{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/15.2-503.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/15.2-503.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/15.2-503.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/15.2-503.html"}],"law_id":55111,"edition_id":1,"section_id":55111,"structure_id":14021,"section_number":"15.2-503","catch_line":"Referendum on election of the county chairman from the county at large; powers and duties of chairman","history":"1986, c. 203, \u00a7 15.1-589.3; 1997, c. 587; 2024, cc. 225, 242.","full_text":"A\n\nThe board of any county in which members of the board are elected from districts, may by resolution petition the circuit court for the county for a referendum on the question of whether there should be a chairman of the board elected at large, or the like referendum may be requested by a petition to the circuit court signed by at least ten percent of the voters of the county. Upon the filing of the petition, which shall be filed not less than ninety days before the general election, the circuit court shall order the election officials at the next general election held in the county to open the polls and take the sense of the voters therein on that question. Notice of the referendum shall 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 referendum. Notice of the referendum shall also be posted at the door of the county courthouse. The ballot shall be printed as follows:\n\t\t\t“Shall the chairman of the county board of supervisors, to be known as the county chairman, be elected by the voters of the county at large?\n\t\t\t[ ] Yes\n\t\t\t[ ] No”\n\t\t\tThe election shall be held and the results certified as provided in § 24.2-684.B\n\nIf a majority of the qualified voters voting in such referendum vote in favor of the election of a county chairman of the board from the county at large, beginning at the next general election for the board, the county chairman shall be elected for a term of the same length and commencing at the same time as that of other members of the board. No person may be a candidate for county chairman at the same time he is a candidate for membership on the board from any district of the county.C\n\nNotwithstanding the provisions of § 15.2-502, the board thereafter shall consist of one member elected from each district of the county and a county chairman elected by the voters of the county at large. The county chairman shall be the chairman of the board and preside at its meetings. The chairman shall represent the county at official functions and ceremonial events. The chairman shall have all voting and other rights, privileges, and duties of other board members and such other, not in conflict with this article, as the board may prescribe. At the first meeting at the beginning of its term and any time thereafter when necessary, the board shall elect a vice-chairman from its membership, who shall perform the duties of the chairman in his absence.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":202080,"text":"The board of any county in which members of the board are elected from districts, may by resolution petition the circuit court for the county for a referendum on the question of whether there should be a chairman of the board elected at large, or the like referendum may be requested by a petition to the circuit court signed by at least ten percent of the voters of the county. Upon the filing of the petition, which shall be filed not less than ninety days before the general election, the circuit court shall order the election officials at the next general election held in the county to open the polls and take the sense of the voters therein on that question. Notice of the referendum shall 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 referendum. Notice of the referendum shall also be posted at the door of the county courthouse. The ballot shall be printed as follows:\n\t\t\t“Shall the chairman of the county board of supervisors, to be known as the county chairman, be elected by the voters of the county at large?\n\t\t\t[ ] Yes\n\t\t\t[ ] No”\n\t\t\tThe election shall be held and the results certified as provided in § 24.2-684.","type":"section","prefixes":["A"],"prefix":"A","entire_prefix":"A","prefix_anchor":"A","level":1,"next_prefix":"B"},"1":{"id":202081,"text":"If a majority of the qualified voters voting in such referendum vote in favor of the election of a county chairman of the board from the county at large, beginning at the next general election for the board, the county chairman shall be elected for a term of the same length and commencing at the same time as that of other members of the board. No person may be a candidate for county chairman at the same time he is a candidate for membership on the board from any district of the county.","type":"section","prefixes":["B"],"prefix":"B","entire_prefix":"B","prefix_anchor":"B","level":1,"prior_prefix":"A","next_prefix":"C"},"2":{"id":202082,"text":"Notwithstanding the provisions of § 15.2-502, the board thereafter shall consist of one member elected from each district of the county and a county chairman elected by the voters of the county