{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/16.1-126.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/16.1-126.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/16.1-126.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/16.1-126.html"}],"law_id":84137,"edition_id":1,"section_id":84137,"structure_id":15652,"section_number":"16.1-126","catch_line":"Certain courts of record may try misdemeanors; procedure","history":"1956, c. 555.","full_text":"Notwithstanding the provisions of this chapter, the circuit court of any county or city having criminal jurisdiction, shall have jurisdiction to try any person for any misdemeanor for which a presentment or indictment is brought in or for which an information is filed; or such court may certify the presentment, indictment or information for trial to the court not of record which would otherwise have jurisdiction of the offense; in which event the presentment, indictment or information shall be in lieu of any warrant, petition or other pleading which might otherwise be required by law.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":301562,"text":"Notwithstanding the provisions of this chapter, the circuit court of any county or city having criminal jurisdiction, shall have jurisdiction to try any person for any misdemeanor for which a presentment or indictment is brought in or for which an information is filed; or such court may certify the presentment, indictment or information for trial to the court not of record which would otherwise have jurisdiction of the offense; in which event the presentment, indictment or information shall be in lieu of any warrant, petition or other pleading which might otherwise be required by law.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":15652,"edition_id":1,"name":"Jurisdiction in Criminal Matters","identifier":"1","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":14092,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:57:24","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:57:24","permalink":{"id":162683,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":15652,"identifier":"1","token":"16.1\/7\/1","url":"\/16.1\/7\/1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":14092,"edition_id":1,"name":"Jurisdiction and Procedure in Criminal Matters","identifier":"7","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12700,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:46:51","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:46:51","permalink":{"id":162681,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":14092,"identifier":"7","token":"16.1\/7","url":"\/16.1\/7\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12700,"edition_id":1,"name":"Courts Not of Record","identifier":"16.1","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":160919,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12700,"identifier":"16.1","token":"16.1","url":"\/16.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":84525,"structure_id":15652,"section_number":"16.1-123","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/16.1-123\/","token":"16.1\/7\/1\/16.1-123","metadata":false},{"id":85805,"structure_id":15652,"section_number":"16.1-123.1","catch_line":"Criminal and traffic jurisdiction of general district courts","url":"\/16.1-123.1\/","token":"16.1\/7\/1\/16.1-123.1","metadata":false},{"id":62889,"structure_id":15652,"section_number":"16.1-124","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/16.1-124\/","token":"16.1\/7\/1\/16.1-124","metadata":false},{"id":84137,"structure_id":15652,"section_number":"16.1-126","catch_line":"Certain courts of record may try misdemeanors; procedure","url":"\/16.1-126\/","token":"16.1\/7\/1\/16.1-126","metadata":false},{"id":73081,"structure_id":15652,"section_number":"16.1-127","catch_line":"Courts may conduct preliminary examinations","url":"\/16.1-127\/","token":"16.1\/7\/1\/16.1-127","metadata":false},{"id":59831,"structure_id":15652,"section_number":"16.1-128","catch_line":"Exception when jurisdiction in State Corporation Commission","url":"\/16.1-128\/","token":"16.1\/7\/1\/16.1-128","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":62889,"structure_id":15652,"section_number":"16.1-124","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/16.1-124\/","token":"16.1\/7\/1\/16.1-124","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":73081,"structure_id":15652,"section_number":"16.1-127","catch_line":"Courts may conduct preliminary examinations","url":"\/16.1-127\/","token":"16.1\/7\/1\/16.1-127","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/16.1-126\/","history_text":"<p>This law was first created in 1956. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 555 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 1956 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":162697,"object_type":"law","relational_id":84137,"identifier":"16.1-126","token":"16.1\/7\/1\/16.1-126","url":"\/16.1-126\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/16.1-126\/","token":"16.1\/7\/1\/16.1-126","dublin_core":{"Title":"Certain courts of record may try misdemeanors; procedure","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 16.1-126","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section><p>Notwithstanding the provisions of this chapter, the <span class=\"dictionary\">circuit<\/span> <span class=\"dictionary\">court<\/span> of any county or city having criminal <span class=\"dictionary\">jurisdiction<\/span>, shall have <span class=\"dictionary\">jurisdiction<\/span> to try any person for any <span class=\"dictionary\">misdemeanor<\/span> for which a <span class=\"dictionary\">presentment<\/span> or <span class=\"dictionary\">indictment<\/span> is brought in or for which an information is filed; or such <span class=\"dictionary\">court<\/span> may certify the <span class=\"dictionary\">presentment<\/span>, <span class=\"dictionary\">indictment<\/span> or information for <span class=\"dictionary\">trial<\/span> to the <span class=\"dictionary\">court<\/span> not of record which would otherwise have <span class=\"dictionary\">jurisdiction<\/span> of the <span class=\"dictionary\">offense<\/span>; in which event the <span class=\"dictionary\">presentment<\/span>, <span class=\"dictionary\">indictment<\/span> or information shall be in lieu of any warrant, <span class=\"dictionary\">petition<\/span> or other pleading which might otherwise be required by <span class=\"dictionary\">law<\/span>.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":"                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nCERTAIN COURTS OF RECORD MAY TRY MISDEMEANORS; PROCEDURE (\u00a7 16.1-126)\n\nNotwithstanding the provisions of this chapter, the circuit court of any county\nor city having criminal jurisdiction, shall have jurisdiction to try any person\nfor any misdemeanor for which a presentment or indictment is brought in or for\nwhich an information is filed; or such court may certify the presentment,\nindictment or information for trial to the court not of record which would\notherwise have jurisdiction of the offense; in which event the presentment,\nindictment or information shall be in lieu of any warrant, petition or other\npleading which might otherwise be required by law.\n\nHISTORY: 1956, c. 555.","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}}