{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/10.1-1424.3.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/10.1-1424.3.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/10.1-1424.3.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/10.1-1424.3.html"}],"law_id":77231,"edition_id":1,"section_id":77231,"structure_id":13714,"section_number":"10.1-1424.3","catch_line":"Expanded polystyrene food service containers prohibited; civil penalty","history":"2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 262.","full_text":"A\n\nBeginning July 1, 2023, no food vendor that is a restaurant or similar retail food establishment and is part of a chain with 20 or more locations offering for sale substantially the same menu items and doing business under the same name, regardless of the form of ownership of such locations, shall dispense prepared food to a customer in an expanded polystyrene food service container.\n\t\t\tBeginning July 1, 2025, no food vendor of any type shall dispense prepared food to a customer in an expanded polystyrene food service container.B\n\nAny food vendor may request from the locality in which it is located an exemption from the provisions of subsection A. The locality may grant the exemption if the food vendor demonstrates to the satisfaction of the locality that compliance with subsection A would impose an undue economic hardship on the food vendor. For the purposes of this subsection, “undue economic hardship” means a situation in which (i) a food vendor has no reasonable alternative to the expanded polystyrene food service containers in use by that food vendor and (ii) compliance with subsection A would cause significant economic hardship to that food vendor. A locality may so exempt a food vendor for a period of not more than one year from the date of the exemption. A food vendor granted such an exemption may reapply to the locality before the expiration of the exemption, and the locality may grant an additional exemption from the provisions of subsection A not to exceed one year for each such reapplication if the food vendor demonstrates a continuing undue economic hardship at the time of reapplication to the satisfaction of the locality.C\n\nAny person who violates any provision of this section, upon such finding by an appropriate circuit court, shall be assessed a civil penalty of not more than $50 for each day of such violation. Any civil penalties assessed pursuant to this section in a civil action brought by the Attorney General in the name of the Commonwealth shall be paid into the state treasury and deposited by the State Treasurer into the Litter Control and Recycling Fund. Any civil penalty assessed pursuant to this section in a civil action brought by a locality shall be paid into the treasury of the locality, except where the violator of this section is the locality or its agent, in which case the civil penalty shall be paid into the state treasury and deposited by the State Treasurer into the Fund.D\n\nThe Department shall post to its website information on how to comply with this section and how to file a complaint for a violation of this section.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":277045,"text":"Beginning July 1, 2023, no food vendor that is a restaurant or similar retail food establishment and is part of a chain with 20 or more locations offering for sale substantially the same menu items and doing business under the same name, regardless of the form of ownership of such locations, shall dispense prepared food to a customer in an expanded polystyrene food service container.\n\t\t\tBeginning July 1, 2025, no food vendor of any type shall dispense prepared food to a customer in an expanded polystyrene food service container.","type":"section","prefixes":["A"],"prefix":"A","entire_prefix":"A","prefix_anchor":"A","level":1,"next_prefix":"B"},"1":{"id":277046,"text":"Any food vendor may request from the locality in which it is located an exemption from the provisions of subsection A. The locality may grant the exemption if the food vendor demonstrates to the satisfaction of the locality that compliance with subsection A would impose an undue economic hardship on the food vendor. For the purposes of this subsection, “undue economic hardship” means a situation in which (i) a food vendor has no reasonable alternative to the expanded polystyrene food service containers in use by that food vendor and (ii) compliance with subsection A would cause significant economic hardship to that food vendor. A locality may so exempt a food vendor for a period of not more than one year from the date of the exemption. A food vendor granted such an exemption may reapply to the locality before the expiration of the exemption, and the locality may grant an additional exemption from the provisions of subsection A not to exceed one year for each such reapplication if the food vendor demonstrates a continuing undue economic hardship at the time of reapplication to the satisfaction of the locality.","type":"section","prefixes":["B"],"prefix":"B","entire_prefix":"B","prefix_anchor":"B","level":1,"prior_prefix":"A","next_prefix":"C"},"2":{"id":277047,"text":"Any person who violates any provision of this section, upon such finding by an appropriate circuit court, shall be assessed a civil penalty of not more than $50 for each day of such violation. Any civil penalties assessed pursuant to this section in a civil action brought by the Attorney General in the name of the Commonwealth shall be paid into the state treasury and deposited by the State Treasurer into the Litter Control and Recycling Fund. Any civil penalty assessed pursuant to this section in a civil action brought by a locality shall be paid into the treasury of the locality, except where the violator of this section is the locality or its agent, in which case the civil penalty shall be paid into the state treasury and deposited by the State Treasurer into the Fund.","type":"section","prefixes":["C"],"prefix":"C","entire_prefix":"C","prefix_anchor":"C","level":1,"prior_prefix":"B","next_prefix":"D"},"3":{"id":277048,"text":"The Department shall post to its website information on how to comply with this section and how to file a complaint for a violation of this section.","type":"section","prefixes":["D"],"prefix":"D","entire_prefix":"D","prefix_anchor":"D","level":1,"prior_prefix":"C"}},"ancestry":[{"id":13714,"edition_id":1,"name":"Litter Control and Recycling","identifier":"3","label":"article","depth":4,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12811,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:45:38","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:45:38","permalink":{"id":146047,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13714,"identifier":"3","token":"10.1\/II\/14\/3","url":"\/10.1\/II\/14\/3\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12811,"edition_id":1,"name":"Virginia Waste Management Act","identifier":"14","label":"chapter","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12741,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:54","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:54","permalink":{"id":145887,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12811,"identifier":"14","token":"10.1\/II\/14","url":"\/10.1\/II\/14\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12741,"edition_id":1,"name":"Activities Administered by Other Entities","identifier":"II","label":"subtitle","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12740,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:51","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:51","permalink":{"id":144833,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12741,"identifier":"II","token":"10.1\/II","url":"\/10.1\/II\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12740,"edition_id":1,"name":"Conservation","identifier":"10.1","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:51","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:51","permalink":{"id":143313,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12740,"identifier":"10.1","token":"10.1","url":"\/10.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":58782,"structure_id":13714,"section_number":"10.1-1414","catch_line":"Definitions","url":"\/10.1-1414\/","token":"10.1\/II\/14\/3\/10.1-1414","metadata":false},{"id":74146,"structure_id":13714,"section_number":"10.1-1415","catch_line":"Litter Control Program","url":"\/10.1-1415\/","token":"10.1\/II\/14\/3\/10.1-1415","metadata":false},{"id":84258,"structure_id":13714,"section_number":"10.1-1415.1","catch_line":"Labeling of plastic container products required; 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A.<\/span> Beginning July 1, 2023, no food vendor<\/span> that is a restaurant or similar retail food establishment and is part of a chain with 20 or more locations offering for sale substantially the same menu items and doing business under the same name, regardless of the form of ownership of such locations, shall dispense prepared food<\/span> to a customer in an expanded polystyrene food service container<\/span>.\n\t\t\tBeginning July 1, 2025, no food vendor<\/span> of any type shall dispense prepared food<\/span> to a customer in an expanded polystyrene food service container<\/span>. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

