{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/15.2-3603.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/15.2-3603.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/15.2-3603.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/15.2-3603.html"}],"law_id":74965,"edition_id":1,"section_id":74965,"structure_id":15217,"section_number":"15.2-3603","catch_line":"Request for charter","history":"1980, c. 45, \u00a7 15.1-967.2; 1997, c. 587.","full_text":"At the session of the General Assembly following its incorporation, the town shall request the General Assembly to grant it a charter.\n\t\tNo judge shall grant a town a charter. Until a town is granted a charter by the General Assembly, the town’s affairs shall be conducted exclusively under the provisions of general law.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":269322,"text":"At the session of the General Assembly following its incorporation, the town shall request the General Assembly to grant it a charter.\n\t\tNo judge shall grant a town a charter. Until a town is granted a charter by the General Assembly, the town’s affairs shall be conducted exclusively under the provisions of general law.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":15217,"edition_id":1,"name":"Incorporation of Towns by Judicial Proceeding","identifier":"36","label":"chapter","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13062,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:53:07","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:53:07","permalink":{"id":157477,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":15217,"identifier":"36","token":"15.2\/III\/36","url":"\/15.2\/III\/36\/","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":57952,"structure_id":15217,"section_number":"15.2-3600","catch_line":"Petition for incorporation of community; appointment of special court","url":"\/15.2-3600\/","token":"15.2\/III\/36\/15.2-3600","metadata":false},{"id":71496,"structure_id":15217,"section_number":"15.2-3601","catch_line":"Hearing before Commission on Local Government; notice; parties; finding of Commission","url":"\/15.2-3601\/","token":"15.2\/III\/36\/15.2-3601","metadata":false},{"id":81086,"structure_id":15217,"section_number":"15.2-3602","catch_line":"Proof required and order for incorporation","url":"\/15.2-3602\/","token":"15.2\/III\/36\/15.2-3602","metadata":false},{"id":74965,"structure_id":15217,"section_number":"15.2-3603","catch_line":"Request for charter","url":"\/15.2-3603\/","token":"15.2\/III\/36\/15.2-3603","metadata":false},{"id":73019,"structure_id":15217,"section_number":"15.2-3604","catch_line":"How first election ordered and held","url":"\/15.2-3604\/","token":"15.2\/III\/36\/15.2-3604","metadata":false},{"id":78094,"structure_id":15217,"section_number":"15.2-3605","catch_line":"How appeals granted and heard","url":"\/15.2-3605\/","token":"15.2\/III\/36\/15.2-3605","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":81086,"structure_id":15217,"section_number":"15.2-3602","catch_line":"Proof required and order for incorporation","url":"\/15.2-3602\/","token":"15.2\/III\/36\/15.2-3602","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":73019,"structure_id":15217,"section_number":"15.2-3604","catch_line":"How first election ordered and held","url":"\/15.2-3604\/","token":"15.2\/III\/36\/15.2-3604","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/15.2-3603\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 1980. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 45 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 1980 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online. 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 1997, chapter 587<\/a>.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":157491,"object_type":"law","relational_id":74965,"identifier":"15.2-3603","token":"15.2\/III\/36\/15.2-3603","url":"\/15.2-3603\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/15.2-3603\/","token":"15.2\/III\/36\/15.2-3603","dublin_core":{"Title":"Request for charter","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 15.2-3603","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

At the session of the General Assembly following its incorporation, the town<\/span> shall request the General Assembly to grant it a charter.\n\t\tNo judge<\/span> shall grant a town<\/span> a charter. Until a town<\/span> is granted a charter by the General Assembly, the town<\/span>’s affairs shall be conducted exclusively under the provisions of general law<\/span>.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nREQUEST FOR CHARTER (\u00a7 15.2-3603)\n\nAt the session of the General Assembly following its incorporation, the town\nshall request the General Assembly to grant it a charter.\n\t\tNo judge shall grant a town a charter. Until a town is granted a charter by\nthe General Assembly, the town’s affairs shall be conducted exclusively\nunder the provisions of general law.\n\nHISTORY: 1980, c. 45, \u00a7 15.1-967.2; 1997, c. 587.","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}}