Chesterfield County — Sales Tax

What it does

Shall the County of Chesterfield be authorized to levy a local general retail sales tax at a rate not to exceed one percent to provide revenue solely for capital projects for the construction or renovation of schools serving the County of Chesterfield and which shall expire on July 22, 2046?

A YES vote means

Chesterfield County could levy an added local sales tax of up to 1%, used only for school construction or renovation projects, expiring July 22, 2046.

A NO vote means

Chesterfield County would not levy this added local sales tax for schools.

Needed to pass

A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Leaving it blank doesn't count either way.

Left–right lean

Unclear: our AI read of the official summary isn't confident enough (we require 70%) to place this on the left–right spectrum, so we don't. Read the summary and decide for yourself.

The YES and NO lines are SpectrumVote's plain-language reading of the official text above; the official text is what you vote on.

Official text: source

Background

The Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted a resolution on July 22, 2026 asking the Chesterfield Circuit Court to order this referendum, under a Virginia law effective July 1, 2026 that lets localities seek voter approval of a local sales tax of up to 1% for school capital projects, according to the county.

The county estimates the tax would raise $65 million to $70 million a year, usable only for public school construction, capital renovation and related financing; it says the money cannot replace existing county school capital funding or repay debt from the 2022 bond referendum.

According to the county, voter approval does not itself impose the tax: the Board must adopt a separate levying ordinance, and the county says it would cut the real estate tax rate by 2 cents and the personal property tax rate by 10 cents if the sales tax is implemented, which also requires separate Board action.

Projects the county lists include replacing Midlothian Middle School, an addition at Thomas Dale High School, two new elementary schools and a Matoaca Middle School renovation.

Put on the ballot by Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors, unanimous, July 22, 2026 (resolution requesting a referendum order from the Circuit Court).

From official source.

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Quick answers

What does a YES vote on Chesterfield County mean?

Chesterfield County could levy an added local sales tax of up to 1%, used only for school construction or renovation projects, expiring July 22, 2046.

What does a NO vote on Chesterfield County mean?

Chesterfield County would not levy this added local sales tax for schools.

How many votes does Chesterfield County need to pass?

A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Leaving it blank doesn't count either way.

Should I vote yes or no on Chesterfield County?

SpectrumVote doesn't endorse anyone or tell you how to vote. Read what a YES and a NO vote each do, and the official text, then decide based on what you want to happen.

When is the vote?

The general election was Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Counts are unofficial until each state certifies its results over the following weeks; your state or county election office has the official results.