{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/18.2-79.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/18.2-79.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/18.2-79.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/18.2-79.html"}],"law_id":61666,"edition_id":1,"section_id":61666,"structure_id":13820,"section_number":"18.2-79","catch_line":"Burning or destroying meeting house, etc","history":"Code 1950, \u00a7 18.1-78; 1960, c. 358; 1975, cc. 14, 15; 1997, c. 832.","full_text":"If any person maliciously burns, or by the use of any explosive device or substance, maliciously destroys, in whole or in part, or causes to be burned or destroyed, or aids, counsels, or procures the burning or destroying, of any meeting house, courthouse, townhouse, institution of higher education, academy, schoolhouse, or other building erected for public use except an asylum, hotel, jail, prison or church or building owned or leased by a church that is immediately adjacent to a church, or any banking house, warehouse, storehouse, manufactory, mill, or other house, whether the property of himself or of another person, not usually occupied by persons lodging therein at night, at a time when any person is therein, or if he maliciously sets fire to anything, or causes to be set on fire, or aids, counsels, or procures the setting on fire of anything, by the burning whereof any building mentioned in this section is burned, at a time when any person is therein, he shall be guilty of a Class 3 felony. If such offense is committed when no person is in such building mentioned in this section, the offender shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":225154,"text":"If any person maliciously burns, or by the use of any explosive device or substance, maliciously destroys, in whole or in part, or causes to be burned or destroyed, or aids, counsels, or procures the burning or destroying, of any meeting house, courthouse, townhouse, institution of higher education, academy, schoolhouse, or other building erected for public use except an asylum, hotel, jail, prison or church or building owned or leased by a church that is immediately adjacent to a church, or any banking house, warehouse, storehouse, manufactory, mill, or other house, whether the property of himself or of another person, not usually occupied by persons lodging therein at night, at a time when any person is therein, or if he maliciously sets fire to anything, or causes to be set on fire, or aids, counsels, or procures the setting on fire of anything, by the burning whereof any building mentioned in this section is burned, at a time when any person is therein, he shall be guilty of a Class 3 felony. If such offense is committed when no person is in such building mentioned in this section, the offender shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":13820,"edition_id":1,"name":"Arson and Related Crimes","identifier":"1","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13243,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:45:59","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:45:59","permalink":{"id":165301,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13820,"identifier":"1","token":"18.2\/5\/1","url":"\/18.2\/5\/1\/","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":62707,"structure_id":13820,"section_number":"18.2-77","catch_line":"Burning or destroying dwelling house, etc","url":"\/18.2-77\/","token":"18.2\/5\/1\/18.2-77","metadata":false},{"id":57816,"structure_id":13820,"section_number":"18.2-78","catch_line":"What not deemed dwelling house","url":"\/18.2-78\/","token":"18.2\/5\/1\/18.2-78","metadata":false},{"id":61666,"structure_id":13820,"section_number":"18.2-79","catch_line":"Burning or destroying meeting house, etc","url":"\/18.2-79\/","token":"18.2\/5\/1\/18.2-79","metadata":false},{"id":54834,"structure_id":13820,"section_number":"18.2-80","catch_line":"Burning or destroying any other building or structure","url":"\/18.2-80\/","token":"18.2\/5\/1\/18.2-80","metadata":false},{"id":65432,"structure_id":13820,"section_number":"18.2-81","catch_line":"Burning or destroying personal property, standing grain, etc","url":"\/18.2-81\/","token":"18.2\/5\/1\/18.2-81","metadata":false},{"id":57865,"structure_id":13820,"section_number":"18.2-82","catch_line":"Burning building or structure while in such building or structure with intent to commit felony","url":"\/18.2-82\/","token":"18.2\/5\/1\/18.2-82","metadata":false},{"id":65236,"structure_id":13820,"section_number":"18.2-83","catch_line":"Threats to bomb, damage, or discharge a firearm within or at buildings or means of transportation; false information as to danger to such buildings, etc.; punishment; venue","url":"\/18.2-83\/","token":"18.2\/5\/1\/18.2-83","metadata":false},{"id":82342,"structure_id":13820,"section_number":"18.2-84","catch_line":"Causing, inciting, etc., commission of act proscribed by \u00a7 18.2-83","url":"\/18.2-84\/","token":"18.2\/5\/1\/18.2-84","metadata":false},{"id":82444,"structure_id":13820,"section_number":"18.2-85","catch_line":"Manufacture, possession, use, etc., of fire bombs or explosive materials or devices; penalties","url":"\/18.2-85\/","token":"18.2\/5\/1\/18.2-85","metadata":false},{"id":62664,"structure_id":13820,"section_number":"18.2-86","catch_line":"Setting fire to woods, fences, grass, etc","url":"\/18.2-86\/","token":"18.2\/5\/1\/18.2-86","metadata":false},{"id":83992,"structure_id":13820,"section_number":"18.2-87","catch_line":"Setting woods, etc., on fire intentionally whereby another is damaged or