{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/15.2-1422.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/15.2-1422.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/15.2-1422.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/15.2-1422.html"}],"law_id":78318,"edition_id":1,"section_id":78318,"structure_id":16752,"section_number":"15.2-1422","catch_line":"Electing a chairman and vice-chairman or a mayor and vice-mayor","history":"1997, c. 587; 2020, c. 133.","full_text":"Unless the presiding officer is elected by popular vote, every governing body, at its first meeting after taking office, shall elect one of its number as presiding officer. Such officer shall be called “chairman,” “chairwoman,” “chair,” “chairperson,” or “chair-at-large,” in the presiding officer’s discretion, if a member of a board of supervisors and “mayor” if a member of a city or town council. Such member, if present, shall preside at the first meeting and all other meetings during the term for which so elected. The governing body also shall elect a vice-chairman or vice-mayor, as the case may be, who shall preside at meetings in the absence of the chairman or mayor and may discharge any duty of the chairman or mayor during his absence or disability. Chairmen and vice-chairmen and mayors and vice-mayors may be so elected to serve for terms corresponding with their terms as supervisors or councilmen or may be elected for such other period as determined by the governing body. Whenever any board or council at the time of such election, fails to designate the specific term of office for which a chairman or vice-chairman or a mayor or vice-mayor is elected, it shall be presumed that such officers were elected for a term of one year and shall serve until their successors have been elected and qualify. Chairmen and vice-chairmen and mayors and vice-mayors may succeed themselves in office. In the case of the absence from any meeting of the chairman and vice-chairman or mayor and vice-mayor, the members present shall choose one of their number as temporary presiding officer.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":280727,"text":"Unless the presiding officer is elected by popular vote, every governing body, at its first meeting after taking office, shall elect one of its number as presiding officer. Such officer shall be called “chairman,” “chairwoman,” “chair,” “chairperson,” or “chair-at-large,” in the presiding officer’s discretion, if a member of a board of supervisors and “mayor” if a member of a city or town council. Such member, if present, shall preside at the first meeting and all other meetings during the term for which so elected. The governing body also shall elect a vice-chairman or vice-mayor, as the case may be, who shall preside at meetings in the absence of the chairman or mayor and may discharge any duty of the chairman or mayor during his absence or disability. Chairmen and vice-chairmen and mayors and vice-mayors may be so elected to serve for terms corresponding with their terms as supervisors or councilmen or may be elected for such other period as determined by the governing body. Whenever any board or council at the time of such election, fails to designate the specific term of office for which a chairman or vice-chairman or a mayor or vice-mayor is elected, it shall be presumed that such officers were elected for a term of one year and shall serve until their successors have been elected and qualify. Chairmen and vice-chairmen and mayors and vice-mayors may succeed themselves in office. In the case of the absence from any meeting of the chairman and vice-chairman or mayor and vice-mayor, the members present shall choose one of their number as temporary presiding officer.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":16752,"edition_id":1,"name":"Presiding Officers and Vacancies in Certain Offices","identifier":"3","label":"article","depth":4,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13366,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 04:38:52","date_modified":"2026-06-26 04:38:52","permalink":{"id":152951,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":16752,"identifier":"3","token":"15.2\/II\/14\/3","url":"\/15.2\/II\/14\/3\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13366,"edition_id":1,"name":"Governing Bodies of Localities","identifier":"14","label":"chapter","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12733,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:43","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:43","permalink":{"id":152823,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13366,"identifier":"14","token":"15.2\/II\/14","url":"\/15.2\/II\/14\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12733,"edition_id":1,"name":"Powers of Local Government","identifier":"II","label":"subtitle","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12720,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:50","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:50","permalink":{"id":152369,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12733,"identifier":"II","token":"15.2\/II","url":"\/15.2\/II\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12720,"edition_id":1,"name":"Counties, Cities and