California set the standard in July 2024 with SB-553, the most comprehensive workplace violence prevention law in the country. Virginia is next.
On March 7, 2025, the Virginia General Assembly passed House Bill 1919. If you operate a business in Virginia with 100 or more employees, you have until January 1, 2027 to comply. That is less than nine months from now.
This article covers what the law requires, who it applies to, and why organizations that start building their programs now will be materially better positioned than those who wait until Q4 2026.
What Virginia HB-1919 Requires
Virginia HB-1919 requires covered employers to develop, implement, and maintain a written workplace violence policy. The policy must:
Include a clear incident reporting mechanism.Employees must have a defined way to report workplace violence concerns — threats, incidents, and potential hazards — and must be able to do so without fear of retaliation. The reporting mechanism must be documented in the policy and communicated to all employees.
Be tailored to the specific risks and hazards of each workplace.Like California's SB-553, Virginia HB-1919 requires site-specific programs. A generic policy downloaded from the internet does not satisfy this requirement. The law expects evidence that someone analyzed the specific risks in your specific environment and built a program to address them.
Designate individuals or teams responsible for implementation.The policy must name — not describe generically — the person or team responsible for owning and maintaining the program. “HR” is not sufficient. A named position with documented accountability is required.
Protect employees who report concerns from retaliation. Anti-retaliation provisions are explicit. An employee who reports a workplace violence concern, incident, or hazard is protected from any adverse employment action as a result.
Who Is Covered
HB-1919 applies to private employers with 100 or more employees in Virginia. The threshold is based on total employees, not just those working in Virginia — though the law's jurisdiction is limited to Virginia operations.
Notably:
- The 100-employee threshold makes this different from California's SB-553, which covers virtually all employers regardless of size
- Organizations headquartered outside Virginia are covered if they have 100 or more employees and operate in the state
- Healthcare employers already subject to Virginia's existing healthcare workplace violence regulations should review HB-1919 for any additional requirements
How Virginia Compares to California SB-553
Covered employers operating in both states need to understand the relationship between the two laws.
| Requirement | California SB-553 | Virginia HB-1919 |
|---|---|---|
| Threshold | Most employers, 10+ employees at public locations | 100+ employees |
| Written plan required | Yes | Yes |
| Site-specific requirement | Yes | Yes |
| Violent Incident Log | Yes — detailed | Not explicitly required |
| Annual training mandate | Yes | Not explicitly required |
| Anti-retaliation | Yes | Yes |
| Penalty structure | Up to $158,727 willful | To be determined by enforcement |
| Effective date | July 1, 2024 | January 1, 2027 |
The practical takeaway: California's law is more prescriptive and carries higher stated penalties. Virginia's law is more principles-based, but the requirements it does state — site-specific policy, named responsible parties, incident reporting, anti-retaliation — are substantive and not satisfied by a template.
Organizations already compliant with California SB-553 have a significant head start on Virginia compliance. The frameworks are compatible. A California WVPP can be adapted for Virginia with less effort than building from scratch.
The Case for Starting Now
Nine months sounds like a long time. It is not, for three reasons.
First, the development process takes time.A meaningful workplace violence prevention program — one that is site-specific, properly documented, and defensible — cannot be built in a weekend. A legitimate development engagement typically runs six to twelve weeks for a single-location employer. Multi-site organizations require longer. Organizations that begin in November 2026 are, at best, racing the deadline.
Second, training requirements need lead time.Even if Virginia HB-1919 does not explicitly mandate annual training (the law is less prescriptive than California's), a program that does not include training is not a program that will withstand scrutiny. Training programs need to be designed, materials need to be developed, and scheduling needs to happen across the organization. None of this happens overnight.
Third, the Virginia regulatory environment is developing.HB-1919 is a floor. As Virginia's enforcement posture develops and interpretive guidance is issued, organizations that built compliant programs early will be better positioned to adapt than those who built programs to the minimum standard in the minimum time.
What to Do Now
Assess your current posture.Does your organization have a written workplace violence policy of any kind? Is it site-specific? Does it name responsible parties? Does it have a reporting mechanism with anti-retaliation protections? Understanding where you are relative to HB-1919's requirements is the first step.
Map your Virginia footprint.If you operate multiple locations in Virginia, each requires a site-specific program. Understanding the scope of the compliance project — how many locations, how many employee populations, what distinct threat environments — is essential for planning the development effort.
Engage expertise early. The organizations most likely to struggle with the January 2027 deadline are those that wait until late 2026 to begin. If your organization is over the 100-employee threshold and operating in Virginia, the responsible action is to begin planning now and building through 2026.
If you are already SB-553 compliant in California,talk to your program partner about adapting that framework for Virginia. The California compliance investment should not have to be rebuilt from scratch — it should transfer.
Looking Further Ahead
Virginia is the second state after California to enact a general industry workplace violence prevention mandate. It will not be the last. As the permanent Cal/OSHA standard develops, New York's Retail Worker Safety Act is already in effect, and Massachusetts, Alaska, and other states have active legislative proposals.
The organizations that build scalable, state-configurable workplace violence prevention programs now — rather than reactive, single-state compliance checklists — will manage each new mandate as an incremental update rather than a full rebuild. That is the difference between a program and a series of compliance exercises.
Kestralis Group has developed a Virginia HB-1919 compliance framework built on the California SB-553 foundation — adaptable for multi-state employers and configurable for Virginia's specific requirements. Schedule a consultation to discuss your organization's Virginia posture and timeline.