jeopardized","url":"\/18.2-87\/","token":"18.2\/5\/1\/18.2-87","metadata":false},{"id":78938,"structure_id":13820,"section_number":"18.2-87.1","catch_line":"Setting off chemical bombs capable of producing smoke in certain public buildings","url":"\/18.2-87.1\/","token":"18.2\/5\/1\/18.2-87.1","metadata":false},{"id":76729,"structure_id":13820,"section_number":"18.2-88","catch_line":"Carelessly damaging property by fire","url":"\/18.2-88\/","token":"18.2\/5\/1\/18.2-88","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":57816,"structure_id":13820,"section_number":"18.2-78","catch_line":"What not deemed dwelling house","url":"\/18.2-78\/","token":"18.2\/5\/1\/18.2-78","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":54834,"structure_id":13820,"section_number":"18.2-80","catch_line":"Burning or destroying any other building or structure","url":"\/18.2-80\/","token":"18.2\/5\/1\/18.2-80","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/18.2-79\/","history_text":"

The record of this law\u2019s original creation isn\u2019t available online. 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 1960, chapter 358; in 1975, chapters 14 and 15; in 1997, chapter 832<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":80246,"section_number":"17.1-805","catch_line":"Adoption of initial discretionary sentencing guideline midpoints","order_by":null,"url":"\/17.1-805\/"},{"id":68291,"section_number":"18.2-513","catch_line":"Definitions","order_by":null,"url":"\/18.2-513\/"},{"id":60995,"section_number":"18.2-90","catch_line":"Entering dwelling house, etc., with intent to commit murder, rape, robbery or arson; penalty","order_by":null,"url":"\/18.2-90\/"},{"id":55574,"section_number":"18.2-91","catch_line":"Entering dwelling house, etc., with intent to commit larceny, assault and battery or other felony","order_by":null,"url":"\/18.2-91\/"},{"id":80860,"section_number":"19.2-163","catch_line":"Compensation of court-appointed counsel","order_by":null,"url":"\/19.2-163\/"},{"id":77143,"section_number":"19.2-215.1","catch_line":"Functions of a multi-jurisdiction grand jury","order_by":null,"url":"\/19.2-215.1\/"},{"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":63586,"section_number":"53.1-202.3","catch_line":"Rate at which sentence credits may be earned; prerequisites","order_by":null,"url":"\/53.1-202.3\/"},{"id":58640,"section_number":"53.1-40.02","catch_line":"Conditional release of terminally ill prisoners","order_by":null,"url":"\/53.1-40.02\/"}],"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":165311,"object_type":"law","relational_id":61666,"identifier":"18.2-79","token":"18.2\/5\/1\/18.2-79","url":"\/18.2-79\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/18.2-79\/","token":"18.2\/5\/1\/18.2-79","dublin_core":{"Title":"Burning or destroying meeting house, etc","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 18.2-79","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

If any person maliciously burns, or by the use of any explosive device or substance, maliciously destroys, in whole or in part, or causes to be burned or destroyed, or aids, counsels<\/span>, or procures the burning or destroying, of any meeting house, courthouse, townhouse, institution of higher education, academy, schoolhouse, or other building erected for public use except an asylum, hotel, jail, prison or church or building owned or leased by a church that is immediately adjacent to a church, or any banking house, warehouse, storehouse, manufactory, mill, or other house, whether the property of himself or of another person, not usually occupied by persons lodging therein at night, at a time when any person is therein, or if he maliciously sets fire to anything, or causes to be set on fire, or aids, counsels<\/span>, or procures the setting on fire of anything, by the burning whereof any building mentioned in this section is burned, at a time when any person is therein, he shall be guilty of a Class 3 felony<\/span>. If such offense<\/span> is committed when no person is in such building mentioned in this section, the offender shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony<\/span>.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nBURNING OR DESTROYING MEETING HOUSE, ETC (\u00a7 18.2-79)\n\nIf any person maliciously burns, or by the use of any explosive device or\nsubstance, maliciously destroys, in whole or in part, or causes to be burned or\ndestroyed, or aids, counsels, or procures the burning or destroying, of any\nmeeting house, courthouse, townhouse, institution of higher education, academy,\nschoolhouse, or other building erected for public use except an asylum, hotel,\njail, prison or church or building owned or leased by a church that is\nimmediately adjacent to a church, or any banking house, warehouse, storehouse,\nmanufactory, mill, or other house, whether the property of himself or of another\nperson, not usually occupied by persons lodging therein at night, at a time when\nany person is therein, or if he maliciously sets fire to anything, or causes to\nbe set on fire, or aids, counsels, or procures the setting on fire of anything,\nby the burning whereof any building mentioned in this section is burned, at a\ntime when any person is therein, he shall be guilty of a Class 3 felony. If such\noffense is committed when no person is in such building mentioned in this\nsection, the offender shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony.\n\nHISTORY: Code 1950, \u00a7 18.1-78; 1960, c. 358; 1975, cc. 14, 15; 1997, c. 832.","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}}