Towns","identifier":"15.2","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:49","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:49","permalink":{"id":151279,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12720,"identifier":"15.2","token":"15.2","url":"\/15.2\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":78318,"structure_id":16752,"section_number":"15.2-1422","catch_line":"Electing a chairman and vice-chairman or a mayor and vice-mayor","url":"\/15.2-1422\/","token":"15.2\/II\/14\/3\/15.2-1422","metadata":false},{"id":85875,"structure_id":16752,"section_number":"15.2-1423","catch_line":"Powers of chairman or mayor","url":"\/15.2-1423\/","token":"15.2\/II\/14\/3\/15.2-1423","metadata":false},{"id":77458,"structure_id":16752,"section_number":"15.2-1424","catch_line":"Vacancies in office","url":"\/15.2-1424\/","token":"15.2\/II\/14\/3\/15.2-1424","metadata":false}],"next_section":{"id":85875,"structure_id":16752,"section_number":"15.2-1423","catch_line":"Powers of chairman or mayor","url":"\/15.2-1423\/","token":"15.2\/II\/14\/3\/15.2-1423","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/15.2-1422\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 1997. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 587<\/a> 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. It has been modified 1 time. 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. That modification is as follows: in 2020, chapter 133<\/a>.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":152953,"object_type":"law","relational_id":78318,"identifier":"15.2-1422","token":"15.2\/II\/14\/3\/15.2-1422","url":"\/15.2-1422\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/15.2-1422\/","token":"15.2\/II\/14\/3\/15.2-1422","dublin_core":{"Title":"Electing a chairman and vice-chairman or a mayor and vice-mayor","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 15.2-1422","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

Unless the presiding officer is elected by popular vote, every governing body<\/span>, at its first meeting after taking office, shall elect one of its number as presiding officer. Such officer shall be called “chairman,” “chairwoman,” “chair,” “chairperson,” or “chair-at-large,” in the presiding officer’s discretion, if a member of a board of supervisors<\/span> and “mayor” if a member of a city<\/span> or town<\/span> council<\/span>. Such member, if present, shall preside at the first meeting and all other meetings during the term for which so elected. The governing body<\/span> also shall elect a vice-chairman or vice-mayor, as the case may be, who shall preside at meetings in the absence of the chairman or mayor and may discharge any duty of the chairman or mayor during his absence or disability. Chairmen and vice-chairmen and mayors and vice-mayors may be so elected to serve for terms corresponding with their terms as supervisors or councilmen or may be elected for such other period as determined by the governing body<\/span>. Whenever any board or council<\/span> at the time of such election, fails to designate the specific term of office for which a chairman or vice-chairman or a mayor or vice-mayor is elected, it shall be presumed that such officers were elected for a term of one year and shall serve until their successors have been elected and qualify. Chairmen and vice-chairmen and mayors and vice-mayors may succeed themselves in office. In the case of the absence from any meeting of the chairman and vice-chairman or mayor and vice-mayor, the members present shall choose one of their number as temporary presiding officer.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nELECTING A CHAIRMAN AND VICE-CHAIRMAN OR A MAYOR AND VICE-MAYOR (\u00a7 15.2-1422)\n\nUnless the presiding officer is elected by popular vote, every governing body,\nat its first meeting after taking office, shall elect one of its number as\npresiding officer. Such officer shall be called “chairman,”\n“chairwoman,” “chair,” “chairperson,” or\n“chair-at-large,” in the presiding officer’s discretion, if a\nmember of a board of supervisors and “mayor” if a member of a city\nor town council. Such member, if present, shall preside at the first meeting and\nall other meetings during the term for which so elected. The governing body also\nshall elect a vice-chairman or vice-mayor, as the case may be, who shall preside\nat meetings in the absence of the chairman or mayor and may discharge any duty\nof the chairman or mayor during his absence or disability. Chairmen and\nvice-chairmen and mayors and vice-mayors may be so elected to serve for terms\ncorresponding with their terms as supervisors or councilmen or may be elected\nfor such other period as determined by the governing body. Whenever any board or\ncouncil at the time of such election, fails to designate the specific term of\noffice for which a chairman or vice-chairman or a mayor or vice-mayor is\nelected, it shall be presumed that such officers were elected for a term of one\nyear and shall serve until their successors have been elected and qualify.\nChairmen and vice-chairmen and mayors and vice-mayors may succeed themselves in\noffice. In the case of the absence from any meeting of the chairman and\nvice-chairman or mayor and vice-mayor, the members present shall choose one of\ntheir number as temporary presiding officer.\n\nHISTORY: 1997, c. 587; 2020, c. 133.","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}}