New law banning junk fees in Virginia set to take effect in July

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Junk fees are set to become a thing of the past in Virginia.

“By the end, you’ve had this fee, and that fee, and the other fee tacked on, and the price at the end looks nothing like the price at the beginning,” Senator Stella Pekarsky (D- Fairfax) told 8News. 

That’s because Governor Glenn Youngkin signed one of Pekarsky’s bills (and an identical House bill) banning certain junk fees earlier this month. 

Currently, federal law bans the use of junk fees when selling live-event tickets and in the hotel and short-term lodging industries. 

Meanwhile, Virginia’s law covers most industries, including food delivery platforms. 

“We have this added layer of protection that no matter what happens at the federal level, we know that Virginians will be protected,” Pekarsky said. 

Pekarsky also said that once the new law goes into effect, victims will be able to file a lawsuit against companies that charge junk fees. 

“It’s just an added layer of protection and a much quicker avenue towards resolution that we don’t have when it comes to the federal protections,” Pekarsky explained. 

Pekersky added that some industries, like the airline industry and certain utility companies, are exempt from Virginia’s law because they are regulated by the federal government.

The new law takes effect on July 1.