Research About Meet PRIA

Support Data Sources Privacy Policy Terms of Servicehello@policyrisk.com

© 2026 PRIA Technologies, LLC. All rights reserved.

PRIA provides educational policy intelligence and is not a source of investment, legal, or financial advice. Content is for informational purposes only.

™

Your Policy Risk Impact Agent

Research

At My Address
Federal Courts
Daily Briefings
Medicare & Social Security
Policy Risk Index
Congressional Bills
Federal Register
Tariffs
Fed Decisions & The Economy
State Tracker
World Watch
U.S. Code
U.S. Constitution
Aliens

Knowledge

Search Polipedia
Daily Briefings
Calculators
Policy Risk Index
What is Policy Risk?
The Countdown

Company

About PRIA
Support

Get PRIA

Support Data Sources Privacy Policy Terms of Service

hello@policyrisk.com

© 2026 PRIA Technologies, LLC. All rights reserved.

PRIA is a trademark of PRIA Technologies, LLC.

PRIA provides educational policy intelligence and is not a source of investment, legal, or financial advice. Content is for informational purposes only.

Virginia Statutes, Title 18.2

™

Your Policy Risk Impact Agent

Virginia/Statutes

← All Virginia coverage

Title 18.2, Title 18.2. Crimes and Offenses Generally

13 chapters · 884 sections in this title.

All chapters in Title 18.2884 Ch 7, Chapter 7. Crimes Involving Health a…204 Ch 5, Chapter 5. Crimes Against Property.138 Ch 6, Chapter 6. Crimes Involving Fraud.129 Ch 8, Chapter 8. Crimes Involving Morals a…123 Ch 4, Chapter 4. Crimes Against the Person.115 Ch 10, Chapter 10. Crimes Against the Admin…63 Ch 9, Chapter 9. Crimes Against Peace and …37 Ch 12, Chapter 12. Miscellaneous.28 Ch 1, Chapter 1. In General.17 Ch 11, Chapter 11. Offenses Against the Sov…13 Ch 3, Chapter 3. Inchoate Offenses.8 Ch 13, Chapter 13. Virginia Racketeer Influ…6 Ch 2, Chapter 2. Principals and Accessories.3

884 sections·Filtered byTitle 18.2✕

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-45 Persons suffering death from mob attempting to lynch another person
0.3K chars
Every person suffering death from a mob attempting to lynch another person shall come within the provisions of this article, and his personal representative shall be entitled to relief in the same manner and to the same extent as if he were the originally intended victim of such …
Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-46 Venue
0.3K chars
Venue for all actions and prosecutions under any of the provisions of this article shall be in the county or city wherein a lynching or other violation of any of the provisions of this article may have occurred, or of the county or city from which the person lynched or assaulted …
Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-46.1 (Effective until July 1, 2027) Definitions
1.6K chars
As used in this article, unless the context requires a different meaning: "Act of violence" means those felony offenses described in subsection C of § 17.1-805 or subsection A of § 19.2-297.1. "Criminal street gang" means any ongoing organization, association, or group of three o…
Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-46.10 Violation of sections within article separate and distinct offenses
0.4K chars

Showing 51–100 of 884

Page 2 of 18

← Previous Next →

A violation of any section in this article shall constitute a separate and distinct offense. If the acts or activities violating any section within this article also violate another provision of law, a prosecution under any section in this article shall not prohibit or bar any pr…

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-46.2 Prohibited criminal street gang participation; penalty

1.0K chars

A. Any person who actively participates in or is a member of a criminal street gang and who knowingly and willfully participates in any predicate criminal act committed for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with any criminal street gang is guilty of a Class 4…

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-46.3 Recruitment of persons for criminal street gang; penalty

1.1K chars

A. Any person who solicits, invites, recruits, encourages or otherwise causes or attempts to cause another to actively participate in or become a member of what he knows to be a criminal street gang is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. Any person age 18 years or older who solicits…

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-46.3:1 Third or subsequent conviction of criminal street gang crimes

0.4K chars

Upon a felony conviction of § 18.2-46.2 or 18.2-46.3, where it is alleged in the warrant, information or indictment on which a person is convicted that (i) such person has been previously convicted twice under any combination of § 18.2-46.2 or 18.2-46.3, within 10 years of the th…

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-46.3:2 Forfeiture

1.1K chars

All property, both personal and real, of any kind or character used in substantial connection with, intended for use in the course of, derived from, traceable to, or realized through, including any profit or interest derived from, any conduct in violation of any provision of this…

