Visiting

Visiting During Legislative Sessions

Directions and Parking Around the Capitol and General Assembly Buidings

Please note there is no public parking on the Capitol Square grounds.

There is a new paid parking lot and updated directions to buildings during current construction. Please read these instructions before arriving.

General Assembly Building

The General Assembly Building at 201 North 9th Street Richmond, VA, 23219 is the home for legislative members and staff.

Constituents meet with their Delegate or Senator in the General Assembly Building at these members’ offices. General General Assembly Building visitor information and directions to the building are available.

The General Assembly Building is open during normal business hours throughout the year, and extended hours when the General Assembly is in session:

Interim: (when the General Assembly is not in a legislative session) 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

During Legislative Sessions: 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

A tunnel that connects the Capitol and General Assembly Buildings is open from 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. The entrances to the tunnel for walking between buildings are located on the 2nd level of the Capitol Visitor’s Center and on the lower level of the General Assembly Building.

Individuals and groups visiting the General Assembly Building may enter the building through the Darden Garden entrance, which faces Capitol Square. Throughout the year, this is the main entrance for the general public, credentialed state employees, and lobbyists. In addition, the Broad Street entrance will be accessible by the public whenever the General Assembly is in session.

The Historic Virginia Capitol Building

While the Virginia General Assembly is in session, Capitol Tours are still offered. Please visit the Tours & Guidelines section to learn more about these offerings. The Virginia Capitol Building is a working one where legislative business and meetings take place. Tours may be altered to accommodate meetings during legislative sessions.

Security Guidelines

Individuals visiting the Capitol and General Assembly Building will be asked to pass through metal detectors and all personal belongings will be searched. Due to the security measures currently in place, it is advisable to leave all non-essential personal items in your vehicle.

Virginia General Assembly Weapons Policy

Building Occupancy

Capitol Police, in collaboration with the State Fire Marshal, enforce the occupancy loads for the General Assembly and Capitol Buildings and have a process for tracking these numbers in real-time. If capacity is reached, access will be temporarily halted until numbers decrease.

The maximum capacity for the Capitol Building is 1,958 and the General Assembly Building is 12,169.

ACCOMMODATIONS FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

Access

Individuals, groups, and visitors with special needs may enter the General Assembly Building through the Broad Street entrance. Please ring the bell located at that door and the Capitol Police will provide entry.

Elevators

All elevators in the Capitol and General Assembly Buildings are wheelchair accessible.

Hearing Impairments

Individuals desiring the use of an interpreter during committee meetings should contact Senate Committee Operations at (804) 698-7450 or Committeeoperations@senate.virginia.gov and House Committee Operations at (804) 698-1540 or CommitteeOps@house.virginia.gov for assistance. Individuals requiring the services of an interpreter should make this request known as far in advance as possible since legislative proceedings will not be delayed to provide this accommodation. Larger committee rooms are equipped with a personal listening system. Individuals may check out a receiver for use during meetings. The TDD number for the Senate is toll free 1(866) 267-1474 and the House is (804) 786-2369. Additional information is available in the Virginia General Assembly Policy: Accessibility for Persons who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing.

Building Hours/Entry

While the General Assembly is in Session, the General Assembly Building remains open to accommodate the public. The Capitol building also remains open to accommodate the public during Session.

Capitol Building Entry During Session

The general public enter the Capitol year round from the entrance plaza near 10th and Bank streets. Please see our Updated Directions & Parking for more information on Capitol building entry during session.

Food and Beverages in and around the Capitol

Learn more about offerings.

Meeting Schedules

See the full LIS meeting schedule and the House of Delegates Interactive Meeting Schedule.