{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/18.2-46.3_3.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/18.2-46.3_3.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/18.2-46.3_3.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/18.2-46.3_3.html"}],"law_id":69277,"edition_id":1,"section_id":69277,"structure_id":15685,"section_number":"18.2-46.3:3","catch_line":"Enhanced punishment for gang activity taking place in a gang-free zone; penalties","history":"2005, cc. 764, 813; 2010, c. 364; 2013, cc. 761, 774; 2023, cc. 396, 397.","full_text":"Any person who violates \u00a7 18.2-46.2 (i) upon the property, including buildings and grounds, of any public or private elementary, secondary, or postsecondary school or institution of higher education; (ii) upon public property or any property open to public use within 1,000 feet of such school property; (iii) on any school bus as defined in \u00a7 46.2-100; or (iv) upon the property, including buildings and grounds, of any publicly owned or operated community center or any publicly owned or operated recreation center is guilty of a felony punishable as specified in \u00a7 18.2-46.2, and shall be sentenced to a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of two years to be served consecutively with any other sentence. A person who violates subsection A of \u00a7 18.2-46.3 upon any property listed in this section is guilty of a Class 5 felony, except that any person 18 years of age or older who violates subsection A of \u00a7 18.2-46.3 upon any property listed in this section, when such offense is committed against a juvenile, is guilty of a Class 4 felony. Any person who violates subsection B of \u00a7 18.2-46.3 upon any property listed in this section is guilty of a Class 4 felony. It is a violation of this section if the person violated \u00a7 18.2-46.2 or 18.2-46.3 on the property described in clauses (i) through (iii) regardless of where the person intended to commit such violation.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":250634,"text":"Any person who violates \u00a7 18.2-46.2 (i) upon the property, including buildings and grounds, of any public or private elementary, secondary, or postsecondary school or institution of higher education; (ii) upon public property or any property open to public use within 1,000 feet of such school property; (iii) on any school bus as defined in \u00a7 46.2-100; or (iv) upon the property, including buildings and grounds, of any publicly owned or operated community center or any publicly owned or operated recreation center is guilty of a felony punishable as specified in \u00a7 18.2-46.2, and shall be sentenced to a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of two years to be served consecutively with any other sentence. A person who violates subsection A of \u00a7 18.2-46.3 upon any property listed in this section is guilty of a Class 5 felony, except that any person 18 years of age or older who violates subsection A of \u00a7 18.2-46.3 upon any property listed in this section, when such offense is committed against a juvenile, is guilty of a Class 4 felony. Any person who violates subsection B of \u00a7 18.2-46.3 upon any property listed in this section is guilty of a Class 4 felony. It is a violation of this section if the person violated \u00a7 18.2-46.2 or 18.2-46.3 on the property described in clauses (i) through (iii) regardless of where the person intended to commit such violation.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":15685,"edition_id":1,"name":"Crimes by Gangs","identifier":"2.1","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13100,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:57:54","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:57:54","permalink":{"id":164869,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":15685,"identifier":"2.1","token":"18.2\/4\/2.1","url":"\/18.2\/4\/2.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13100,"edition_id":1,"name":"Crimes Against the Person","identifier":"4","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12972,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:17","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:17","permalink":{"id":164763,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13100,"identifier":"4","token":"18.2\/4","url":"\/18.2\/4\/","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":86583,"structure_id":15685,"section_number":"18.2-46.1","catch_line":"Definitions","url":"\/18.2-46.1\/","token":"18.2\/4\/2.1\/18.2-46.1","metadata":false},{"id":60069,"structure_id":15685,"section_number":"18.2-46.2","catch_line":"Prohibited criminal street gang participation; penalty","url":"\/18.2-46.2\/","token":"18.2\/4\/2.1\/18.2-46.2","metadata":false},{"id":70242,"structure_id":15685,"section_number":"18.2-46.3","catch_line":"Recruitment of persons for criminal street gang; penalty","url":"\/18.2-46.3\/","token":"18.2\/4\/2.1\/18.2-46.3","metadata":false},{"id":64920,"structure_id":15685,"section_number":"18.2-46.3:1","catch_line":"Third or subsequent conviction of criminal street gang crimes","url":"\/18.2-46.3_1\/","token":"18.2\/4\/2.1\/18.2-46.3_1","metadata":false},{"id":78328,"structure_id":15685,"section_number":"18.2-46.3:2","catch_line":"Forfeiture","url":"\/18.2-46.3_2\/","token":"18.2\/4\/2.1\/18.2-46.3_2","metadata":false},{"id":69277,"structure_id":15685,"section_number":"18.2-46.3:3","catch_line":"Enhanced punishment for gang activity taking place in a gang-free zone; penalties","url":"\/18.2-46.3_3\/","token":"18.2\/4\/2.1\/18.2-46.3_3","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":78328,"structure_id":15685,"section_number":"18.2-46.3:2","catch_line":"Forfeiture","url":"\/18.2-46.3_2\/","token":"18.2\/4\/2.1\/18.2-46.3_2","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/18.2-46.3:3\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 2005. