Title 1, General Provisions

Whenever any act of the General Assembly in effect at noon on July 1, 1971, refers to any section, article, or provision of the prior Constitution of Virginia, such reference shall apply to any comparable section, article, or provision of the Constitution of Virginia then in effe…

If any notice, summons, order, or other official document of any type is required to be posted pursuant to a provision of the Code on or at the front door of a courthouse or on a public bulletin board at a courthouse, it shall constitute compliance with this requirement if the no…

"Courts of record" means the Supreme Court of Virginia, the Court of Appeals of Virginia, and the circuit courts. 1971, Ex. Sess., c. 49, § 1-13.5:1; 2005, c. 839.

The governing body of a political subdivision shall be responsible for any duty or responsibility imposed upon its political subdivision.

A. All laws enacted at a regular session of the General Assembly, including laws which are enacted by reason of actions taken during the reconvened session following a regular session, but excluding general appropriation acts, decennial reapportionment acts, and emergency acts, s…

"Ex officio" means service by virtue of one's office and includes voting privileges for ex officio members unless otherwise provided.

A word used in the masculine includes the feminine and neuter.

The headlines of the sections printed in black-face type are intended as mere catchwords to indicate the contents of the sections and do not constitute part of the act of the General Assembly.

"Includes" means includes, but not limited to.

"Land," "lands," or "real estate" includes lands, tenements and hereditaments, and all rights and appurtenances thereto and interests therein, other than a chattel interest.

A. The right to private property being a fundamental right, the General Assembly shall not pass any law whereby private property shall be taken or damaged for public uses without just compensation. The term "public uses" mentioned in Article I, Section 11 of the Constitution of V…

When counties, cities and towns are empowered to incorporate by reference provisions of the Code, acts of the General Assembly, or state regulations into a local ordinance, any ordinance incorporating by reference provisions of the Code, acts of the General Assembly or state regu…

"Locality" means a county, city, or town as the context may require.

Whenever authority is conferred by law to three or more persons, a majority of such persons shall have the power to exercise such authority, unless otherwise provided.

"Manufacturer" shall not include any farm or aggregation of farms that owns and operates facilities within the Commonwealth for the generation of electric energy from waste-to-energy technology. As used in this definition, (i) "farm" means any person that obtains at least 51 perc…

"Month" means a calendar month and "year" means a calendar year.

"Municipality," "incorporated communities," "municipal corporation," and words or terms of similar import mean cities and towns.

"Nonlegislative citizen member" means any natural person who is not a member of the General Assembly of Virginia.

"Notary" means notary public.

A word used in the singular includes the plural and a word used in the plural includes the singular.

"Oath" includes affirmation.

Whenever any county, city, town, political subdivision, or combination thereof is identified in an act of the General Assembly by reference to its proximity to a county that has adopted an optional form of government provided in Title 15.2, and that county changes its form of gov…

"Person" includes any individual, corporation, partnership, association, cooperative, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, government, political subdivision, or any other legal or commercial entity and any successor, representative, agent, agency, or instrumentality t…

Whenever the term "person" is defined to include both "corporation" and "partnership," such term shall also include "business trust and limited liability company."

"Person under disability" includes a person less than 18 years of age.

"Personal estate" includes chattels real and such other estate as, upon the death of the owner intestate, would devolve upon his personal representative.

"Personal representative" includes the executor of a will or the administrator of the estate of a decedent, the administrator of such estate with the will annexed, the administrator of such estate unadministered by a former representative, whether there is a will or not, any pers…

"Population" or "inhabitants" means with reference to any county, city, town, political subdivision of the Commonwealth or any combination thereof, the natural persons in such county, city, town, political subdivision or combination as shown by the unadjusted United States decenn…

Any act of the General Assembly with a population classification applicable to any county, city, town, or subdivision of the Commonwealth or any combination thereof shall continue to apply to any such body notwithstanding any subsequent change in population and shall apply to any…

"Process" includes subpoenas, the summons and complaint in a civil action, and process in statutory actions.

"Reenacted," when used in the title or enactment of a bill or act of the General Assembly, means that the changes enacted to a section of the Code of Virginia or an act of the General Assembly are in addition to the existing substantive provisions in that section or act, and are …

No new act of the General Assembly shall be construed to repeal a former law, as to any offense committed against the former law, or as to any act done, any penalty, forfeiture, or punishment incurred, or any right accrued, or claim arising under the former law, or in any way wha…

When an act of the General Assembly that has repealed another act shall itself be repealed, the previous act shall not be revived without express words to that effect, unless the act repealing it be passed during the same session.

A parent has a fundamental right to make decisions concerning the upbringing, education, and care of the parent's child.

"Seal," when required to be affixed by any court or public office to any paper, includes an impression or print of such official seal made upon the paper. When the seal of any natural person is required, it shall be sufficient for the person to place a mark intended as a seal.

"Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections," whenever the Committee is referred to as an appointing authority, means the Senate Committee designated under the Rules of the Senate to make Senate appointments to study committees and commissions.

The provisions of acts of the General Assembly or the application thereof to any person or circumstances that are held invalid shall not affect the validity of other acts, provisions, or applications that can be given effect without the invalid provisions or applications. The pro…

Whenever a subtitle, chapter, or article does not have a section or provision establishing or authorizing a short title citation for such subtitle, chapter or article, such subtitle, chapter or article may be cited by its caption. The caption is that word or group of words appear…

"State," when applied to a part of the United States, includes any of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands.

Stricken language for deletions and italics for additions or changes may be used in legislative drafts, printed bills, enrolled bills, and printed Acts of Assembly, in an attempt to call attention to amendments to existing acts of the General Assembly. The stricken language and i…

Any legislative summary associated with a bill, joint resolution or resolution, including any summary appearing on the face of such legislation, shall not constitute a part of the legislation considered, agreed to, or enacted, and shall not be used to indicate or infer legislativ…

The Constitution and laws of the United States and of the Commonwealth shall be supreme. Any ordinance, resolution, bylaw, rule, regulation, or order of any governing body or any corporation, board, or number of persons shall not be inconsistent with the Constitution and laws of …

"Supreme Court" means the Supreme Court of Virginia.

"Swear" or "sworn" means "affirm" or "affirmed."

"Systems of state highways" means all systems of highways within the Commonwealth over which the Commonwealth Transportation Board exercises jurisdiction and control. In context, such words shall apply to the extent, but only to the extent, that the Commonwealth Transportation Bo…