Title 1, Title 1. General Provisions

No such repeal nor any amendment or revision of the Constitution of Virginia shall affect any offense or act committed or done, or any penalty or forfeiture incurred, or any right established, accrued, or accruing before the day upon which such repeal, amendment or revision takes…

All persons who, at the time when such repeal takes effect, shall hold any office under any of the acts hereby repealed, shall continue to hold the same according to the tenure thereof, except those offices which may have been abolished, and those as to which a different provisio…

The repeal by any provisions of this Code of a statute validating previous acts, contracts or transactions shall not affect the validity of such acts, contracts or transactions, but the same shall remain as valid as if there had been no such repeal, but no further.

The enactment of this Code shall not affect any act passed by the General Assembly, which shall have become a law after January 14, 1948, and before February 1, 1950; but every such act shall have full effect, and so far as the same varies from or conflicts with any provision con…

Although a notice, recognizance or process shall have been given, taken or issued before the day prescribed for the commencement of this Code, or of any provisions of this Code, it may, nevertheless, be given, taken or returnable to a day after such commencement, or to a court es…

Nothing in this Code shall operate to discontinue any cause or matter, civil or criminal, which shall be pending and undetermined in any court on the day before this Code, or any provision of this Code, takes effect; but every such cause and matter shall be proceeded in, tried an…

The common law of England, insofar as it is not repugnant to the principles of the Bill of Rights and Constitution of this Commonwealth, shall continue in full force within the same, and be the rule of decision, except as altered by the General Assembly.

The right and benefit of all writs, remedial and judicial, given by any statute or act of Parliament, made in aid of the common law prior to the fourth year of the reign of James the First, of a general nature, not local to England, shall still be saved, insofar as the same are c…

The rules and definitions set forth in this chapter shall be used in the construction of this Code and the acts of the General Assembly, unless the construction would be inconsistent with the manifest intention of the General Assembly.

"Adult" means a person 18 years of age or more.

For the purposes of all laws of the Commonwealth including common law, case law, and the acts of the General Assembly, unless an exception is specifically provided in this Code, a person shall be an adult, shall be of full age, and shall reach the age of majority when he becomes …

"Bond with surety" includes the payment in cash of the full amount of the required bond and, in such case, no surety shall be required.

A. If any mail or notice is required to be sent by registered mail, it shall constitute compliance with this requirement if such mail or notice is sent by certified mail. B. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, whenever a state agency is required to send any mail…

"Child," "juvenile," "minor," "infant," or any combination thereof means a person less than 18 years of age.

"City" means an independent incorporated community which became a city as provided by law before noon on July 1, 1971, or which has within defined boundaries a population of 5,000 or more and which has become a city as provided by law.

A. "Carbon-free energy" or "clean energy" includes electric energy generated from a source that does not emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere during the process of generating the electric energy, including electric energy generated by the conversion of sunlight, wind, falling …

"Collegial body" means a governmental entity whose power or authority is vested within its membership.

A. When an act of the General Assembly or rule of court requires that an act be performed a prescribed amount of time before a motion or proceeding, the day of such motion or proceeding shall not be counted against the time allowed, but the day on which such act is performed may …

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…