{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/18.2-137.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/18.2-137.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/18.2-137.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/18.2-137.html"}],"law_id":83724,"edition_id":1,"section_id":83724,"structure_id":15269,"section_number":"18.2-137","catch_line":"Injuring, etc., any property, monument, etc","history":"Code 1950, \u00a7 18.1-172; 1960, c. 358; 1975, cc. 14, 15, 598; 1990, c. 933; 1999, c. 625; 2020, cc. 1100, 1101.","full_text":"A\n\nIf any person unlawfully destroys, defaces, damages, or removes without the intent to steal any property, real or personal, not his own, or breaks down, destroys, defaces, damages, or removes without the intent to steal, any monument or memorial for war veterans, not his own, described in § 15.2-1812; any monument erected to mark the site of any engagement fought during the Civil War, or any memorial to designate the boundaries of any city, town, tract of land, or any tree marked for that purpose, he shall be guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor, provided that the court may, in its discretion, dismiss the charge if the locality or organization that owns or is responsible for maintaining the injured property, monument, or memorial files a written affidavit with the court stating it has received full payment for the injury.B\n\nIf any person who is not the owner of such property intentionally causes such injury, he is guilty of (i) a Class 1 misdemeanor if the value of or damage to the property, memorial, or monument is less than $1,000 or (ii) a Class 6 felony if the value of or damage to the property, memorial, or monument is $1,000 or more. The amount of loss caused by the destruction, defacing, damage, or removal of such property, memorial, or monument may be established by proof of the fair market cost of repair or fair market replacement value. Upon conviction, the court may order that the defendant pay restitution.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":300114,"text":"If any person unlawfully destroys, defaces, damages, or removes without the intent to steal any property, real or personal, not his own, or breaks down, destroys, defaces, damages, or removes without the intent to steal, any monument or memorial for war veterans, not his own, described in § 15.2-1812; any monument erected to mark the site of any engagement fought during the Civil War, or any memorial to designate the boundaries of any city, town, tract of land, or any tree marked for that purpose, he shall be guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor, provided that the court may, in its discretion, dismiss the charge if the locality or organization that owns or is responsible for maintaining the injured property, monument, or memorial files a written affidavit with the court stating it has received full payment for the injury.","type":"section","prefixes":["A"],"prefix":"A","entire_prefix":"A","prefix_anchor":"A","level":1,"next_prefix":"B"},"1":{"id":300115,"text":"If any person who is not the owner of such property intentionally causes such injury, he is guilty of (i) a Class 1 misdemeanor if the value of or damage to the property, memorial, or monument is less than $1,000 or (ii) a Class 6 felony if the value of or damage to the property, memorial, or monument is $1,000 or more. The amount of loss caused by the destruction, defacing, damage, or removal of such property, memorial, or monument may be established by proof of the fair market cost of repair or fair market replacement value. Upon conviction, the court may order that the defendant pay restitution.","type":"section","prefixes":["B"],"prefix":"B","entire_prefix":"B","prefix_anchor":"B","level":1,"prior_prefix":"A"}},"ancestry":[{"id":15269,"edition_id":1,"name":"Damage to Realty and Personalty Thereon","identifier":"6","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13243,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:53:27","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:53:27","permalink":{"id":165655,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":15269,"identifier":"6","token":"18.2\/5\/6","url":"\/18.2\/5\/6\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13243,"edition_id":1,"name":"Crimes Against Property","identifier":"5","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12972,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:30","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:30","permalink":{"id":165299,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13243,"identifier":"5","token":"18.2\/5","url":"\/18.2\/5\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12972,"edition_id":1,"name":"Crimes and Offenses Generally","identifier":"18.2","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:05","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:05","permalink":{"id":164139,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12972,"identifier":"18.2","token":"18.2","url":"\/18.2\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":83724,"structure_id":15269,"section_number":"18.2-137","catch_line":"Injuring, etc., any property, monument, etc","url":"\/18.2-137\/","token":"18.2\/5\/6\/18.2-137","metadata":false},{"id":71615,"structure_id":15269,"section_number":"18.2-138","catch_line":"Damaging public buildings, etc.; penalty","url":"\/18.2-138\/","token":"18.2\/5\/6\/18.2-138","metadata":false},{"id":65177,"structure_id":15269,"section_number":"18.2-138.1","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/18.2-138.1\/","token":"18.2\/5\/6\/18.2-138.1","metadata":false},{"id":58109,"structure_id":15269,"section_number":"18.2-139","catch_line":"Injuries to trees, fences or herbage on grounds of Capitol, or in any public square","url":"\/18.2-139\/","token":"18.2\/5\/6\/18.2-139","metadata":false},{"id":65245,"structure_id":15269,"section_number":"18.2-140","catch_line":"Destruction of trees, shrubs, etc","url":"\/18.2-140\/","token":"18.2\/5\/6\/18.2-140","metadata":false},{"id":59096,"structure_id":15269,"section_number":"18.2-141","catch_line":"Cutting or destroying trees; carrying axe, saw, etc., while hunting","url":"\/18.2-141\/","token":"18.2\/5\/6\/18.2-141","metadata":false},{"id":59924,"structure_id":15269,"section_number":"18.2-142","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/18.2-142\/","token":"18.2\/5\/6\/18.2-142","metadata":false},{"id":64994,"structure_id":15269,"section_number":"18.2-143","catch_line":"Pulling down fences or leaving open gates","url":"\/18.2-143\/","token":"18.2\/5\/6\/18.2-143","metadata":false}],"next_section":{"id":71615,"structure_id":15269,"section_number":"18.2-138","catch_line":"Damaging public buildings, etc.; penalty","url":"\/18.2-138\/","token":"18.2\/5\/6\/18.2-138","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/18.2-137\/","history_text":"