at large. The county chairman shall be the chairman of the board and preside at its meetings. The chairman shall represent the county at official functions and ceremonial events. The chairman shall have all voting and other rights, privileges, and duties of other board members and such other, not in conflict with this article, as the board may prescribe. At the first meeting at the beginning of its term and any time thereafter when necessary, the board shall elect a vice-chairman from its membership, who shall perform the duties of the chairman in his absence.","type":"section","prefixes":["C"],"prefix":"C","entire_prefix":"C","prefix_anchor":"C","level":1,"prior_prefix":"B"}},"ancestry":[{"id":14021,"edition_id":1,"name":"Adoption of County Executive Form","identifier":"1","label":"article","depth":4,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13139,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:46:37","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:46:37","permalink":{"id":151501,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":14021,"identifier":"1","token":"15.2\/I\/5\/1","url":"\/15.2\/I\/5\/1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13139,"edition_id":1,"name":"County Executive Form of Government","identifier":"5","label":"chapter","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13138,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:20","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:20","permalink":{"id":151499,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13139,"identifier":"5","token":"15.2\/I\/5","url":"\/15.2\/I\/5\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13138,"edition_id":1,"name":"General Provisions; Charters; Other Forms and Organization of Counties","identifier":"I","label":"subtitle","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12720,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:20","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:20","permalink":{"id":151281,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13138,"identifier":"I","token":"15.2\/I","url":"\/15.2\/I\/","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":66591,"structure_id":14021,"section_number":"15.2-500","catch_line":"Title of form; applicability of chapter","url":"\/15.2-500\/","token":"15.2\/I\/5\/1\/15.2-500","metadata":false},{"id":64981,"structure_id":14021,"section_number":"15.2-501","catch_line":"Adoption of county executive form","url":"\/15.2-501\/","token":"15.2\/I\/5\/1\/15.2-501","metadata":false},{"id":59152,"structure_id":14021,"section_number":"15.2-502","catch_line":"Powers vested in board of county supervisors; election and terms of members; vacancies","url":"\/15.2-502\/","token":"15.2\/I\/5\/1\/15.2-502","metadata":false},{"id":55111,"structure_id":14021,"section_number":"15.2-503","catch_line":"Referendum on election of the county chairman from the county at large; powers and duties of chairman","url":"\/15.2-503\/","token":"15.2\/I\/5\/1\/15.2-503","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":59152,"structure_id":14021,"section_number":"15.2-502","catch_line":"Powers vested in board of county supervisors; election and terms of members; vacancies","url":"\/15.2-502\/","token":"15.2\/I\/5\/1\/15.2-502","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/15.2-503\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 1986. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 203 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 1986 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online. It has been modified 2 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 2024, chapters 225<\/a> and 242<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":57783,"section_number":"24.2-219","catch_line":"Alternative for biennial county supervisor elections and staggered terms","order_by":null,"url":"\/24.2-219\/"}],"refers_to":[{"id":59152,"section_number":"15.2-502","catch_line":"Powers vested in board of county supervisors; election and terms of members; vacancies","order_by":null,"url":"\/15.2-502\/"}],"permalink":{"id":151515,"object_type":"law","relational_id":55111,"identifier":"15.2-503","token":"15.2\/I\/5\/1\/15.2-503","url":"\/15.2-503\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/15.2-503\/","token":"15.2\/I\/5\/1\/15.2-503","dublin_core":{"Title":"Referendum on election of the county chairman from the county at large; powers and duties of chairman","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 15.2-503","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

