Virginia

Code of Virginia — Title 18.2, Crimes and Offenses

889 sections, each with the official text and a plain-English explanation of what it means for you.

• § 18.2-370.1 — Taking indecent liberties with child by person in custodial or supervisory relationship; penalties
• § 18.2-370.2 — Sex offenses prohibiting proximity to children; penalty
• § 18.2-370.3 — Sex offenses prohibiting residing in proximity to children; penalty
• § 18.2-370.4 — Sex offenses prohibiting working on school property; penalty
• § 18.2-370.5 — Offenses prohibiting entry onto school or other property; penalty
• § 18.2-370.6 — Penetration of mouth of child with lascivious intent; penalty
• § 18.2-371 — Causing or encouraging acts rendering children delinquent, abused, etc.; penalty; abandoned infant
• § 18.2-371.1 — Abuse and neglect of children; penalties; abandoned infant
• § 18.2-371.2 — (Effective until October 1, 2026) Prohibiting purchase or possession of retail tobacco products and hemp products intended for smoking by a person under 21 years of age or sale of retail tobacco products and hemp products intended for smoking to persons under 21 years of age; civil penalties
• § 18.2-371.2:1 — (Effective until October 1, 2026) Prohibiting possession of retail tobacco products and hemp products intended for smoking by a person younger than 21 years of age; seizure
• § 18.2-371.3 — Tattooing or body piercing of minors
• § 18.2-371.4 — Prohibiting the sale of novelty lighters to juveniles
• § 18.2-372 — "Obscene" defined
• § 18.2-373 — Obscene items enumerated
• § 18.2-374 — Production, publication, sale, possession, etc., of obscene items
• § 18.2-374.1 — Production, publication, sale, financing, etc., of child pornography; presumption as to age
• § 18.2-374.1:1 — Possession, reproduction, distribution, solicitation, and facilitation of child pornography; penalty
• § 18.2-374.1:2 — Repealed
• § 18.2-374.2 — Repealed
• § 18.2-374.3 — Use of communications systems to facilitate certain offenses involving children; penalties
• § 18.2-374.4 — Display of obscene material, child pornography, or grooming video or materials to a child unlawful; penalty
• § 18.2-375 — Obscene exhibitions and performances
• § 18.2-376 — Advertising, etc., obscene items, exhibitions or performances
• § 18.2-376.1 — Enhanced penalties for using a computer in certain violations
• § 18.2-377 — Placards, posters, bills, etc
• § 18.2-378 — Coercing acceptance of obscene articles or publications
• § 18.2-379 — Employing or permitting minor to assist in offense under article
• § 18.2-38 — "Mob" defined
• § 18.2-380 — Punishment for first offense
• § 18.2-381 — Punishment for subsequent offenses; additional penalty for owner
• § 18.2-382 — Photographs, slides and motion pictures
• § 18.2-383 — Exceptions to application of article
• § 18.2-384 — Proceeding against book alleged to be obscene
• § 18.2-385 — Section 18.2-384 applicable to motion picture films
• § 18.2-386 — Showing previews of certain motion pictures
• § 18.2-386.1 — Unlawful creation of image of another; penalty
• § 18.2-386.2 — Unlawful dissemination or sale of images of another; penalty
• § 18.2-387 — Indecent exposure
• § 18.2-387.1 — Obscene sexual display; penalty
• § 18.2-388 — Intoxication in public; penalty; transportation of public inebriates to detoxification center
• § 18.2-389 — Repealed
• § 18.2-39 — "Lynching" defined
• § 18.2-390 — Definitions
• § 18.2-391 — (Effective until October 1, 2026) Unlawful acts; penalties
• § 18.2-391.1 — Exceptions to application of article
• § 18.2-40 — Lynching deemed murder
• § 18.2-403.1 — Offenses involving animals — Class 1 misdemeanors
• § 18.2-403.2 — Offenses involving animals — Class 3 misdemeanors
• § 18.2-403.3 — Offenses involving animals — Class 4 misdemeanors
• § 18.2-403.4 — Unauthorized release of animals; penalty
• § 18.2-404 — Obstructing free passage of others
• § 18.2-404.1 — Obstructing reproductive health care facility; penalties
• § 18.2-405 — What constitutes a riot; punishment
• § 18.2-406 — What constitutes an unlawful assembly; punishment
• § 18.2-407 — Remaining at place of riot or unlawful assembly after warning to disperse
• § 18.2-408 — Conspiracy; incitement, etc., to riot
• § 18.2-409 — Resisting or obstructing execution of legal process
• § 18.2-41 — Shooting, stabbing, etc., with intent to maim, kill, etc., by mob
• § 18.2-410 — Power of Governor to summon law-enforcement agencies, national guard, etc., to execute process or preserve the peace
• § 18.2-411 — Dispersal of unlawful or riotous assemblies; duties of officers
• § 18.2-412 — Immunity of officers and others in quelling a riot or unlawful assembly
• § 18.2-413 — Commission of certain offenses in county, city or town declared by Governor to be in state of riot or insurrection
• § 18.2-414 — Injury to property or persons by persons unlawfully or riotously assembled
