Chap. 243.—An ACT to amend and re-enact Section 4 of Chapter 197 of the 1926
Acts of Assembly, approved March 18, 1926, entitled an act to authorize the
councils or other governing bodies of cities and towns of the Commonwealth,
to divide the municipal area into one or more districts, and in such districts
to regulate the use of land and of buildings or other structures and the height
thereof, and, also to establish building lines and to regulate and restrict the
construction and location of buildings and other structures, and to repeal an
act entitled an act to authorize the councils or other governing bodies of cities
of the Commonwealth to divide the municipal area into one or more districts,
and in such districts to regulate the use of land and of buildings or other
structures, and the height thereof, and, also to establish building lines and to
regulate and restrict the construction and location of buildings and other struc-
tures, approved February 17, 1922, in relation to the manner of effecting regu-
lations by the council or other governing body of a city or town. [S B 224]

Approved March 25, 1946

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That section four of chapter one hundred and ninety-seven
of the nineteen hundred twenty-six Acts of Assembly, approved March
eighteenth, nineteen hundred and twenty-six, entitled an act to authorize
the councils, or other governing bodies of cities and towns of the Com-
monwealth, to divide the municipal area into one or more districts, and
in such districts to regulate the use of land and of buildings or other
structures and the height thereof, and also to establish building lines
and to regulate and restrict the construction and location of buildings
and other structures, and to repeal an act entitled an act to authorize
the councils or other governing bodies of cities of the Commonwealth
to divide the municipal area into one or more districts, and in such
districts to regulate the use of land and of buildings or other structures,
and the height thereof, and, also to establish building lines and to regu-
late and restrict the construction and location of buildings and other
structures, approved February seventeenth, nineteen hundred twenty-
two, be amended and re-enacted so as to read as follows:

Section 4. The council or other governing body of such city or
town shall provide for the manner in which such regulations and re-
strictions and the boundaries of such districts shall be determined, estab-
lished and enforced, and from time to time amended, supplemented or
changed. However, no such regulation, restriction or boundary shall
become effective until after a public hearing in relation thereto, at which
parties in interest and citizens shall have an opportunity to be heard.
At least fifteen days’ notice of time and place of such hearing shall be
published in an official paper, or a paper of general publication, in such
city or town; provided, however, that in any city or town where each
proposed change in, or amendment or supplement to, any such regulation,
restriction, or boundary shall be first referred by the council or other
governing body to the board of zoning appeals for report and recom-
mendation and where said board makes such report and recommendation
to the council or other governing body after a public hearing in relation
thereto held by said board pursuant to prior notice published five days
in an official paper, or paper of general publication, in such city or town,
the public hearing by the council or other governing body in relation to
such change, amendment or supplement may be held after at least ten
days notice of time and place of such hearing published in an official
paper, or a paper of general publication, in such city or town.