{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/19.2-254.2.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/19.2-254.2.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/19.2-254.2.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/19.2-254.2.html"}],"law_id":53970,"edition_id":1,"section_id":53970,"structure_id":12804,"section_number":"19.2-254.2","catch_line":"Procedure in nontraffic offenses for which prepayment is authorized","history":"1978, c. 605; 1992, c. 54.","full_text":"In any prepayable nontraffic offense case as defined in \u00a7 16.1-69.40:2 a defendant may elect to enter a written appearance and waive court hearing. Arraignment is not necessary when waived by the accused or his counsel, when the accused fails to appear, or when such written appearance has been elected.\n\t\tAn accused may plead not guilty, guilty, or nolo contendere; and the court shall not refuse to accept a plea of nolo contendere. A plea of guilty may be entered in writing without court appearance.\n\t\tWhen an accused tenders payment without executing a written waiver of court hearing and entry of guilty plea, such tender of payment shall itself be deemed a waiver of court hearing and entry of guilty plea. Likewise when a person charged with a prepayable nontraffic offense fails to enter a written or court appearance, he shall be deemed to have waived court hearing and the case may be heard in his absence. In all other respects prepayable traffic offenses shall be treated as all other misdemeanors.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":198170,"text":"In any prepayable nontraffic offense case as defined in \u00a7 16.1-69.40:2 a defendant may elect to enter a written appearance and waive court hearing. Arraignment is not necessary when waived by the accused or his counsel, when the accused fails to appear, or when such written appearance has been elected.\n\t\tAn accused may plead not guilty, guilty, or nolo contendere; and the court shall not refuse to accept a plea of nolo contendere. A plea of guilty may be entered in writing without court appearance.\n\t\tWhen an accused tenders payment without executing a written waiver of court hearing and entry of guilty plea, such tender of payment shall itself be deemed a waiver of court hearing and entry of guilty plea. Likewise when a person charged with a prepayable nontraffic offense fails to enter a written or court appearance, he shall be deemed to have waived court hearing and the case may be heard in his absence. In all other respects prepayable traffic offenses shall be treated as all other misdemeanors.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":12804,"edition_id":1,"name":"Arraignment; Pleas; Trial Without Jury","identifier":"3","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12803,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:53","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:53","permalink":{"id":169061,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12804,"identifier":"3","token":"19.2\/15\/3","url":"\/19.2\/15\/3\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12803,"edition_id":1,"name":"Trial and Its Incidents","identifier":"15","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12801,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:53","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:53","permalink":{"id":168975,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12803,"identifier":"15","token":"19.2\/15","url":"\/19.2\/15\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12801,"edition_id":1,"name":"Criminal Procedure","identifier":"19.2","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:53","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:53","permalink":{"id":168169,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12801,"identifier":"19.2","token":"19.2","url":"\/19.2\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":79103,"structure_id":12804,"section_number":"19.2-254","catch_line":"Arraignment; pleas; when court may refuse to accept plea; rejection of plea agreement; recusal","url":"\/19.2-254\/","token":"19.2\/15\/3\/19.2-254","metadata":false},{"id":75133,"structure_id":12804,"section_number":"19.2-254.1","catch_line":"Procedure in traffic infraction cases","url":"\/19.2-254.1\/","token":"19.2\/15\/3\/19.2-254.1","metadata":false},{"id":53970,"structure_id":12804,"section_number":"19.2-254.2","catch_line":"Procedure in nontraffic offenses for which prepayment is authorized","url":"\/19.2-254.2\/","token":"19.2\/15\/3\/19.2-254.2","metadata":false},{"id":81531,"structure_id":12804,"section_number":"19.2-255","catch_line":"Defendant allowed to plead several matters of law or fact","url":"\/19.2-255\/","token":"19.2\/15\/3\/19.2-255","metadata":false},{"id":72119,"structure_id":12804,"section_number":"19.2-256","catch_line":"Approvers","url":"\/19.2-256\/","token":"19.2\/15\/3\/19.2-256","metadata":false},{"id":66074,"structure_id":12804,"section_number":"19.2-257","catch_line":"Trial without jury in felony