• § 18.2-414.1 — Obstructing emergency medical services agency personnel in performance of mission; penalty
• § 18.2-414.2 — Crossing established police lines, perimeters or barricades
• § 18.2-415 — Disorderly conduct in public places
• § 18.2-416 — Punishment for using abusive language to another
• § 18.2-417 — Slander and libel
• § 18.2-418 — Declaration of policy
• § 18.2-419 — Picketing or disrupting tranquility of home
• § 18.2-42 — Assault or battery by mob
• § 18.2-42.1 — Acts of violence by mob
• § 18.2-420 — "Clandestine organization" defined
• § 18.2-421 — Information to be filed by clandestine organization with State Corporation Commission
• § 18.2-422 — Prohibition of wearing of masks in certain places; exceptions; penalty
• § 18.2-423 — Burning cross on property of another or public place with intent to intimidate; penalty; prima facie evidence of intent
• § 18.2-423.01 — Burning object on property of another or a highway or other public place with intent to intimidate; penalty
• § 18.2-423.1 — Placing Nazi symbol or emblem on certain property with intent to intimidate; penalty; prima facie evidence of intent
• § 18.2-423.2 — Displaying noose on property of another or a highway or other public place with intent to intimidate; penalty
• § 18.2-425.1 — Repealed
• § 18.2-426 — "Emergency call" and "emergency personnel" defined
• § 18.2-427 — Use of profane, threatening, or indecent language over public airways or by other methods
• § 18.2-428 — Giving certain false information to another by telephone
• § 18.2-429 — Causing a telephone, digital pager, or other device to ring or signal with intent to annoy; emergency communications; penalties
• § 18.2-429.1 — False caller identification information; penalty
• § 18.2-43 — Apprehension and prosecution of participants in lynching
• § 18.2-430 — Venue for offenses under this article
• § 18.2-431 — Duty of telephone companies; notices in directories
• § 18.2-431.1 — Illegal conveyance or possession of cellular telephone or other wireless telecommunications device by prisoner or committed person; penalty
• § 18.2-433.1 — Definitions
• § 18.2-433.2 — Paramilitary activity prohibited; penalty
• § 18.2-433.3 — Exceptions
• § 18.2-434 — What deemed perjury; punishment and penalty
• § 18.2-435 — Giving conflicting testimony on separate occasions as to same matter; indictment; sufficiency of evidence
• § 18.2-436 — Inducing another to give false testimony; sufficiency of evidence
• § 18.2-437 — Immunity of witnesses
• § 18.2-438 — Bribes to officers or candidates for office
• § 18.2-439 — Acceptance of bribe by officer or candidate
• § 18.2-44 — Civil liability for lynching
• § 18.2-440 — Bribes to officers to prevent service of process
• § 18.2-441 — Giving bribes to, or receiving bribes by, commissioners, jurors, etc
• § 18.2-441.1 — Bribery of witnesses
• § 18.2-442 — Bribery of participants in games, contests or sports
• § 18.2-443 — Solicitation or acceptance of bribes by participants or by managers, coaches or trainers
• § 18.2-444 — Corruptly influencing, or being influenced as, agents, etc
• § 18.2-444.1 — Reserved
• § 18.2-444.2 — Giving or accepting a fee or gift for purposes of influencing decisions of financial institution
• § 18.2-445 — Immunity of witnesses
• § 18.2-446 — Definitions
• § 18.2-447 — When person guilty of bribery
• § 18.2-448 — Certain matters not to constitute defenses
• § 18.2-449 — Punishment
• § 18.2-45 — Persons suffering death from mob attempting to lynch another person
• § 18.2-450 — Immunity of witnesses
• § 18.2-451 — Definitions; application and construction of article
• § 18.2-452 — Barratry unlawful
• § 18.2-453 — Aiders and abettors
• § 18.2-454 — Enjoining barratry
• § 18.2-455 — Unprofessional conduct; revocation of license
• § 18.2-456 — Cases in which courts and judges may punish summarily for contempt
• § 18.2-457 — Fine and imprisonment by court limited unless jury impaneled
• § 18.2-458 — Power of judge of district court to punish for contempt
• § 18.2-459 — Appeal from sentence of such judge
• § 18.2-46 — Venue
• § 18.2-46.1 — Definitions
• § 18.2-46.10 — Violation of sections within article separate and distinct offenses
• § 18.2-46.2 — Prohibited criminal street gang participation; penalty
• § 18.2-46.3 — Recruitment of persons for criminal street gang; penalty
• § 18.2-46.3:1 — Third or subsequent conviction of criminal street gang crimes
• § 18.2-46.3:2 — Forfeiture
• § 18.2-46.3:3 — Enhanced punishment for gang activity taking place in a gang-free zone; penalties
• § 18.2-46.4 — Definitions
• § 18.2-46.5 — Committing, conspiring and aiding and abetting acts of terrorism prohibited; penalty
• § 18.2-46.6 — Possession, manufacture, distribution, etc., of weapon of terrorism or hoax device prohibited; penalty
• § 18.2-46.7 — Act of bioterrorism against agricultural crops or animals; penalty
• § 18.2-46.8 — Venue
• § 18.2-46.9 — Repealed