B.<\/span> Any food vendor<\/span> may request from the locality in which it is located an exemption from the provisions of subsection A. The locality may grant the exemption if the food vendor<\/span> demonstrates to the satisfaction of the locality that compliance with subsection A would impose an undue economic hardship<\/span> on the food vendor<\/span>. For the purposes of this subsection, “undue economic hardship<\/span>” means a situation in which (i) a food vendor<\/span> has no reasonable alternative to the expanded polystyrene food service containers<\/span> in use by that food vendor<\/span> and (ii) compliance with subsection A would cause significant economic hardship to that food vendor<\/span>. A locality may so exempt a food vendor<\/span> for a period of not more than one year from the date of the exemption. A food vendor<\/span> granted such an exemption may reapply to the locality before the expiration of the exemption, and the locality may grant an additional exemption from the provisions of subsection A not to exceed one year for each such reapplication if the food vendor<\/span> demonstrates a continuing undue economic hardship<\/span> at the time of reapplication to the satisfaction of the locality. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

C.<\/span> Any person<\/span> who violates any provision of this section, upon such finding<\/span> by an appropriate circuit<\/span> court<\/span>, shall be assessed a civil penalty<\/span> of not more than $50 for each day of such violation. Any civil penalties assessed pursuant to this section in a civil action<\/span> brought by the Attorney General<\/span> in the name of the Commonwealth shall be paid into the state treasury and deposited by the State Treasurer into the Litter<\/span> Control and Recycling<\/span> Fund<\/span>. Any civil penalty<\/span> assessed pursuant to this section in a civil action<\/span> brought by a locality shall be paid into the treasury of the locality, except where the violator of this section is the locality or its agent, in which case the civil penalty<\/span> shall be paid into the state treasury and deposited by the State Treasurer into the Fund<\/span>. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

D.<\/span> The Department<\/span> shall post to its website information on how to comply with this section and how to file a complaint for a violation of this section. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nEXPANDED POLYSTYRENE FOOD SERVICE CONTAINERS PROHIBITED; CIVIL PENALTY (\u00a7\n10.1-1424.3)\n\nA. Beginning July 1, 2023, no food vendor that is a restaurant or similar retail\nfood establishment and is part of a chain with 20 or more locations offering for\nsale substantially the same menu items and doing business under the same name,\nregardless of the form of ownership of such locations, shall dispense prepared\nfood to a customer in an expanded polystyrene food service container.\n\t\t\tBeginning July 1, 2025, no food vendor of any type shall dispense prepared\nfood to a customer in an expanded polystyrene food service container.\n\nB. Any food vendor may request from the locality in which it is located an\nexemption from the provisions of subsection A. The locality may grant the\nexemption if the food vendor demonstrates to the satisfaction of the locality\nthat compliance with subsection A would impose an undue economic hardship on the\nfood vendor. For the purposes of this subsection, “undue economic\nhardship” means a situation in which (i) a food vendor has no reasonable\nalternative to the expanded polystyrene food service containers in use by that\nfood vendor and (ii) compliance with subsection A would cause significant\neconomic hardship to that food vendor. A locality may so exempt a food vendor\nfor a period of not more than one year from the date of the exemption. A food\nvendor granted such an exemption may reapply to the locality before the\nexpiration of the exemption, and the locality may grant an additional exemption\nfrom the provisions of subsection A not to exceed one year for each such\nreapplication if the food vendor demonstrates a continuing undue economic\nhardship at the time of reapplication to the satisfaction of the locality.\n\nC. Any person who violates any provision of this section, upon such finding by\nan appropriate circuit court, shall be assessed a civil penalty of not more than\n$50 for each day of such violation. Any civil penalties assessed pursuant to\nthis section in a civil action brought by the Attorney General in the name of\nthe Commonwealth shall be paid into the state treasury and deposited by the\nState Treasurer into the Litter Control and Recycling Fund. Any civil penalty\nassessed pursuant to this section in a civil action brought by a locality shall\nbe paid into the treasury of the locality, except where the violator of this\nsection is the locality or its agent, in which case the civil penalty shall be\npaid into the state treasury and deposited by the State Treasurer into the Fund.\n\nD. The Department shall post to its website information on how to comply with\nthis section and how to file a complaint for a violation of this section.\n\nHISTORY: 2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 262.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}