Is Your Bed in Bath or Beyond? Virginia Bill Limits Sleep Space

The Virginia Senate voted Friday to let Fairfax County prohibit its residents from sleeping anywhere but their bedrooms, a measure that some activists and local officials say unfairly targets the living arrangements of the county’s burgeoning immigrant communities.

The bill passed by a vote of 20-9 after a spirited debate that pitted proponents from Northern Virginia against colleagues from across the state. Legislators who voted against the bill then used parliamentary techniques to demand a reconsideration of the measure on Monday.

Sen. Leslie L. Byrne, who represents central Fairfax and is the bill’s chief sponsor, said it is a response to numerous complaints from constituents about the effect of small houses crowded with college students, construction or restaurant workers or large immigrant families.

Jamming 15 to 20 people into a tiny two-bedroom house diminishes property values, takes up parking spaces and robs neighbors of peace and quiet, she said.

“We are asking that they not use their kitchens as bedrooms,” Byrne said. “What they do in their actual bedrooms, I don’t care. It’s very difficult, and this is just another way for the county to address what has become a problem.”

Senate Bill 925 would give county code enforcers new authority to go after people whose homes have been turned into virtual hotels.

But some civic leaders characterized it as a misplaced, hostile response to those struggling to pay for shelter in a county where the average rent for a three-bedroom apartment is $1,181 a month.