{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/10.1-2300.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/10.1-2300.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/10.1-2300.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/10.1-2300.html"}],"law_id":66299,"edition_id":1,"section_id":66299,"structure_id":15067,"section_number":"10.1-2300","catch_line":"Definitions","history":"1977, c. 424, \u00a7 10-150.3; 1984, c. 750; 1988, c. 891, \u00a7 10.1-900; 1989, c. 656; 2005, c. 457; 2020, c. 1106; 2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 59.","full_text":"As used in this chapter, unless the context requires a different meaning:\n\t\t“Battlefield preservation organization” means a private nonprofit organization whose primary purpose is the preservation of one or more historical battlefields, including a battlefield property as defined in \u00a7 10.1-2200.\n\t\t“Field investigation” means the study of the traces of human culture at any site by means of surveying, sampling, excavating, or removing surface or subsurface material, or going on a site with that intent.\n\t\t“Field supervisor” means a person who is physically present at least 70 percent of the time during a field investigation, exploration, or recovery operation involving the removal, destruction, or disturbance of any object of antiquity and who directly oversees such field investigation, exploration, or recovery operation.\n\t\t“Object of antiquity” means any relic, artifact, remain, including human skeletal remains, specimen, or other archaeological article that may be found on, in, or below the surface of the earth that has historic, scientific, archaeologic, or educational value.\n\t\t“Person” means any natural individual, partnership, association, corporation, or other legal entity.\n\t\t“Site” means a geographical area on dry land that contains any evidence of human activity that is or may be the source of important historic, scientific, archaeologic, or educational data or objects.\n\t\t“State archaeological site” means an area designated by the Department in which it is reasonable to expect to find objects of antiquity.\n\t\t“State archaeological zone” means an interrelated grouping of state archaeological sites.\n\t\t“State archaeologist” means the individual designated pursuant to \u00a7 10.1-2301.\n\t\t“State-controlled land” means any land owned by the Commonwealth or under the primary administrative jurisdiction of any state agency. “State agency” shall not mean any locality or any board or authority organized under state law to perform local or regional functions. “State-controlled land” includes state parks, state wildlife areas, state recreation areas, highway rights-of-way, and state-owned easements.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":240766,"text":"As used in this chapter, unless the context requires a different meaning:\n\t\t“Battlefield preservation organization” means a private nonprofit organization whose primary purpose is the preservation of one or more historical battlefields, including a battlefield property as defined in \u00a7 10.1-2200.\n\t\t“Field investigation” means the study of the traces of human culture at any site by means of surveying, sampling, excavating, or removing surface or subsurface material, or going on a site with that intent.\n\t\t“Field supervisor” means a person who is physically present at least 70 percent of the time during a field investigation, exploration, or recovery operation involving the removal, destruction, or disturbance of any object of antiquity and who directly oversees such field investigation, exploration, or recovery operation.\n\t\t“Object of antiquity” means any relic, artifact, remain, including human skeletal remains, specimen, or other archaeological article that may be found on, in, or below the surface of the earth that has historic, scientific, archaeologic, or educational value.\n\t\t“Person” means any natural individual, partnership, association, corporation, or other legal entity.\n\t\t“Site” means a geographical area on dry land that contains any evidence of human activity that is or may be the source of important historic, scientific, archaeologic, or educational data or objects.\n\t\t“State archaeological site” means an area designated by the Department in which it is reasonable to expect to find objects of antiquity.\n\t\t“State archaeological zone” means an interrelated grouping of state archaeological sites.\n\t\t“State archaeologist” means the individual designated pursuant to \u00a7 10.1-2301.\n\t\t“State-controlled land” means any land owned by the Commonwealth or under the primary administrative jurisdiction of any state agency. “State agency” shall not mean any locality or any board or authority organized under state law to perform local or regional functions. “State-controlled land” includes state parks, state wildlife areas, state recreation areas, highway rights-of-way, and state-owned easements.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":15067,"edition_id":1,"name":"Virginia Antiquities Act","identifier":"23","label":"chapter","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13561,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:51:56","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:51:56","permalink":{"id":147039,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":15067,"identifier":"23","token":"10.1\/III\/23","url":"\/10.1\/III\/23\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13561,"edition_id":1,"name":"Activities Administered by the Department of Historic Resources","identifier":"III","label":"subtitle","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12740,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:45:15","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:45:15","permalink":{"id":146907,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13561,"identifier":"III","token":"10.1\/III","url":"\/10.1\/III\/","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":66299,"structure_id":15067,"section_number":"10.1-2300","catch_line":"Definitions","url":"\/10.1-2300\/","token":"10.1\/III\/23\/10.1-2300","metadata":false},{"id":69478,"structure_id":15067,"section_number":"10.1-2301","catch_line":"Duties of Director","url":"\/10.1-2301\/","token":"10.1\/III\/23\/10.1-2301","metadata":false},{"id":57449,"structure_id":15067,"section_number":"10.1-2302","catch_line":"Permit required to conduct field investigations; ownership of objects of antiquity; penalty","url":"\/10.1-2302\/","token":"10.1\/III\/23\/10.1-2302","metadata":false},{"id":69094,"structure_id":15067,"section_number":"10.1-2303","catch_line":"Control of archaeological sites; authority of Director to contract","url":"\/10.1-2303\/","token":"10.1\/III\/23\/10.1-2303","metadata":false},{"id":81956,"structure_id":15067,"section_number":"10.1-2304","catch_line":"Designating archaeological sites and zones","url":"\/10.1-2304\/","token":"10.1\/III\/23\/10.1-2304","metadata":false},{"id":77363,"structure_id":15067,"section_number":"10.1-2305","catch_line":"Permit required for the archaeological excavation of human remains","url":"\/10.1-2305\/","token":"10.1\/III\/23\/10.1-2305","metadata":false},{"id":86677,"structure_id":15067,"section_number":"10.1-2306","catch_line":"Violations; penalty","url":"\/10.1-2306\/","token":"10.1\/III\/23\/10.1-2306","metadata":false}],"next_section":{"id":69478,"structure_id":15067,"section_number":"10.1-2301","catch_line":"Duties of Director","url":"\/10.1-2301\/","token":"10.1\/III\/23\/10.1-2301","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/10.1-2300\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 1977. