{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/18.2-488.1.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/18.2-488.1.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/18.2-488.1.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/18.2-488.1.html"}],"law_id":73944,"edition_id":1,"section_id":73944,"structure_id":13250,"section_number":"18.2-488.1","catch_line":"Flag at half staff or mast for certain public safety personnel killed in the line of duty","history":"2012, c. 767; 2015, cc. 502, 503; 2017, c. 344.","full_text":"A\n\nAs used in this section, unless the context requires a different meaning:\n\t\t\t“Emergency medical services provider” means the same as that term is defined in § 32.1-111.1 and any member of a volunteer emergency medical services agency.\n\t\t\t“Firefighter” means the same as that term is defined in § 9.1-300, and any member of a volunteer fire department.\n\t\t\t“Police officer” means any full-time or part-time employee of a police department or sheriff’s office which is a part of or administered by the Commonwealth or any political subdivision thereof and who is responsible for the prevention and detection of crime and the enforcement of the penal, traffic, or highway laws of the Commonwealth and a state correctional officer of the Department of Corrections.\n\t\t\t“Service member” means a member of the United States armed forces, Virginia National Guard, or Virginia Defense Force.B\n\nWhenever a service member, police officer, firefighter, or emergency medical services provider who is a resident of Virginia is killed in the line of duty, all flags, state and local, flown at any building owned and operated by the Commonwealth or any political subdivision thereof shall be flown at half staff or mast for one day to honor and acknowledge respect for those who made the supreme sacrifice.C\n\nThe Department of General Services shall develop procedures to effectuate the purposes of this section.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":265959,"text":"As used in this section, unless the context requires a different meaning:\n\t\t\t“Emergency medical services provider” means the same as that term is defined in § 32.1-111.1 and any member of a volunteer emergency medical services agency.\n\t\t\t“Firefighter” means the same as that term is defined in § 9.1-300, and any member of a volunteer fire department.\n\t\t\t“Police officer” means any full-time or part-time employee of a police department or sheriff’s office which is a part of or administered by the Commonwealth or any political subdivision thereof and who is responsible for the prevention and detection of crime and the enforcement of the penal, traffic, or highway laws of the Commonwealth and a state correctional officer of the Department of Corrections.\n\t\t\t“Service member” means a member of the United States armed forces, Virginia National Guard, or Virginia Defense Force.","type":"section","prefixes":["A"],"prefix":"A","entire_prefix":"A","prefix_anchor":"A","level":1,"next_prefix":"B"},"1":{"id":265960,"text":"Whenever a service member, police officer, firefighter, or emergency medical services provider who is a resident of Virginia is killed in the line of duty, all flags, state and local, flown at any building owned and operated by the Commonwealth or any political subdivision thereof shall be flown at half staff or mast for one day to honor and acknowledge respect for those who made the supreme sacrifice.","type":"section","prefixes":["B"],"prefix":"B","entire_prefix":"B","prefix_anchor":"B","level":1,"prior_prefix":"A","next_prefix":"C"},"2":{"id":265961,"text":"The Department of General Services shall develop procedures to effectuate the purposes of this section.","type":"section","prefixes":["C"],"prefix":"C","entire_prefix":"C","prefix_anchor":"C","level":1,"prior_prefix":"B"}},"ancestry":[{"id":13250,"edition_id":1,"name":"Uniform Flag Act","identifier":"2","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13024,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:31","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:31","permalink":{"id":164521,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13250,"identifier":"2","token":"18.2\/11\/2","url":"\/18.2\/11\/2\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13024,"edition_id":1,"name":"Offenses Against the Sovereignty of the Commonwealth","identifier":"11","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12972,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:09","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:09","permalink":{"id":164497,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13024,"identifier":"11","token":"18.2\/11","url":"\/18.2\/11\/","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":57739,"structure_id":13250,"section_number":"18.2-486","catch_line":"Definition of flag, standard, etc","url":"\/18.2-486\/","token":"18.2\/11\/2\/18.2-486","metadata":false},{"id":74629,"structure_id":13250,"section_number":"18.2-487","catch_line":"Exhibition or display","url":"\/18.2-487\/","token":"18.2\/11\/2\/18.2-487","metadata":false},{"id":64961,"structure_id":13250,"section_number":"18.2-488","catch_line":"Mutilating, defacing, etc","url":"\/18.2-488\/","token":"18.2\/11\/2\/18.2-488","metadata":false},{"id":73944,"structure_id":13250,"section_number":"18.2-488.1","catch_line":"Flag at half staff or mast for certain public safety personnel killed in the line of duty","url":"\/18.2-488.1\/","token":"18.2\/11\/2\/18.2-488.1","metadata":false},{"id":54667,"structure_id":13250,"section_number":"18.2-489","catch_line":"To what article applies","url":"\/18.2-489\/","token":"18.2\/11\/2\/18.2-489","metadata":false},{"id":59453,"structure_id":13250,"section_number":"18.2-490","catch_line":"Penalty","url":"\/18.2-490\/","token":"18.2\/11\/2\/18.2-490","metadata":false},{"id":54249,"structure_id":13250,"section_number":"18.2-491","catch_line":"Construction","url":"\/18.2-491\/","token":"18.2\/11\/2\/18.2-491","metadata":false},{"id":78779,"structure_id":13250,"section_number":"18.2-492","catch_line":"Short title","url":"\/18.2-492\/","token":"18.2\/11\/2\/18.2-492","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":64961,"structure_id":13250,"section_number":"18.2-488","catch_line":"Mutilating, defacing, etc","url":"\/18.2-488\/","token":"18.2\/11\/2\/18.2-488","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":54667,"structure_id":13250,"section_number":"18.2-489","catch_line":"To what article applies","url":"\/18.2-489\/","token":"18.2\/11\/2\/18.2-489","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/18.2-488.1\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 2012. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 767<\/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 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 2015, chapters 502<\/a> and 503<\/a>; in 2017, chapter 344<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":59453,"section_number":"18.2-490","catch_line":"Penalty","order_by":null,"url":"\/18.2-490\/"}],"refers_to":[{"id":74269,"section_number":"32.1-111.1","catch_line":"Definitions","order_by":null,"url":"\/32.1-111.1\/"},{"id":60660,"section_number":"9.1-300","catch_line":"Definitions","order_by":null,"url":"\/9.1-300\/"}],"permalink":{"id":164535,"object_type":"law","relational_id":73944,"identifier":"18.2-488.1","token":"18.2\/11\/2\/18.2-488.1","url":"\/18.2-488.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/18.2-488.1\/","token":"18.2\/11\/2\/18.2-488.1","dublin_core":{"Title":"Flag at half staff or mast for certain public safety personnel killed in the line of duty","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 18.2-488.1","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

