New publicly-accessible buildings could be required to have baby diaper changing tables after a push from state Sen. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker (D-39), whose district includes part of Arlington.
Virginia’s Board of Housing and Community Development voted Monday to approve Bennett-Parker’s proposal to require diaper changing tables in new buildings that are open to the public. The policy would apply to each floor containing public restrooms in new assembly, business, educational, and mercantile occupancy buildings, Group R-1 hotels and motels, and highway rest stops.
The changing tables would need to be accessible in restrooms for both female and male caregivers.
The new policy will tentatively take effect in October 2027, pending publication of the proposed regulations, a public comment period and public hearing, Bennett-Parker told ARLnow.
“Many public buildings and restaurants in Virginia lack diaper changing stations, forcing caregivers to make impossible choices: change their baby on a dirty bathroom floor, on a restaurant table where others will eat, or leave the establishment entirely,” Bennett-Parker said. “This also affects fathers/male caregivers, who often face even fewer options than mothers/female caregivers.”
Bennett-Parker, mother to a now-3-year-old daughter, was motivated to seek the code update after experiencing challenges finding changing tables.
“We were in a restaurant and I took her to the bathroom for a diaper change only to discover that there was no changing table — or any safe or sanitary place to change her,” Bennett-Parker said. “This isn’t just inconvenient — it’s a public health issue that creates sanitary concerns for everyone.”
A reason statement associated with the building code change notes how few changing tables are often available in places like restaurants and campus restrooms, often requiring caregivers to improvise — increasing the risk of falls, contamination and the spread of disease.
“Moving forward with this proposal would align Virginia with national trends while advancing family accessibility, public health, and safety,” the statement says.
The legislation stipulates that establishments must provide signage at the entrance to each facility with a changing table.
Bennett-Parker, who won a special election to succeed former state Sen. Adam Ebbin in February, submitted the changing table proposal last year while serving as a state delegate. The Board of Housing and Community Development began accepting proposals last year for updating the building code, which happens every three years.
At a General Stakeholder Workgroup Meeting for building code development in January, Bennett-Parker noted 14 other states and D.C. have changing table requirements, and other states are considering them.