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-46.3:3 Enhanced punishment for gang activity taking place in a gang-free zone; penalties

1.4K chars

Any person who violates § 18.2-46.2 (i) upon the property, including buildings and grounds, of any public or private elementary, secondary, or postsecondary school or institution of higher education; (ii) upon public property or any property open to public use within 1,000 feet o…

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-46.4 Definitions

1.3K chars

As used in this article, unless the context requires otherwise or it is otherwise provided: "Act of terrorism" means an act of violence as defined in clause (i) of subdivision A of § 19.2-297.1 or an act that would be an act of violence if committed within the Commonwealth commit…

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-46.5 Committing, conspiring and aiding and abetting acts of terrorism prohibited; penalty

1.3K chars

A. Any person who commits or conspires to commit, or aids and abets the commission of an act of terrorism, as defined in § 18.2-46.4, is guilty of a Class 2 felony if the base offense of such act of terrorism may be punished by life imprisonment, or a term of imprisonment of not …

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-46.6 Possession, manufacture, distribution, etc., of weapon of terrorism or hoax device prohibited; penalty

1.9K chars

A. Any person who, with the intent to commit an act of terrorism, possesses, uses, sells, gives, distributes or manufactures (i) a weapon of terrorism or (ii) a "fire bomb," "explosive material," or "device," as those terms are defined in § 18.2-85, is guilty of a Class 2 felony.…

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-46.7 Act of bioterrorism against agricultural crops or animals; penalty

0.7K chars

Any person who maliciously destroys or devastates agricultural crops or agricultural animals having a value of $2,500 or more through the use of an infectious biological substance with the intent to (i) intimidate the civilian population or (ii) influence the conduct or activitie…

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-46.8 Venue

0.2K chars

Venue for any violation of this article may be had in the county or city where such crime is alleged to have occurred or where any act in furtherance of an act prohibited by this article was committed.

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-47 Abduction and kidnapping defined; forced labor; punishment

2.3K chars

A. Any person who, by force, intimidation or deception, and without legal justification or excuse, seizes, takes, transports, detains or secretes another person with the intent to deprive such other person of his personal liberty or to withhold or conceal him from any person, aut…

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-48 Abduction with intent to extort money or for immoral purpose

0.8K chars

Abduction (i) of any person with the intent to extort money or pecuniary benefit, (ii) of any person with intent to defile such person, (iii) of any child under sixteen years of age for the purpose of concubinage or prostitution, (iv) of any person for the purpose of prostitution…

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-48.1 Abduction by prisoners or committed persons; penalty

0.4K chars

Any person confined in a state, local, or community correctional facility or committed to the Department of Juvenile Justice in any juvenile correctional center, or in the custody of an employee thereof, or who has escaped from any such facility or from any person in charge of su…

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-49 Threatening, attempting, or assisting in such abduction; penalty

0.4K chars

Any person who (1) threatens, or attempts, to abduct any other person with intent to extort money, or pecuniary benefit; (2) assists or aids in the abduction of, or threatens to abduct, any person with the intent to defile such person; or (3) assists or aids in the abduction of, …

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-49.1 Violation of court order regarding custody and visitation; penalty

0.9K chars

A. Any person who knowingly, wrongfully and intentionally withholds a child from either of a child's parents or other legal guardian in a clear and significant violation of a court order respecting the custody or visitation of such child, provided such child is withheld outside o…

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-50 Disclosure of information and assistance to law-enforcement officers required

0.6K chars

Whenever it is brought to the attention of the members of the immediate family of any person that such person has been abducted, or that threats or attempts have been made to abduct any such person, such members shall make immediate report thereof to the police or other law-enfor…

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-50.2 Emergency control of telephone service in hostage or barricaded person situation

3.0K chars

A. The Superintendent of the State Police or the chief law-enforcement officer or sheriff of any county, city or town may designate one or more law-enforcement officers with appropriate technical training or expertise as a hostage and barricade communications specialist. B. Each …

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-50.3 Enticing, etc., another into a dwelling house with intent to commit certain felonies; penalty

0.4K chars

Any person who commits a violation of § 18.2-31, 18.2-32, 18.2-32.1, 18.2-48, 18.2-51.2, 18.2-58, 18.2-61, 18.2-67.1, or 18.2-67.2 within a dwelling house and who, with the intent to commit a felony listed in this section, enticed, solicited, requested, or otherwise caused the vi…

