{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/15.2-3401.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/15.2-3401.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/15.2-3401.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/15.2-3401.html"}],"law_id":56495,"edition_id":1,"section_id":56495,"structure_id":14752,"section_number":"15.2-3401","catch_line":"Referendum on contracting of debt by counties in voluntary settlement agreements","history":"1985, c. 66, \u00a7 15.1-1167.2; 1997, c. 587; 2023, cc. 506, 507; 2024, cc. 225, 242.","full_text":"Before a county, under the terms of a voluntary agreement pursuant to this chapter, contracts a debt pursuant to Article VII, \u00a7 10 (b) of the Constitution of Virginia, the board of supervisors shall, in conformity with Article VII, \u00a7 10 (b) of the Constitution of Virginia, petition the circuit court for the county for an order calling for a special election in the county on the question of contracting such debt.\n\t\tThe question on the ballot shall be as follows, provided that the circuit court in its order calling for the election may substitute alternative language necessary to specify the type of agreement or the particular debt which the county proposes to contract under an agreement:\n\t\t“Shall (name of county) be authorized to contract a debt by entering into a contract for the payment (describe the debt or payment) to (name of locality to whom payments are to be made) as a part of the proposed voluntary annexation and immunity settlement agreement between the county and (name of other locality)?\n\t\t[ ] Yes\n\t\t[ ] No”\n\t\tThe clerk of the county shall cause a notice of the referendum to be published three times in a newspaper having general circulation in the county, with the first notice appearing no more than 35 days before and the third notice appearing no less than seven days before the election, and shall post a copy of the notice at the door of the county courthouse.\n\t\tThe election shall be held and the results thereof ascertained and certified in accordance with Article 5 (\u00a7 24.2-681 et seq.) of Chapter 6 of Title 24.2. If a majority of the voters of the county voting in such election approve the contracting of such debt, the county may proceed to adopt, by ordinance, the agreement.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":206817,"text":"Before a county, under the terms of a voluntary agreement pursuant to this chapter, contracts a debt pursuant to Article VII, \u00a7 10 (b) of the Constitution of Virginia, the board of supervisors shall, in conformity with Article VII, \u00a7 10 (b) of the Constitution of Virginia, petition the circuit court for the county for an order calling for a special election in the county on the question of contracting such debt.\n\t\tThe question on the ballot shall be as follows, provided that the circuit court in its order calling for the election may substitute alternative language necessary to specify the type of agreement or the particular debt which the county proposes to contract under an agreement:\n\t\t“Shall (name of county) be authorized to contract a debt by entering into a contract for the payment (describe the debt or payment) to (name of locality to whom payments are to be made) as a part of the proposed voluntary annexation and immunity settlement agreement between the county and (name of other locality)?\n\t\t[ ] Yes\n\t\t[ ] No”\n\t\tThe clerk of the county shall cause a notice of the referendum to be published three times in a newspaper having general circulation in the county, with the first notice appearing no more than 35 days before and the third notice appearing no less than seven days before the election, and shall post a copy of the notice at the door of the county courthouse.\n\t\tThe election shall be held and the results thereof ascertained and certified in accordance with Article 5 (\u00a7 24.2-681 et seq.) of Chapter 6 of Title 24.2. If a majority of the voters of the county voting in such election approve the contracting of such debt, the county may proceed to adopt, by ordinance, the agreement.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":14752,"edition_id":1,"name":"Voluntary Settlement of Annexation, Transition or Immunity Issues","identifier":"34","label":"chapter","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13062,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:49:43","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:49:43","permalink":{"id":157257,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":14752,"identifier":"34","token":"15.2\/III\/34","url":"\/15.2\/III\/34\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13062,"edition_id":1,"name":"Boundary Adjustments and Changes of Status of Counties, Cities and Towns","identifier":"III","label":"subtitle","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12720,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:12","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:12","permalink":{"id":156919,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13062,"identifier":"III","token":"15.2\/III","url":"\/15.2\/III\/","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":75841,"structure_id":14752,"section_number":"15.2-3400","catch_line":"Voluntary settlements among local governments","url":"\/15.2-3400\/","token":"15.2\/III\/34\/15.2-3400","metadata":false},{"id":56495,"structure_id":14752,"section_number":"15.2-3401","catch_line":"Referendum on contracting of debt by counties in voluntary settlement agreements","url":"\/15.2-3401\/","token":"15.2\/III\/34\/15.2-3401","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":75841,"structure_id":14752,"section_number":"15.2-3400","catch_line":"Voluntary settlements among local governments","url":"\/15.2-3400\/","token":"15.2\/III\/34\/15.2-3400","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/15.2-3401\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 1985. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 66 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 1985 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online. It has been modified 3 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 1997, chapter 587<\/a>; in 2023, chapters 506<\/a> and 507<\/a>; in 2024, chapters 225<\/a> and 242<\/a>.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":[{"id":58078,"section_number":"24.2-681","catch_line":"How special elections superintended and determined","order_by":null,"url":"\/24.2-681\/"}],"permalink":{"id":157263,"object_type":"law","relational_id":56495,"identifier":"15.2-3401","token":"15.2\/III\/34\/15.2-3401","url":"\/15.2-3401\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/15.2-3401\/","token":"15.2\/III\/34\/15.2-3401","dublin_core":{"Title":"Referendum on contracting of debt by counties in voluntary settlement agreements","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 15.2-3401","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

Before a county<\/span>, under the terms of a voluntary agreement pursuant to this chapter, contracts<\/span> a debt pursuant to Article VII, \u00a7 10 (b) of the Constitution of Virginia, the board of supervisors<\/span> shall, in conformity with Article VII, \u00a7 10 (b) of the Constitution of Virginia, petition<\/span> the circuit<\/span> court<\/span> for the county<\/span> for an order<\/span> calling for a special election in the county<\/span> on the question of contracting such debt.\n\t\tThe question on the ballot shall be as follows, provided that the circuit<\/span> court<\/span> in its order<\/span> calling for the election may substitute alternative language necessary to specify the type of agreement or the particular debt which the county<\/span> proposes to contract<\/span> under an agreement:\n\t\t“Shall (name of county<\/span>) be authorized to contract<\/span> a debt by entering into a contract<\/span> for the payment (describe the debt or payment) to (name of locality<\/span> to whom payments are to be made) as a part of the proposed voluntary annexation and immunity settlement<\/span> agreement between the county<\/span> and (name of other locality<\/span>)?\n\t\t[ ] Yes\n\t\t[ ] No”\n\t\tThe clerk of the county<\/span> shall cause a notice of the referendum<\/span> to be published three times in a newspaper having general circulation in the county<\/span>, with the first notice appearing no more than 35 days before and the third notice appearing no less than seven days before the election, and shall post a copy of the notice at the door of the county<\/span> courthouse.\n\t\tThe election shall be held and the results thereof ascertained and certified in accordance with Article 5 (\u00a7 24.2-681<\/a> et seq.) of Chapter 6 of Title 24.2. If a majority of the voters<\/span> of the county<\/span> voting in such election approve the contracting of such debt, the county<\/span> may proceed to adopt, by ordinance<\/span>, the agreement.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nREFERENDUM ON CONTRACTING OF DEBT BY COUNTIES IN VOLUNTARY SETTLEMENT AGREEMENTS\n(\u00a7 15.2-3401)\n\nBefore a county, under the terms of a voluntary agreement pursuant to this\nchapter, contracts a debt pursuant to Article VII, \u00a7 10 (b) of the Constitution\nof Virginia, the board of supervisors shall, in conformity with Article VII, \u00a7\n10 (b) of the Constitution of Virginia, petition the circuit court for the\ncounty for an order calling for a special election in the county on the question\nof contracting such debt.\n\t\tThe question on the ballot shall be as follows, provided that the circuit\ncourt in its order calling for the election may substitute alternative language\nnecessary to specify the type of agreement or the particular debt which the\ncounty proposes to contract under an agreement:\n\t\t“Shall (name of county) be authorized to contract a debt by entering\ninto a contract for the payment (describe the debt or payment) to (name of\nlocality to whom payments are to be made) as a part of the proposed voluntary\nannexation and immunity settlement agreement between the county and (name of\nother locality)?\n\t\t[ ] Yes\n\t\t[ ] No”\n\t\tThe clerk of the county shall cause a notice of the referendum to be published\nthree times in a newspaper having general circulation in the county, with the\nfirst notice appearing no more than 35 days before and the third notice\nappearing no less than seven days before the election, and shall post a copy of\nthe notice at the door of the county courthouse.\n\t\tThe election shall be held and the results thereof ascertained and certified\nin accordance with Article 5 (\u00a7 24.2-681 et seq.) of Chapter 6 of Title 24.2.\nIf a majority of the voters of the county voting in such election approve the\ncontracting of such debt, the county may proceed to adopt, by ordinance, the\nagreement.\n\nHISTORY: 1985, c. 66, \u00a7 15.1-1167.2; 1997, c. 587; 2023, cc. 506, 507; 2024,\ncc. 225, 242.","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}}