Title 18.2, Title 18.2. Crimes and Offenses Generally

A. "Novelty lighter" means a mechanical or electrical device containing a combustible fuel typically used for lighting cigarettes, cigars, or pipes that is (i) designed to resemble a cartoon character, toy, gun, watch, musical instrument, vehicle, animal, food, or beverage, or (i…

The word "obscene" where it appears in this article shall mean that which, considered as a whole, has as its dominant theme or purpose an appeal to the prurient interest in sex, that is, a shameful or morbid interest in nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement, excretory functio…

Obscene items shall include: (1) Any obscene book; (2) Any obscene leaflet, pamphlet, magazine, booklet, picture, painting, bumper sticker, drawing, photograph, film, negative, slide, motion picture, videotape recording; (3) Any obscene figure, object, article, instrument, novelt…

It shall be unlawful for any person knowingly to: (1) Prepare any obscene item for the purposes of sale or distribution; or (2) Print, copy, manufacture, produce, or reproduce any obscene item for purposes of sale or distribution; or (3) Publish, sell, rent, lend, transport in in…

A. For purposes of this article and Article 4 (§ 18.2-362 et seq.) of this chapter, "child pornography" means sexually explicit visual material that (i) utilizes or has as a subject an identifiable minor or (ii) depicts a minor in a state of nudity or engaged in sexual conduct, a…

A. Any person who knowingly possesses child pornography is guilty of a Class 6 felony. B. Any person who commits a second or subsequent violation of subsection A is guilty of a Class 5 felony. C. Any person who knowingly (i) reproduces by any means, including by computer, sells, …

A. As used in this section, "use a communications system" means making personal contact or direct contact through any agent or agency, any print medium, the United States mail, any common carrier or communication common carrier, any electronic communications system, the Internet,…

A. Any person 18 years of age or older who displays any obscene item or material, including child pornography or a grooming video or materials to a child younger than 13 years of age with lascivious intent to entice, solicit, or encourage the child to engage in the touching or fo…

It shall be unlawful for any person knowingly to: (1) Produce, promote, prepare, present, manage, direct, carry on or participate in, any obscene exhibitions or performances, including the exhibition or performance of any obscene motion picture, play, drama, show, entertainment, …

It shall be unlawful for any person knowingly to prepare, print, publish, or circulate, or cause to be prepared, printed, published or circulated, any notice or advertisement of any obscene item proscribed in § 18.2-373, or of any obscene performance or exhibition proscribed in §…

Any person who uses a computer in connection with a violation of §§ 18.2-374, 18.2-375, or § 18.2-376 is guilty of a separate and distinct Class 1 misdemeanor, and for a second or subsequent such offense within 10 years of a prior such offense is guilty of a Class 6 felony, the p…

It shall be unlawful for any person knowingly to expose, place, display, post up, exhibit, paint, print, or mark, or cause to be exposed, placed, displayed, posted, exhibited, painted, printed or marked, in or on any building, structure, billboard, wall or fence, or on any street…

It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, association or corporation, as a condition to any sale, allocation, consignment or delivery for resale of any paper, magazine, book, periodical or publication to require that the purchaser or consignee receive for resale any other articl…

It shall be unlawful for any person knowingly to hire, employ, use or permit any minor to do or assist in doing any act or thing constituting an offense under this article.

Any person, firm, association or corporation convicted for the first time of an offense under §§ 18.2-374, 18.2-375, 18.2-376, 18.2-377, 18.2-378 or § 18.2-379, shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.

Any person, firm, association or corporation convicted of a second or other subsequent offense under § 18.2-374, 18.2-375, 18.2-376, 18.2-377, 18.2-378, or 18.2-379 is guilty of a Class 6 felony. However, if the person, firm, association or corporation convicted of such subsequen…

Every person who knowingly: (1) Photographs himself or any other person, for purposes of preparing an obscene film, photograph, negative, slide or motion picture for purposes of sale or distribution; or (2) Models, poses, acts, or otherwise assists in the preparation of any obsce…

Nothing contained in this article shall be construed to apply to: (1) The purchase, distribution, exhibition, or loan of any book, magazine, or other printed or manuscript material by any library, school, or institution of higher education, supported by public appropriation; (2) …

A. Whenever he has reasonable cause to believe that any person is engaged in the sale or commercial distribution of any obscene book, any citizen or the attorney for the Commonwealth of any county or city, or city attorney, in which the sale or commercial distribution of such boo…

The provisions of § 18.2-384 shall apply mutatis mutandis in the case of motion picture film.

It shall be unlawful for any person to exhibit any trailer or preview of any motion picture which has a motion picture industry rating which would not permit persons in the audience viewing the feature motion picture to see the complete motion picture from which the trailer or pr…

A. It is unlawful for any person to knowingly and intentionally create any videographic or still image by any means whatsoever of any nonconsenting person if (i) that person is (a) totally nude; (b) clad in undergarments; (c) in a state of undress so as to expose the genitals, pu…

A. Any person who, with the intent to coerce, harass, or intimidate, maliciously disseminates or sells any videographic or still image created by any means whatsoever that depicts another person (i) who is totally nude; (ii) who is in a state of undress so as to expose the genita…

Every person who intentionally makes an obscene display or exposure of his person, or the private parts thereof, in any public place, or in any place where others are present, or procures another to so expose himself, shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. No person shall be d…

Any person who, while in any public place where others are present, intending that he be seen by others, intentionally and obscenely as defined in § 18.2-372, engages in actual or explicitly simulated acts of masturbation, is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.