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-51 Shooting, stabbing, etc., with intent to maim, kill, etc

0.4K chars

If any person maliciously shoot, stab, cut, or wound any person or by any means cause him bodily injury, with the intent to maim, disfigure, disable, or kill, he shall, except where it is otherwise provided, be guilty of a Class 3 felony. If such act be done unlawfully but not ma…

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-51.1 Malicious bodily injury to law-enforcement officers, firefighters, search and rescue personnel, or emergency medical services personnel; penalty; lesser-included offense

3.0K chars

If any person maliciously causes bodily injury to another by any means including the means set out in § 18.2-52, with intent to maim, disfigure, disable or kill, and knowing or having reason to know that such other person is a law-enforcement officer, as defined hereinafter, fire…

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-51.2 Aggravated malicious wounding; penalty

0.9K chars

A. If any person maliciously shoots, stabs, cuts or wounds any other person, or by any means causes bodily injury, with the intent to maim, disfigure, disable or kill, he shall be guilty of a Class 2 felony if the victim is thereby severely injured and is caused to suffer permane…

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-51.3 Prohibition against reckless endangerment of others by throwing objects from places higher than one story; penalty

0.3K chars

A. It shall be unlawful for any person, with the intent to cause injury to another, to intentionally throw from a balcony, roof top, or other place more than one story above ground level any object capable of causing any such injury. B. A violation of this section shall be punish…

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-51.4 Maiming, etc., of another resulting from driving while intoxicated

1.3K chars

A. Any person who, as a result of driving while intoxicated in violation of § 18.2-266 or any local ordinance substantially similar thereto in a manner so gross, wanton, and culpable as to show a reckless disregard for human life, unintentionally causes the serious bodily injury …

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-51.5 Maiming, etc., of another resulting from operating a watercraft while intoxicated; penalty

1.8K chars

A. Any person who, as a result of operating a watercraft or motorboat in violation of subsection B of § 29.1-738 or a similar local ordinance in a manner so gross, wanton, and culpable as to show reckless disregard for human life, unintentionally causes the serious bodily injury …

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-51.6 Strangulation or suffocation of another; penalty

0.6K chars

A. Any person who, without consent, impedes the blood circulation or respiration of another person by knowingly, intentionally, and unlawfully applying pressure to the neck of such person resulting in the wounding or bodily injury of such person is guilty of strangulation, a Clas…

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-51.7 Female genital mutilation; penalty

1.4K chars

A. Any person who knowingly circumcises, excises, or infibulates, in whole or in any part, the labia majora or labia minora or clitoris of another person who has not attained the age of 18 years is guilty of a Class 2 felony. B. Any parent, guardian, or other person responsible f…

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-52 Malicious bodily injury by means of any caustic substance or agent or use of any explosive or fire

0.4K chars

If any person maliciously causes any other person bodily injury by means of any acid, lye or other caustic substance or agent or use of any explosive or fire, he shall be guilty of a felony and shall be punished by confinement in a state correctional facility for a period of not …

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-52.1 Possession of infectious biological substances or radiological agents; penalties

1.5K chars

A. Any person who possesses, with the intent thereby to injure another, an infectious biological substance or radiological agent is guilty of a Class 5 felony. B. Any person who (i) destroys or damages, or attempts to destroy or damage, any facility, equipment or material involve…

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-52.2 Animal attack resulting from owner's disregard for human life; penalty

0.8K chars

A. Any owner of an animal is guilty of a Class 6 felony if his willful act or omission in the care, control, or containment of such animal is so gross, wanton, and culpable as to show a reckless disregard for human life and is the proximate cause of such animal attacking and caus…

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-53 Shooting, etc., in committing or attempting a felony

0.2K chars

If any person, in the commission of, or attempt to commit, felony, unlawfully shoot, stab, cut or wound another person he shall be guilty of a Class 6 felony.

