SB677 Exempts Small Custodial Facilities From Restaurant Regulations
Summary
Virginia SB677 exempts small custodial facilities providing care to 12 or fewer adults or children in a home from restaurant regulations and food service licensing requirements. The bill was signed by Governor Glenn Youngkin on April 6, 2026, and takes effect July 1, 2026. Facilities affected include small residential care homes, group homes, and similar in-home care operations.
What changed
Virginia SB677 creates a statutory exemption from restaurant regulations for small custodial care facilities. Facilities that provide custodial care to 12 or fewer adults or children in a home setting are no longer required to comply with standard restaurant and food service regulations, including associated licensing and permitting requirements. The bill mirrors HB 840 and passed with unanimous support in both chambers.
Facilities affected by this exemption include small residential care homes, group homes, assisted living facilities meeting the 12-person threshold, and similar in-home care operations that prepare food for residents. Compliance officers at affected facilities should review their current licensing status, determine eligibility for the exemption, and update any internal food safety protocols that may have been implemented under prior regulatory requirements. Public health inspectors and regulatory agencies should prepare for reduced oversight of qualifying small facilities.
What to do next
- Determine if your facility qualifies as a custodial care operation serving 12 or fewer individuals
- Update food service licensing status with Virginia regulatory authorities if previously required to comply with restaurant rules
- Monitor for any Virginia Health Department guidance on implementation
Archived snapshot
Apr 9, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
ChangeBridge / Virginia / SB677 Signed by Governor SB677 Senate Bill Signed by Governor 2026-04-06
Restaurants; exempts certain facilities or programs.
Restaurants; certain facilities or programs; exemptions. Exempts certain facilities that provide custodial care to 12 or fewer adults or children in a home from regulations applicable to restaurants. This bill is identical to HB 840.
Bill Details
State Virginia
Session 2026 Regular Regular Session
Chamber Senate
Official Source lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/SB677
LegiScan View on LegiScan
Sponsors
Chris Head (Sen - R)
Action History
2026-04-06 Approved by Governor-Chapter 232 (effective 7/1/2026) 2026-04-06 Approved by Governor-Chapter 232 (effective 7/1/2026) 2026-03-10 Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026 2026-03-10 S Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 10, 2026 2026-03-02 S Signed by President 2026-03-02 H Signed by Speaker 2026-03-02 S Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB677) 2026-03-02 S Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB677ER) 2026-03-02 S Enrolled 2026-02-26 S House amendment agreed to by Senate (40-Y 0-N 0-A) 2026-02-24 H Passed House with amendment (98-Y 0-N 0-A) 2026-02-24 H Engrossed by House as amended 2026-02-24 H committee amendment agreed to 2026-02-24 H Read third time 2026-02-23 H Read second time 2026-02-19 H Reported from Health and Human Services with amendment(s) (21-Y 0-N) 2026-02-13 H Referred to Committee on Health and Human Services 2026-02-13 H Read first time 2026-02-13 H Placed on Calendar 2026-02-10 S Read third time and passed Senate (40-Y 0-N 0-A) 2026-02-09 S Engrossed by Senate (Voice Vote) 2026-02-09 S Read second time 2026-02-06 S Passed by for the day 2026-02-06 S Passed by for the day (Voice Vote) 2026-02-06 S Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) (39-Y 0-N 0-A) 2026-02-06 S Rules suspended 2026-02-05 S Reported from Education and Health (15-Y 0-N) 2026-02-03 S Assigned Education sub: Health 2026-01-27 S Rereferred from Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources to Education and Health (13-Y 0-N) 2026-01-20 S Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB677) 2026-01-14 S Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources 2026-01-14 S Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26105109D
Votes
2026-01-27 Rereferred from Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources to Education and Health (13-Y 0-N) Yea: 13 Nay: 0 2026-02-05 Reported from Education and Health (15-Y 0-N) Yea: 15 Nay: 0 2026-02-06 Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) (39-Y 0-N 0-A) Yea: 39 Nay: 0 2026-02-10 Read third time and passed Senate (40-Y 0-N 0-A) Yea: 40 Nay: 0 2026-02-19 Reported from Health and Human Services with amendment(s) (21-Y 0-N) Yea: 21 Nay: 0 2026-02-24 Passed House with amendment (98-Y 0-N 0-A) Yea: 98 Nay: 0 2026-02-26 House amendment agreed to by Senate (40-Y 0-N 0-A) Yea: 40 Nay: 0
Committee Referrals
2026-01-14 S Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources 2026-02-03 S Education: Health 2026-02-13 H Health and Human Services 2026-02-16 H Health and Human Services: Behavioral Health
Amendments
0000-00-00 Health and Human Services Amendment 0000-00-00 House Amendment
Bill Text Versions
2026-01-14 Introduced 2026-03-02 Enrolled Legislative data powered by LegiScan (CC BY 4.0)
Related changes
Get daily alerts for Virginia Legislative Events
Daily digest delivered to your inbox.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime.
About this page
Every important government, regulator, and court update from around the world. One place. Real-time. Free. Our mission
Source document text, dates, docket IDs, and authority are extracted directly from VA.
The plain-English summary, classification, and "what to do next" steps are AI-generated from the original text. Cite the source document, not the AI analysis.
Classification
Who this affects
Taxonomy
Browse Categories
Get alerts for this source
We'll email you when Virginia Legislative Events publishes new changes.