This is Part I of a three-part series about the past, on property rights in Virginia, centering around the Boneta Bill and abuses by localities of their zoning powers. A Gradation of Authorities Virginia counties and localities are political subdivisions of the state subject to the Dillon Rule, meaning their powers are derived from the state legislature. Article VII of the Virginia Constitution reads: “The General Assembly may provide by general law or special act that any county, city, town, or other unit of government may exercise any of its powers or perform any of its functions . . ....