A.<\/span> As used in this section, unless the context requires a different meaning:\n\t\t\t“Emergency medical services provider<\/span>” means the same as that term is defined in § 32.1-111.1<\/a> and any member of a volunteer emergency medical services agency.\n\t\t\t“Firefighter<\/span>” means the same as that term is defined in § 9.1-300<\/a>, and any member of a volunteer fire department.\n\t\t\t“Police officer<\/span>” means any full-time or part-time employee of a police department or sheriff’s office which is a part of or administered by the Commonwealth or any political subdivision thereof and who is responsible for the prevention and detection of crime<\/span> and the enforcement of the penal, traffic, or highway laws<\/span> of the Commonwealth and a state correctional officer of the Department of Corrections.\n\t\t\t“Service member<\/span>” means a member of the United States armed forces, Virginia National Guard, or Virginia Defense Force. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

B.<\/span> Whenever a service member<\/span>, police officer<\/span>, firefighter<\/span>, or emergency medical services provider<\/span> who is a resident of Virginia is killed in the line of duty, all flags, state and local, flown at any building owned and operated by the Commonwealth or any political subdivision thereof shall be flown at half staff or mast for one day to honor and acknowledge respect for those who made the supreme sacrifice. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

C.<\/span> The Department of General Services shall develop procedures to effectuate the purposes of this section. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nFLAG AT HALF STAFF OR MAST FOR CERTAIN PUBLIC SAFETY PERSONNEL KILLED IN THE\nLINE OF DUTY (\u00a7 18.2-488.1)\n\nA. As used in this section, unless the context requires a different meaning:\n\t\t\t“Emergency medical services provider” means the same as that term\nis defined in § 32.1-111.1 and any member of a volunteer emergency medical\nservices agency.\n\t\t\t“Firefighter” means the same as that term is defined in §\n9.1-300, and any member of a volunteer fire department.\n\t\t\t“Police officer” means any full-time or part-time employee of a\npolice department or sheriff’s office which is a part of or administered\nby the Commonwealth or any political subdivision thereof and who is responsible\nfor the prevention and detection of crime and the enforcement of the penal,\ntraffic, or highway laws of the Commonwealth and a state correctional officer of\nthe Department of Corrections.\n\t\t\t“Service member” means a member of the United States armed\nforces, Virginia National Guard, or Virginia Defense Force.\n\nB. Whenever a service member, police officer, firefighter, or emergency medical\nservices provider who is a resident of Virginia is killed in the line of duty,\nall flags, state and local, flown at any building owned and operated by the\nCommonwealth or any political subdivision thereof shall be flown at half staff\nor mast for one day to honor and acknowledge respect for those who made the\nsupreme sacrifice.\n\nC. The Department of General Services shall develop procedures to effectuate the\npurposes of this section.\n\nHISTORY: 2012, c. 767; 2015, cc. 502, 503; 2017, c. 344.","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}}