{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/18.2-403.4.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/18.2-403.4.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/18.2-403.4.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/18.2-403.4.html"}],"law_id":57357,"edition_id":1,"section_id":57357,"structure_id":15043,"section_number":"18.2-403.4","catch_line":"Unauthorized release of animals; penalty","history":"1992, c. 307.","full_text":"Any person who intentionally releases an animal, as defined in \u00a7 3.2-6500, lawfully confined for scientific, research, commercial, agricultural or educational purposes without the consent of the owner or custodian of the animal and with the intent to impede or obstruct any such lawful purpose shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":210228,"text":"Any person who intentionally releases an animal, as defined in \u00a7 3.2-6500, lawfully confined for scientific, research, commercial, agricultural or educational purposes without the consent of the owner or custodian of the animal and with the intent to impede or obstruct any such lawful purpose shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":15043,"edition_id":1,"name":"Offenses Involving Animals","identifier":"8","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":14022,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:51:43","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:51:43","permalink":{"id":167977,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":15043,"identifier":"8","token":"18.2\/8\/8","url":"\/18.2\/8\/8\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":14022,"edition_id":1,"name":"Crimes Involving Morals and Decency","identifier":"8","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12972,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:46:37","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:46:37","permalink":{"id":167393,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":14022,"identifier":"8","token":"18.2\/8","url":"\/18.2\/8\/","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":64312,"structure_id":15043,"section_number":"18.2-403.1","catch_line":"Offenses involving animals \u2014 Class 1 misdemeanors","url":"\/18.2-403.1\/","token":"18.2\/8\/8\/18.2-403.1","metadata":false},{"id":84606,"structure_id":15043,"section_number":"18.2-403.2","catch_line":"Offenses involving animals \u2014 Class 3 misdemeanors","url":"\/18.2-403.2\/","token":"18.2\/8\/8\/18.2-403.2","metadata":false},{"id":62257,"structure_id":15043,"section_number":"18.2-403.3","catch_line":"Offenses involving animals \u2014 Class 4 misdemeanors","url":"\/18.2-403.3\/","token":"18.2\/8\/8\/18.2-403.3","metadata":false},{"id":57357,"structure_id":15043,"section_number":"18.2-403.4","catch_line":"Unauthorized release of animals; penalty","url":"\/18.2-403.4\/","token":"18.2\/8\/8\/18.2-403.4","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":62257,"structure_id":15043,"section_number":"18.2-403.3","catch_line":"Offenses involving animals \u2014 Class 4 misdemeanors","url":"\/18.2-403.3\/","token":"18.2\/8\/8\/18.2-403.3","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/18.2-403.4\/","history_text":"<p>This law was first created in 1992. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 307 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 1992 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":[{"id":86401,"section_number":"3.2-6500","catch_line":"Definitions","order_by":null,"url":"\/3.2-6500\/"}],"permalink":{"id":167991,"object_type":"law","relational_id":57357,"identifier":"18.2-403.4","token":"18.2\/8\/8\/18.2-403.4","url":"\/18.2-403.4\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/18.2-403.4\/","token":"18.2\/8\/8\/18.2-403.4","dublin_core":{"Title":"Unauthorized release of animals; penalty","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 18.2-403.4","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section><p>Any person who intentionally releases an animal, as defined in \u00a7&nbsp;<a class=\"law\" title=\"Definitions\" href=\"\/3.2-6500\/\">3.2-6500<\/a>, lawfully confined for scientific, research, commercial, agricultural or educational purposes without the consent of the owner or custodian of the animal and with the <span class=\"dictionary\">intent<\/span> to impede or obstruct any such lawful purpose shall be guilty of a Class 1 <span class=\"dictionary\">misdemeanor<\/span>.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":"                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nUNAUTHORIZED RELEASE OF ANIMALS; PENALTY (\u00a7 18.2-403.4)\n\nAny person who intentionally releases an animal, as defined in \u00a7 3.2-6500,\nlawfully confined for scientific, research, commercial, agricultural or\neducational purposes without the consent of the owner or custodian of the animal\nand with the intent to impede or obstruct any such lawful purpose shall be\nguilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.\n\nHISTORY: 1992, c. 307.","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}}