cases","url":"\/19.2-257\/","token":"19.2\/15\/3\/19.2-257","metadata":false},{"id":67559,"structure_id":12804,"section_number":"19.2-258","catch_line":"Trial of misdemeanors by court without jury; failure to appear deemed waiver of jury","url":"\/19.2-258\/","token":"19.2\/15\/3\/19.2-258","metadata":false},{"id":62674,"structure_id":12804,"section_number":"19.2-258.1","catch_line":"Trial of traffic infractions; measure of proof; failure to appear","url":"\/19.2-258.1\/","token":"19.2\/15\/3\/19.2-258.1","metadata":false},{"id":81110,"structure_id":12804,"section_number":"19.2-259","catch_line":"On trial for felony, accused to be present; when court may enter plea for him, and trial go on","url":"\/19.2-259\/","token":"19.2\/15\/3\/19.2-259","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":75133,"structure_id":12804,"section_number":"19.2-254.1","catch_line":"Procedure in traffic infraction cases","url":"\/19.2-254.1\/","token":"19.2\/15\/3\/19.2-254.1","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":81531,"structure_id":12804,"section_number":"19.2-255","catch_line":"Defendant allowed to plead several matters of law or fact","url":"\/19.2-255\/","token":"19.2\/15\/3\/19.2-255","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/19.2-254.2\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 1978. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 605 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 1978 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online. It has been modified 1 time. 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. That modification is as follows: in 1992, chapter 54.<\/p>","references":[{"id":84899,"section_number":"46.2-808.2","catch_line":"Violations committed within highway safety corridor; report on benefits","order_by":null,"url":"\/46.2-808.2\/"}],"refers_to":[{"id":54305,"section_number":"16.1-69.40:2","catch_line":"Nontraffic offenses for which prepayment authorized; schedules, fines; prepayment of local ordinances","order_by":null,"url":"\/16.1-69.40_2\/"}],"permalink":{"id":169071,"object_type":"law","relational_id":53970,"identifier":"19.2-254.2","token":"19.2\/15\/3\/19.2-254.2","url":"\/19.2-254.2\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/19.2-254.2\/","token":"19.2\/15\/3\/19.2-254.2","dublin_core":{"Title":"Procedure in nontraffic offenses for which prepayment is authorized","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 19.2-254.2","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

In any prepayable nontraffic offense<\/span> case as defined in \u00a7 16.1-69.40:2<\/a> a defendant<\/span> may elect to enter a written appearance<\/span> and waive<\/span> court<\/span> hearing<\/span>. Arraignment<\/span> is not necessary when waived by the accused<\/span> or his counsel<\/span>, when the accused<\/span> fails to appear, or when such written appearance<\/span> has been elected.\n\t\tAn accused<\/span> may plead not guilty, guilty, or nolo contendere<\/span>; and the court<\/span> shall not refuse to accept a plea<\/span> of nolo contendere<\/span>. A plea<\/span> of guilty may be entered in writing without court<\/span> appearance<\/span>.\n\t\tWhen an accused<\/span> tenders payment without executing a written waiver<\/span> of court<\/span> hearing<\/span> and entry of guilty plea<\/span>, such tender of payment shall itself be deemed a waiver<\/span> of court<\/span> hearing<\/span> and entry of guilty plea<\/span>. Likewise when a person charged with a prepayable nontraffic offense<\/span> fails to enter a written or court<\/span> appearance<\/span>, he shall be deemed to have waived court<\/span> hearing<\/span> and the case may be heard in his absence. In all other respects prepayable traffic offenses<\/span> shall be treated as all other misdemeanors<\/span>.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nPROCEDURE IN NONTRAFFIC OFFENSES FOR WHICH PREPAYMENT IS AUTHORIZED (\u00a7\n19.2-254.2)\n\nIn any prepayable nontraffic offense case as defined in \u00a7 16.1-69.40:2 a\ndefendant may elect to enter a written appearance and waive court hearing.\nArraignment is not necessary when waived by the accused or his counsel, when the\naccused fails to appear, or when such written appearance has been elected.\n\t\tAn accused may plead not guilty, guilty, or nolo contendere; and the court\nshall not refuse to accept a plea of nolo contendere. A plea of guilty may be\nentered in writing without court appearance.\n\t\tWhen an accused tenders payment without executing a written waiver of court\nhearing and entry of guilty plea, such tender of payment shall itself be deemed\na waiver of court hearing and entry of guilty plea. Likewise when a person\ncharged with a prepayable nontraffic offense fails to enter a written or court\nappearance, he shall be deemed to have waived court hearing and the case may be\nheard in his absence. In all other respects prepayable traffic offenses shall be\ntreated as all other misdemeanors.\n\nHISTORY: 1978, c. 605; 1992, c. 54.","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}}