If any person is intoxicated in public, whether such intoxication results from alcohol, narcotic drug, or other intoxicant or drug of whatever nature, he is guilty of a Class 4 misdemeanor. In any area in which there is located a court-approved detoxification center, a law-enforc…

As used in this article: (1) "Juvenile" means a person less than 18 years of age. (2) "Nudity" means a state of undress so as to expose the human male or female genitals, pubic area or buttocks with less than a full opaque covering, or the showing of the female breast with less t…

A. It shall be unlawful for any person to sell, rent or loan to a juvenile, knowing or having reason to know that such person is a juvenile, or to knowingly display for commercial purpose in a manner whereby juveniles may examine and peruse: 1. Any picture, photography, drawing, …

Nothing contained in this article shall be construed to apply to: 1. The purchase, distribution, exhibition, or loan of any work of art, book, magazine, or other printed or manuscript material by any accredited museum, library, school, or institution of higher education. 2. The e…

The following unlawful acts and offenses against animals shall constitute and be punished as a Class 1 misdemeanor: 1. Violation of subsection A of § 3.2-6570 pertaining to cruelty to animals, except as provided for second or subsequent violations in that section. 2. Violation of…

The following unlawful acts and offenses against animals shall constitute and be punished as a Class 3 misdemeanor: 1. Violation of § 3.2-6511 pertaining to the failure of a shopkeeper or pet dealer to provide adequate care to animals. 2. Violation of § 3.2-6509 pertaining to the…

The following unlawful acts and offenses against animals shall constitute and be punished as a Class 4 misdemeanor: 1. Violation of § 3.2-6566 pertaining to interference of agents charged with preventing cruelty to animals. 2. Violation of § 3.2-6573 pertaining to shooting pigeon…

Any person who intentionally releases an animal, as defined in § 3.2-6500, lawfully confined for scientific, research, commercial, agricultural or educational purposes without the consent of the owner or custodian of the animal and with the intent to impede or obstruct any such l…

Any person or persons who in any public place or on any private property open to the public unreasonably or unnecessarily obstructs the free passage of other persons to and from or within such place or property and who shall fail or refuse to cease such obstruction or move on whe…

A. As used in this section, unless the context requires a different meaning: "Interfere with" means to restrict a person's freedom of movement. "Intimidate" means to place a person in reasonable apprehension of bodily harm to himself or to another person. "Physical obstruction" m…

Any unlawful use, by three or more persons acting together, of force or violence which seriously jeopardizes the public safety, peace or order is riot. Every person convicted of participating in any riot shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. If such person carried, at the tim…

Whenever three or more persons assembled share the common intent to advance some lawful or unlawful purpose by the commission of an act or acts of unlawful force or violence likely to jeopardize seriously public safety, peace or order, and the assembly actually tends to inspire p…

Every person, except the owner or lessee of the premises, his family and nonrioting guests, and public officers and persons assisting them, who remains at the place of any riot or unlawful assembly after having been lawfully warned to disperse, shall be guilty of a Class 3 misdem…

Any person who conspires with others to cause or produce a riot, or directs, incites, or solicits other persons who participate in a riot to acts of force or violence, shall be guilty of a Class 5 felony.

Every person acting jointly or in combination with any other person to resist or obstruct the execution of any legal process shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.

If it appears to the Governor that the power of the locality is not sufficient to enable the sheriff or other officer to execute process delivered to him or to suppress riots and to preserve the peace, he may order law-enforcement agencies, national guard, militia or other agenci…

When any number of persons, whether armed or not, are unlawfully or riotously assembled, the sheriff of the county and his deputies, the police officials of the county, city or town, and any assigned militia, or any of them, shall go among the persons assembled or as near to them…

No liability, criminal or civil, shall be imposed upon any person authorized to disperse or assist in dispersing a riot or unlawful assembly for any action of such person which was taken after those rioting or unlawfully assembled had been commanded to disperse, and which action …

Any person, who after the publication of a proclamation by the Governor, or who after lawful notice to disperse and retire, resists or aids in resisting the execution of process in any county, city or town declared to be in a state of riot or insurrection, or who aids or attempts…

If any person or persons, unlawfully or riotously assembled, pull down, injure, or destroy, or begin to pull down, injure or destroy any dwelling house or other building, or assist therein, or perpetrate any premeditated injury on the person of another, he shall be guilty of a Cl…

Any person who unreasonably or unnecessarily obstructs the delivery of emergency medical services by emergency medical services agency personnel, whether governmental, private, or volunteer, or who fails or refuses to cease such obstruction or move on when requested to do so by e…