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 424 of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. Unfortunately, the 1977 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online. It has been modified 5 times. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 1984, chapter 750; in 1988, chapter 891; in 1989, chapter 656; in 2005, chapter 457<\/a>; in 2020, chapter 1106<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":68726,"section_number":"10.1-1004","catch_line":"Vandalism; penalties","order_by":null,"url":"\/10.1-1004\/"}],"refers_to":[{"id":65742,"section_number":"10.1-2200","catch_line":"Definitions","order_by":null,"url":"\/10.1-2200\/"},{"id":69478,"section_number":"10.1-2301","catch_line":"Duties of Director","order_by":null,"url":"\/10.1-2301\/"}],"permalink":{"id":147041,"object_type":"law","relational_id":66299,"identifier":"10.1-2300","token":"10.1\/III\/23\/10.1-2300","url":"\/10.1-2300\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/10.1-2300\/","token":"10.1\/III\/23\/10.1-2300","dublin_core":{"Title":"Definitions","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 10.1-2300","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

As used in this chapter, unless the context requires a different meaning:\n\t\t“Battlefield preservation organization<\/span>” means a private nonprofit organization whose primary purpose is the preservation of one or more historical battlefields, including a battlefield property<\/span> as defined in \u00a7 10.1-2200<\/a>.\n\t\t“Field investigation<\/span>” means the study of the traces of human culture at any site by means of surveying, sampling, excavating, or removing surface or subsurface material<\/span>, or going on a site with that intent<\/span>.\n\t\t“Field supervisor<\/span>” means a person<\/span> who is physically present at least 70 percent of the time during a field investigation<\/span>, exploration, or recovery operation involving the removal, destruction, or disturbance of any object of antiquity<\/span> and who directly oversees such field investigation<\/span>, exploration, or recovery operation.\n\t\t“Object of antiquity<\/span>” means any relic, artifact, remain, including human skeletal remains, specimen, or other archaeological article that may be found on, in, or below the surface of the earth that has historic, scientific, archaeologic, or educational value.\n\t\t“Person<\/span>” means any natural individual, partnership, association, corporation, or other legal entity.\n\t\t“Site” means a geographical area on dry land that contains any evidence<\/span> of human activity that is or may be the source of important historic, scientific, archaeologic, or educational data or objects<\/span>.\n\t\t“State archaeological site<\/span>” means an area designated by the Department<\/span> in which it is reasonable to expect to find objects<\/span> of antiquity.\n\t\t“State archaeological zone<\/span>” means an interrelated grouping of state archaeological sites<\/span>.\n\t\t“State archaeologist<\/span>” means the individual designated pursuant to \u00a7 10.1-2301<\/a>.\n\t\t“State-controlled land<\/span>” means any land owned by the Commonwealth or under the primary administrative jurisdiction<\/span> of any state agency<\/span>. “State agency<\/span>” shall not mean any locality or any board<\/span> or authority organized under state law<\/span> to perform local or regional functions. “State-controlled land<\/span>” includes state parks, state wildlife areas, state recreation areas, highway rights-of-way, and state-owned easements.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nDEFINITIONS (\u00a7 10.1-2300)\n\nAs used in this chapter, unless the context requires a different meaning:\n\t\t“Battlefield preservation organization” means a private nonprofit\norganization whose primary purpose is the preservation of one or more historical\nbattlefields, including a battlefield property as defined in \u00a7 10.1-2200.\n\t\t“Field investigation” means the study of the traces of human\nculture at any site by means of surveying, sampling, excavating, or removing\nsurface or subsurface material, or going on a site with that intent.\n\t\t“Field supervisor” means a person who is physically present at\nleast 70 percent of the time during a field investigation, exploration, or\nrecovery operation involving the removal, destruction, or disturbance of any\nobject of antiquity and who directly oversees such field investigation,\nexploration, or recovery operation.\n\t\t“Object of antiquity” means any relic, artifact, remain, including\nhuman skeletal remains, specimen, or other archaeological article that may be\nfound on, in, or below the surface of the earth that has historic, scientific,\narchaeologic, or educational value.\n\t\t“Person” means any natural individual, partnership, association,\ncorporation, or other legal entity.\n\t\t“Site” means a geographical area on dry land that contains any\nevidence of human activity that is or may be the source of important historic,\nscientific, archaeologic, or educational data or objects.\n\t\t“State archaeological site” means an area designated by the\nDepartment in which it is reasonable to expect to find objects of antiquity.\n\t\t“State archaeological zone” means an interrelated grouping of\nstate archaeological sites.\n\t\t“State archaeologist” means the individual designated pursuant to\n\u00a7 10.1-2301.\n\t\t“State-controlled land” means any land owned by the Commonwealth\nor under the primary administrative jurisdiction of any state agency.\n“State agency” shall not mean any locality or any board or authority\norganized under state law to perform local or regional functions.\n“State-controlled land” includes state parks, state wildlife areas,\nstate recreation areas, highway rights-of-way, and state-owned easements.\n\nHISTORY: 1977, c. 424, \u00a7 10-150.3; 1984, c. 750; 1988, c. 891, \u00a7 10.1-900;\n1989, c. 656; 2005, c. 457; 2020, c. 1106; 2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 59.","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}}