A.<\/span> The board of any county<\/span> in which members of the board are elected from districts, may by resolution petition<\/span> the circuit<\/span> court<\/span> for the county<\/span> for a referendum<\/span> on the question of whether there should be a chairman of the board elected at large, or the like referendum<\/span> may be requested by a petition<\/span> to the circuit<\/span> court<\/span> signed by at least ten percent of the voters<\/span> of the county<\/span>. Upon the filing of the petition<\/span>, which shall be filed not less than ninety days before the general election, the circuit<\/span> court<\/span> shall order<\/span> the election officials at the next general election held in the county<\/span> to open the polls and take the sense of the voters<\/span> therein on that question. Notice of the referendum<\/span> shall 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 referendum<\/span>. Notice of the referendum<\/span> shall also be posted at the door of the county<\/span> courthouse. The ballot shall be printed as follows:\n\t\t\t“Shall the chairman of the county<\/span> board of supervisors<\/span>, to be known as the county<\/span> chairman, be elected by the voters<\/span> of the county<\/span> at large?\n\t\t\t[ ] Yes\n\t\t\t[ ] No”\n\t\t\tThe election shall be held and the results certified as provided in § 24.2-684<\/a>. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

B.<\/span> If a majority of the qualified voters<\/span> voting in such referendum<\/span> vote in favor of the election of a county<\/span> chairman of the board from the county<\/span> at large, beginning at the next general election for the board, the county<\/span> chairman shall be elected for a term of the same length and commencing at the same time as that of other members of the board. No person may be a candidate for county<\/span> chairman at the same time he is a candidate for membership on the board from any district of the county<\/span>. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

C.<\/span> Notwithstanding the provisions of § 15.2-502<\/a>, the board thereafter shall consist of one member elected from each district of the county<\/span> and a county<\/span> chairman elected by the voters<\/span> of the county<\/span> at large. The county<\/span> chairman shall be the chairman of the board and preside at its meetings. The chairman shall represent the county<\/span> at official functions and ceremonial events. The chairman shall have all voting and other rights, privileges<\/span>, and duties of other board members and such other, not in conflict with this article, as the board may prescribe. At the first meeting at the beginning of its term and any time thereafter when necessary, the board shall elect a vice-chairman from its membership, who shall perform the duties of the chairman in his absence. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nREFERENDUM ON ELECTION OF THE COUNTY CHAIRMAN FROM THE COUNTY AT LARGE; POWERS\nAND DUTIES OF CHAIRMAN (\u00a7 15.2-503)\n\nA. The board of any county in which members of the board are elected from\ndistricts, may by resolution petition the circuit court for the county for a\nreferendum on the question of whether there should be a chairman of the board\nelected at large, or the like referendum may be requested by a petition to the\ncircuit court signed by at least ten percent of the voters of the county. Upon\nthe filing of the petition, which shall be filed not less than ninety days\nbefore the general election, the circuit court shall order the election\nofficials at the next general election held in the county to open the polls and\ntake the sense of the voters therein on that question. Notice of the referendum\nshall be published three times in a newspaper having general circulation in the\ncounty, with the first notice appearing no more than 35 days before and the\nthird notice appearing no less than seven days before the referendum. Notice of\nthe referendum shall also be posted at the door of the county courthouse. The\nballot shall be printed as follows:\n\t\t\t“Shall the chairman of the county board of supervisors, to be known as\nthe county chairman, be elected by the voters of the county at large?\n\t\t\t[ ] Yes\n\t\t\t[ ] No”\n\t\t\tThe election shall be held and the results certified as provided in §\n24.2-684.\n\nB. If a majority of the qualified voters voting in such referendum vote in favor\nof the election of a county chairman of the board from the county at large,\nbeginning at the next general election for the board, the county chairman shall\nbe elected for a term of the same length and commencing at the same time as that\nof other members of the board. No person may be a candidate for county chairman\nat the same time he is a candidate for membership on the board from any district\nof the county.\n\nC. Notwithstanding the provisions of § 15.2-502, the board thereafter shall\nconsist of one member elected from each district of the county and a county\nchairman elected by the voters of the county at large. The county chairman shall\nbe the chairman of the board and preside at its meetings. The chairman shall\nrepresent the county at official functions and ceremonial events. The chairman\nshall have all voting and other rights, privileges, and duties of other board\nmembers and such other, not in conflict with this article, as the board may\nprescribe. At the first meeting at the beginning of its term and any time\nthereafter when necessary, the board shall elect a vice-chairman from its\nmembership, who shall perform the duties of the chairman in his absence.\n\nHISTORY: 1986, c. 203, \u00a7 15.1-589.3; 1997, c. 587; 2024, cc. 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}}