• § 18.2-460 — Obstructing justice; resisting arrest; fleeing from a law-enforcement officer; penalties
• § 18.2-460.1 — Unlawful disclosure of existence of order authorizing wire or oral interception of communication
• § 18.2-461 — Falsely summoning or giving false reports to law-enforcement officials
• § 18.2-461.1 — False emergency communication to emergency personnel; penalties
• § 18.2-462 — Concealing or compounding offenses; penalties
• § 18.2-462.1 — Use of police radio during commission of crime
• § 18.2-463 — Refusal to aid officer in execution of his office
• § 18.2-464 — Failure to obey order of conservator of the peace
• § 18.2-465 — Officer summoning juror to act impartially
• § 18.2-465.1 — Penalizing employee for court appearance or service on jury panel
• § 18.2-465.2 — Contact with jurors after trial prohibited; penalty
• § 18.2-466 — Corruptly procuring juror to be summoned
• § 18.2-467 — Fraud in drawing jurors, etc
• § 18.2-468 — Making sound recordings of jury deliberations
• § 18.2-469 — Officer refusing, delaying, etc., to execute process for criminal
• § 18.2-47 — Abduction and kidnapping defined; forced labor; punishment
• § 18.2-470 — Extortion by officer
• § 18.2-471 — Fraudulent issue of fee bills
• § 18.2-471.1 — Destruction of human biological evidence; penalty
• § 18.2-472 — False entries or destruction of records by officers
• § 18.2-472.1 — Providing false information or failing to provide registration information; penalty; prima facie evidence
• § 18.2-473 — Persons aiding escape of prisoner or child
• § 18.2-473.1 — Communication with prisoners or committed person; penalty
• § 18.2-473.2 — Covering a security camera in a correctional facility; penalty
• § 18.2-474 — Delivery of articles to prisoners or committed person
• § 18.2-474.1 — Delivery of drugs, firearms, explosives, etc., to prisoners or committed persons
• § 18.2-474.2 — Bribery in correctional facilities; penalty
• § 18.2-475 — Officers, etc., voluntarily allowing person convicted, charged, or adjudicated delinquent of felony to escape; penalty
• § 18.2-476 — Officers, etc., willfully and deliberately permitting person convicted of, charged with, or adjudicated delinquent of a nonfelonious offense to escape or willfully refusing to receive person; penalty
• § 18.2-477 — Prisoner escaping from jail; how punished
• § 18.2-477.1 — Escapes from juvenile facility; penalty
• § 18.2-477.2 — Punishment for certain offenses committed within a secure juvenile facility or detention home
• § 18.2-478 — Escape from jail or custody by force or violence without setting fire to jail; penalty
• § 18.2-479 — Escape without force or violence or setting fire to jail; penalties
• § 18.2-479.1 — Repealed
• § 18.2-48 — Abduction with intent to extort money or for immoral purpose
• § 18.2-48.1 — Abduction by prisoners or committed persons; penalty
• § 18.2-480 — Escape, etc., by setting fire to jail
• § 18.2-480.1 — Admissibility of records of Department of Corrections in escape cases
• § 18.2-49 — Threatening, attempting, or assisting in such abduction; penalty
• § 18.2-49.1 — Violation of court order regarding custody and visitation; penalty
• § 18.2-50 — Disclosure of information and assistance to law-enforcement officers required
• § 18.2-50.1 — Repealed
• § 18.2-50.2 — Emergency control of telephone service in hostage or barricaded person situation
• § 18.2-50.3 — Enticing, etc., another into a dwelling house with intent to commit certain felonies; penalty
• § 18.2-51 — Shooting, stabbing, etc., with intent to maim, kill, etc
• § 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
• § 18.2-51.2 — Aggravated malicious wounding; penalty
• § 18.2-51.3 — Prohibition against reckless endangerment of others by throwing objects from places higher than one story; penalty
• § 18.2-51.4 — Maiming, etc., of another resulting from driving while intoxicated
• § 18.2-51.5 — Maiming, etc., of another resulting from operating a watercraft while intoxicated; penalty
• § 18.2-51.6 — Strangulation or suffocation of another; penalty
• § 18.2-51.7 — Female genital mutilation; penalty
• § 18.2-52 — Malicious bodily injury by means of any caustic substance or agent or use of any explosive or fire
• § 18.2-52.1 — Possession of infectious biological substances or radiological agents; penalties
• § 18.2-52.2 — Animal attack resulting from owner's disregard for human life; penalty
• § 18.2-53 — Shooting, etc., in committing or attempting a felony
• § 18.2-53.1 — Use or display of firearm in committing felony
• § 18.2-54 — Conviction of lesser offenses under certain indictments
• § 18.2-54.1 — Attempts to poison
• § 18.2-54.2 — Adulteration of food, drink, drugs, cosmetics, etc.; penalty
• § 18.2-55 — Bodily injuries caused by prisoners, state juvenile probationers and state and local adult probationers or adult parolees
• § 18.2-55.1 — Hazing of youth gang members unlawful; criminal liability