job seekers’ own salary histories when considering whether to employ them or how much compensation to offer.

Read the law here.

5. Certain funds will be automatically protected from wage garnishment

New rules governing wage garnishment shift the burden of protecting certain funds from debtors to collecting institutions. Previously, a person whose property was subject to garnishment had to take action to identify and claim exceptions to the garnishment. This change in regulation makes the institutions holding and transferring this property responsible for automatically exempting from garnishment a minimum amount of money and benefit payments from state or government bodies. This will help protect people whose property is being garnished from losing access to funds that should be exempt.

Read more here and see the text of the law here.

6. Landlords must accept checks and can’t charge excessive processing fees

Virginia landlords subject to the state’s Landlord and Tenants Act, which covers almost all types of residential rent agreements, are now required to accept checks and money orders for rent and security deposit payments. They’re also not allowed to charge any more in fees than the actual amount it costs to process a rental or other type of payment. This change protects Virginia tenants from being charged predatory fees and could help prevent evictions.

Read the law here.

7. Landlords must give 14-days' notice before evictions

Virginia has increased the waiting period before landlords subject to the Landlord and Tenants Act can pursue eviction for nonpayment from 5 days to 14. This change will give Virginia renters more time to pay back rent and could prevent more renters from facing eviction and homelessness.

Read the law here.

8. Many restaurants can now sell more liquor under existing licenses

Virginia has changed its blanket, 45 percent food-to-beverage ratio to one that is tiered according to food sales. Currently, businesses licensed as mixed-beverage restaurants, caterers or limited caterers are required by the terms of their license to bring in at least 45 percent of their sales from food. As cocktail prices have increased, the demand for this decades-old rule to be changed has intensified. The new law exempts entities with average monthly sales of more than $48,000 from the ratio entirely and loosens the sales ratio to 30 percent for many smaller businesses. The bill also requires that restaurants have at least as many seats at tables as at counters. The state restaurant industry has fought for changes to the food-to-beverage ratio for years.

Read the law here.

9. Speed-limiting devices will be installed in some reckless drivers' vehicles

Virginia’s Intelligent Speed Assistance Program will take effect, requiring some reckless driving offenders to have speed-limiting devices installed in their cars. The program will be required for some offenders, including people convicted of driving over 100 mph on Virginia roads. It will be optional for others, with a 9-month enrollment offered as an alternative to a 3-month license suspension.

Read the law here.

10. Assault-style firearms are banned

Finally, the most-discussed of the state’s new laws: Virginia will now ban the sale, manufacture and transfer of certain semi-automatic firearms and large-capacity magazines. Explicitly excluded from the ban are any firearms that operate manually by bolt, pump, lever, or slide action, as well as antique firearms and firearms rendered permanently inoperable. The ban is on new sales and manufacturing; existing owners generally may keep firearms they already legally possess. This law is proving extremely controversial, and a number of local law enforcement officials have said they won’t enforce it.

Read the law here.