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapters 764<\/a> and 813<\/a> 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. It has been modified 3 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 2010, chapter 364<\/a>; in 2013, chapters 761<\/a> and 774<\/a>; in 2023, chapters 396<\/a> and 397<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":61280,"section_number":"19.2-392.02","catch_line":"National criminal background checks by businesses and organizations regarding employees or volunteers providing care to children or the elderly or disabled","order_by":null,"url":"\/19.2-392.02\/"},{"id":83381,"section_number":"52-28.1","catch_line":"Reporting of gang-related criminal information; inclusion in annual Crime in Virginia report","order_by":null,"url":"\/52-28.1\/"}],"refers_to":[{"id":60069,"section_number":"18.2-46.2","catch_line":"Prohibited criminal street gang participation; penalty","order_by":null,"url":"\/18.2-46.2\/"},{"id":70242,"section_number":"18.2-46.3","catch_line":"Recruitment of persons for criminal street gang; penalty","order_by":null,"url":"\/18.2-46.3\/"},{"id":82691,"section_number":"46.2-100","catch_line":"Definitions","order_by":null,"url":"\/46.2-100\/"}],"permalink":{"id":164891,"object_type":"law","relational_id":69277,"identifier":"18.2-46.3:3","token":"18.2\/4\/2.1\/18.2-46.3_3","url":"\/18.2-46.3_3\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/18.2-46.3_3\/","token":"18.2\/4\/2.1\/18.2-46.3_3","dublin_core":{"Title":"Enhanced punishment for gang activity taking place in a gang-free zone; penalties","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 18.2-46.3:3","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

Any person who violates \u00a7 18.2-46.2<\/a> (i) upon the property, including buildings and grounds, of any public or private elementary, secondary, or postsecondary school or institution of higher education; (ii) upon public property or any property open to public use within 1,000 feet of such school property; (iii) on any school bus as defined in \u00a7 46.2-100<\/a>; or (iv) upon the property, including buildings and grounds, of any publicly owned or operated community center or any publicly owned or operated recreation center is guilty of a felony<\/span> punishable as specified in \u00a7 18.2-46.2<\/a>, and shall be sentenced to a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of two years to be served consecutively with any other sentence. A person who violates subsection A of \u00a7 18.2-46.3<\/a> upon any property listed in this section is guilty of a Class 5 felony<\/span>, except that any person 18 years of age or older who violates subsection A of \u00a7 18.2-46.3<\/a> upon any property listed in this section, when such offense<\/span> is committed against a juvenile, is guilty of a Class 4 felony<\/span>. Any person who violates subsection B of \u00a7 18.2-46.3<\/a> upon any property listed in this section is guilty of a Class 4 felony<\/span>. It is a violation of this section if the person violated \u00a7 18.2-46.2<\/a> or 18.2-46.3<\/a> on the property described in clauses (i) through (iii) regardless of where the person intended to commit such violation.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nENHANCED PUNISHMENT FOR GANG ACTIVITY TAKING PLACE IN A GANG-FREE ZONE;\nPENALTIES (\u00a7 18.2-46.3:3)\n\nAny person who violates \u00a7 18.2-46.2 (i) upon the property, including buildings\nand grounds, of any public or private elementary, secondary, or postsecondary\nschool or institution of higher education; (ii) upon public property or any\nproperty open to public use within 1,000 feet of such school property; (iii) on\nany school bus as defined in \u00a7 46.2-100; or (iv) upon the property, including\nbuildings and grounds, of any publicly owned or operated community center or any\npublicly owned or operated recreation center is guilty of a felony punishable as\nspecified in \u00a7 18.2-46.2, and shall be sentenced to a mandatory minimum term of\nimprisonment of two years to be served consecutively with any other sentence. A\nperson who violates subsection A of \u00a7 18.2-46.3 upon any property listed in\nthis section is guilty of a Class 5 felony, except that any person 18 years of\nage or older who violates subsection A of \u00a7 18.2-46.3 upon any property listed\nin this section, when such offense is committed against a juvenile, is guilty of\na Class 4 felony. Any person who violates subsection B of \u00a7 18.2-46.3 upon any\nproperty listed in this section is guilty of a Class 4 felony. It is a violation\nof this section if the person violated \u00a7 18.2-46.2 or 18.2-46.3 on the property\ndescribed in clauses (i) through (iii) regardless of where the person intended\nto commit such violation.\n\nHISTORY: 2005, cc. 764, 813; 2010, c. 364; 2013, cc. 761, 774; 2023, cc. 396,\n397.","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}}