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-53.1 Use or display of firearm in committing felony

1.1K chars

It shall be unlawful for any person to use or attempt to use any pistol, shotgun, rifle, or other firearm or display such weapon in a threatening manner while committing or attempting to commit murder, rape, forcible sodomy, inanimate or animate object sexual penetration as defin…

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-54 Conviction of lesser offenses under certain indictments

0.5K chars

On any indictment for maliciously shooting, stabbing, cutting or wounding a person or by any means causing him bodily injury, with intent to maim, disfigure, disable or kill him, or of causing bodily injury by means of any acid, lye or other caustic substance or agent, the jury o…

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-54.1 Attempts to poison

0.3K chars

If any person administers or attempts to administer any poison or destructive substance in food, drink, prescription or over-the-counter medicine, or otherwise, or poisons any spring, well, waterworks as defined in § 32.1-167, or reservoir of water with intent to kill or injure a…

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-54.2 Adulteration of food, drink, drugs, cosmetics, etc.; penalty

0.3K chars

Any person who adulterates or causes to be adulterated any food, drink, prescription or over-the-counter medicine, cosmetic or other substance with the intent to kill or injure any individual who ingests, inhales or uses such substance shall be guilty of a Class 3 felony.

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-55 Bodily injuries caused by prisoners, state juvenile probationers and state and local adult probationers or adult parolees

1.5K chars

A. It shall be unlawful for a person confined in a state, local or regional correctional facility as defined in § 53.1-1; in a secure facility or detention home as defined in § 16.1-228 or in any facility designed for the secure detention of juveniles; or while in the custody of …

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-55.1 Hazing of youth gang members unlawful; criminal liability

0.7K chars

It shall be unlawful to cause bodily injury by hazing (i) any member of a criminal street gang as defined in § 18.2-46.1, or (ii) a person seeking to become a member of a youth gang or criminal street gang. Any person found guilty of hazing is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. For…

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-56 Hazing unlawful; civil and criminal liability; duty of school, etc., officials; penalty

1.9K chars

It shall be unlawful to haze so as to cause bodily injury, any student at any school or institution of higher education. Any person found guilty thereof shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. Any person receiving bodily injury by hazing shall have a right to sue, civilly, the …

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-56.1 Reckless handling of firearms; reckless handling while hunting

2.3K chars

A. It shall be unlawful for any person to handle recklessly any firearm so as to endanger the life, limb or property of any person. Any person violating this section shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. A1. Any person who handles any firearm in a manner so gross, wanton, and…

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-56.2 Allowing access to firearms by children; penalty

0.8K chars

A. It shall be unlawful for any person to recklessly leave a loaded, unsecured firearm in such a manner as to endanger the life or limb of any child under the age of fourteen. Any person violating the provisions of this subsection shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. B. It s…

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-57 Assault and battery; penalty

9.2K chars

A. 1. Any person who commits a simple assault or assault and battery is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. 2. Any person who commits a simple assault or assault and battery against a person he intentionally selects because of his race, religious conviction, gender, disability, gend…

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-57.01 Pointing laser at law-enforcement officer unlawful; penalty

0.6K chars

If any person, knowing or having reason to know another person is a law-enforcement officer as defined in § 18.2-57, a probation or parole officer appointed pursuant to § 53.1-143, a correctional officer as defined in § 53.1-1, or a person employed by the Department of Correction…

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-57.02 Disarming a law-enforcement or correctional officer; penalty

0.9K chars

Any person who knows or has reason to know a person is a law-enforcement officer as defined in § 18.2-57, a correctional officer as defined in § 53.1-1, or a person employed by the Department of Corrections directly involved in the care, treatment or supervision of inmates in the…

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-57.2 Assault and battery against a family or household member; penalty

1.4K chars

A. Any person who commits an assault and battery against a family or household member is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. B. Upon a conviction for assault and battery against a family or household member, where it is alleged in the warrant, petition, information, or indictment on…

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-57.3 Persons charged with first offense of assault and battery against a family or household member may be placed on local community-based probation; conditions; education and treatment programs; costs and fees; violations; discharge

5.5K chars

A. When a person is charged with a simple assault in violation of subsection A of § 18.2-57 where the victim was a family or household member of the person or a violation of § 18.2-57.2, the court may defer the proceedings against such person, without a finding of guilt, and plac…

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-57.4 Reporting findings of assault and battery to military family advocacy representatives

0.2K chars

If any active duty member of the United States Armed Forces is found guilty of a violation of § 18.2-57.2 or § 18.2-57.3, the court shall report the conviction to family advocacy representatives of the United States Armed Forces.

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-57.5 Certain matters not to constitute defenses

0.5K chars

A. Another person's actual or perceived sex, gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation is not in and of itself, or together with an oral solicitation, a defense to any charge brought under this article. B. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent a defendant fro…