                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

ADOPTION OF ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS GENERALLY; AMENDING OR REPEALING
ORDINANCES (§ 15.2-1427)

A. Unless otherwise specifically provided for by the Constitution or by other
general or special law, an ordinance may be adopted by majority vote of those
present and voting at any lawful meeting.

B. On final vote on any ordinance or resolution, the name of each member of the
governing body voting and how he voted shall be recorded; however, votes on all
ordinances and resolutions adopted prior to February 27, 1998, in which an
unanimous vote of the governing body was recorded, shall be deemed to have been
validly recorded. The governing body may adopt an ordinance or resolution by a
recorded voice vote unless otherwise provided by law, or any member calls for a
roll call vote. An ordinance shall become effective upon adoption or upon a date
fixed by the governing body.

C. All ordinances or resolutions heretofore adopted by a governing body shall be
deemed to have been validly adopted, unless some provision of the Constitution
of Virginia or the Constitution of the United States has been violated in such
adoption.

D. An ordinance may be amended or repealed in the same manner, or by the same
procedure, in which, or by which, ordinances are adopted.

E. An amendment or repeal of an ordinance shall be in the form of an ordinance
which shall become effective upon adoption or upon a date fixed by the governing
body, but, if no effective date is specified, then such ordinance shall become
effective upon adoption.

F. In counties, except as otherwise authorized by law, no ordinance shall be
passed until after notice of an intention to propose the ordinance for passage
has been advertised by reference twice, with the first notice being published no
more than 28 days before and the second notice appearing no less than seven days
before the date of the meeting referenced in the notice, in a newspaper having a
general circulation in the county. The publication shall include a statement
that a copy of the full text of the ordinance is on file in the clerk&#8217;s
office of the circuit court of the county or in the office of the county
administrator; or in the case of any county organized under the form of
government set out in Chapter 5, 7 or 8 of this title, a statement that a copy
of the full text of the ordinance is on file in the office of the clerk of the
county board.
			In counties, emergency ordinances may be adopted without prior notice;
however, no such ordinance shall be enforced for more than sixty days unless
readopted in conformity with the provisions of this Code.

G. In towns, no tax shall be imposed except by a two-thirds vote of the council
members.

HISTORY: Code 1950, §§ 15-8, 15-10; 1950, p. 113; 1954, c. 529; 1956, cc. 218,
664; 1956, Ex. Sess., c. 40; 1958, cc. 190, 279; 1960, c. 606; 1962, c. 623, §
15.1-504; 1966, cc. 405, 612; 1968, c. 625; 1970, c. 581; 1972, cc. 41, 837;
1973, c. 380; 1978, c. 235; 1983, c. 11; 1997, c. 587; 1998, c. 823; 2000, c.
895; 2023, cc. 506, 507; 2024, cc. 225, 242.