New legislation requires Virginia farmers to apply for farm use placards through the DMV. The placards will have an alphanumeric identification number and are nontransferable. The law will go into effect July 1, 2023, and comes after years of talks between lawmakers and Virginia Farm Bureau.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed Republican-led House and Senate bills related to the tags into Virginia law early this month. HB179 and SB186 were identical bills sponsored by Del. Robert Bloxom Jr., R-Mappsville, and Sen. Emmett Hanger Jr., R-Mount Solon.
Currently, Farm Use placards can be purchased at most farm supply stores, whether it is being used for farm purposes or not. Experts say that the misuse of these tags by non-farmers has led to this crackdown.