The record of this law\u2019s original creation isn\u2019t available online. It has been modified 5 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 1960, chapter 358; in 1975, chapters 14, 15, and 598; in 1990, chapter 933; in 1999, chapter 625<\/a>; in 2020, chapters 1100<\/a> and 1101<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":62824,"section_number":"16.1-278.8","catch_line":"Delinquent juveniles","order_by":null,"url":"\/16.1-278.8\/"},{"id":86932,"section_number":"18.2-146","catch_line":"Breaking, injuring, defacing, destroying, or preventing the operation of vehicle, aircraft, boat, or vessel; penalties","order_by":null,"url":"\/18.2-146\/"},{"id":86583,"section_number":"18.2-46.1","catch_line":"Definitions","order_by":null,"url":"\/18.2-46.1\/"},{"id":85695,"section_number":"19.2-169.1","catch_line":"Raising question of competency to stand trial or plead; evaluation and determination of competency","order_by":null,"url":"\/19.2-169.1\/"},{"id":66444,"section_number":"19.2-169.2","catch_line":"Disposition when defendant found incompetent","order_by":null,"url":"\/19.2-169.2\/"},{"id":55101,"section_number":"19.2-303.2","catch_line":"Persons charged with first offense may be placed on probation","order_by":null,"url":"\/19.2-303.2\/"},{"id":58970,"section_number":"19.2-327.15","catch_line":"Definitions","order_by":null,"url":"\/19.2-327.15\/"},{"id":60675,"section_number":"19.2-81","catch_line":"Arrest without warrant authorized in certain cases","order_by":null,"url":"\/19.2-81\/"}],"refers_to":[{"id":76258,"section_number":"15.2-1812","catch_line":"Memorials for war veterans","order_by":null,"url":"\/15.2-1812\/"}],"permalink":{"id":165657,"object_type":"law","relational_id":83724,"identifier":"18.2-137","token":"18.2\/5\/6\/18.2-137","url":"\/18.2-137\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/18.2-137\/","token":"18.2\/5\/6\/18.2-137","dublin_core":{"Title":"Injuring, etc., any property, monument, etc","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 18.2-137","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

A.<\/span> If any person unlawfully destroys, defaces, damages<\/span>, or removes without the intent<\/span> to steal<\/span> any property, real or personal, not his own, or breaks down, destroys, defaces, damages<\/span>, or removes without the intent<\/span> to steal<\/span>, any monument or memorial for war veterans, not his own, described in § 15.2-1812<\/a>; any monument erected to mark the site of any engagement fought during the Civil War, or any memorial to designate the boundaries of any city, town, tract of land, or any tree marked for that purpose, he shall be guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor<\/span>, provided that the court<\/span> may, in its discretion, dismiss the charge if the locality or organization that owns or is responsible for maintaining the injured property, monument, or memorial files a written affidavit<\/span> with the court<\/span> stating it has received full payment for the injury. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

B.<\/span> If any person who is not the owner of such property intentionally causes such injury, he is guilty of (i) a Class 1 misdemeanor<\/span> if the value of or damage to the property, memorial, or monument is less than $1,000 or (ii) a Class 6 felony<\/span> if the value of or damage to the property, memorial, or monument is $1,000 or more. The amount of loss caused by the destruction, defacing, damage, or removal of such property, memorial, or monument may be established by proof of the fair market cost of repair or fair market replacement value. Upon conviction<\/span>, the court<\/span> may order<\/span> that the defendant<\/span> pay restitution<\/span>. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nINJURING, ETC., ANY PROPERTY, MONUMENT, ETC (\u00a7 18.2-137)\n\nA. If any person unlawfully destroys, defaces, damages, or removes without the\nintent to steal any property, real or personal, not his own, or breaks down,\ndestroys, defaces, damages, or removes without the intent to steal, any monument\nor memorial for war veterans, not his own, described in § 15.2-1812; any\nmonument erected to mark the site of any engagement fought during the Civil War,\nor any memorial to designate the boundaries of any city, town, tract of land, or\nany tree marked for that purpose, he shall be guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor,\nprovided that the court may, in its discretion, dismiss the charge if the\nlocality or organization that owns or is responsible for maintaining the injured\nproperty, monument, or memorial files a written affidavit with the court stating\nit has received full payment for the injury.\n\nB. If any person who is not the owner of such property intentionally causes such\ninjury, he is guilty of (i) a Class 1 misdemeanor if the value of or damage to\nthe property, memorial, or monument is less than $1,000 or (ii) a Class 6 felony\nif the value of or damage to the property, memorial, or monument is $1,000 or\nmore. The amount of loss caused by the destruction, defacing, damage, or removal\nof such property, memorial, or monument may be established by proof of the fair\nmarket cost of repair or fair market replacement value. Upon conviction, the\ncourt may order that the defendant pay restitution.\n\nHISTORY: Code 1950, \u00a7 18.1-172; 1960, c. 358; 1975, cc. 14, 15, 598; 1990, c.\n933; 1999, c. 625; 2020, cc. 1100, 1101.","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}}