Dickenson County backs bill to let locality collect lodging tax at Breaks Interstate Park
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Summary
The board passed a resolution supporting proposed legislation that would allow Dickenson County to impose a transient-occupancy tax on lodging within Breaks Interstate Park; staff and supervisors said the measure could restore local tourism revenue if the General Assembly approves the enabling bill.
The Dickenson County Board of Supervisors voted to approve a resolution urging the Virginia General Assembly to authorize local collection of transient-occupancy (lodging) tax within Breaks Interstate Park.
County staff said the county currently receives no sales or lodging tax revenue from the park despite its visitation and that Delegate Morfield has agreed to sponsor legislation in the 2026 session to permit localities to collect a transient-occupancy tax within an interstate park. Staff said all existing lodging inside the park boundaries lies in Dickinson County (as discussed in the meeting transcript) and that passage of the enabling legislation would allow the county to capture tourism-related revenue to support local services and economic development efforts.
Supervisors noted that similar proposals have been considered previously with mixed outcomes and that any change requires passage of state law. The board approved the resolution of support and directed staff to provide copies to local legislators. The county also scheduled a public hearing on a proposed transient-occupancy rate for January 20, 2026, should the enabling legislation advance.
The action is a formal statement of local support for state-level legislation; any authority to collect the tax will depend on future action by the General Assembly and implementing steps taken by the county if the bill becomes law.