{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/2.2-505.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/2.2-505.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/2.2-505.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/2.2-505.html"}],"law_id":80761,"edition_id":1,"section_id":80761,"structure_id":13688,"section_number":"2.2-505","catch_line":"Official opinions of Attorney General","history":"Code 1950, \u00a7 2-86; 1966, c. 677, \u00a7 2.1-118; 1968, c. 414; 1971, Ex. Sess., c. 155; 1976, c. 715; 1999, c. 14; 2001, c. 844.","full_text":"A\n\nThe Attorney General shall give his advice and render official advisory opinions in writing only when requested in writing so to do by one of the following: the Governor; a member of the General Assembly; a judge of a court of record or a judge of a court not of record; the State Corporation Commission; an attorney for the Commonwealth; a county, city or town attorney in those localities in which such office has been created; a clerk of a court of record; a city or county sheriff; a city or county treasurer or similar officer; a commissioner of the revenue or similar officer; a chairman or secretary of an electoral board; or the head of a state department, division, bureau, institution or board.B\n\nExcept in cases where an opinion is requested by the Governor or a member of the General Assembly, the Attorney General shall have no authority to render an official opinion unless the question dealt with is directly related to the discharge of the duties of the official requesting the opinion. Any opinion request to the Attorney General by an attorney for the Commonwealth or county, city or town attorney shall itself be in the form of an opinion embodying a precise statement of all facts together with such attorney’s legal conclusions.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":289469,"text":"The Attorney General shall give his advice and render official advisory opinions in writing only when requested in writing so to do by one of the following: the Governor; a member of the General Assembly; a judge of a court of record or a judge of a court not of record; the State Corporation Commission; an attorney for the Commonwealth; a county, city or town attorney in those localities in which such office has been created; a clerk of a court of record; a city or county sheriff; a city or county treasurer or similar officer; a commissioner of the revenue or similar officer; a chairman or secretary of an electoral board; or the head of a state department, division, bureau, institution or board.","type":"section","prefixes":["A"],"prefix":"A","entire_prefix":"A","prefix_anchor":"A","level":1,"next_prefix":"B"},"1":{"id":289470,"text":"Except in cases where an opinion is requested by the Governor or a member of the General Assembly, the Attorney General shall have no authority to render an official opinion unless the question dealt with is directly related to the discharge of the duties of the official requesting the opinion. Any opinion request to the Attorney General by an attorney for the Commonwealth or county, city or town attorney shall itself be in the form of an opinion embodying a precise statement of all facts together with such attorney’s legal conclusions.","type":"section","prefixes":["B"],"prefix":"B","entire_prefix":"B","prefix_anchor":"B","level":1,"prior_prefix":"A"}},"ancestry":[{"id":13688,"edition_id":1,"name":"General Provisions","identifier":"1","label":"article","depth":5,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13687,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:45:33","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:45:33","permalink":{"id":172305,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13688,"identifier":"1","token":"2.2\/I\/B\/5\/1","url":"\/2.2\/I\/B\/5\/1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13687,"edition_id":1,"name":"Department of Law","identifier":"5","label":"chapter","depth":4,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13686,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:45:33","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:45:33","permalink":{"id":172303,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13687,"identifier":"5","token":"2.2\/I\/B\/5","url":"\/2.2\/I\/B\/5\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13686,"edition_id":1,"name":"Department of Law","identifier":"B","label":"part","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12784,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:45:33","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:45:33","permalink":{"id":172301,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13686,"identifier":"B","token":"2.2\/I\/B","url":"\/2.2\/I\/B\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12784,"edition_id":1,"name":"Organization of State Government","identifier":"I","label":"subtitle","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12749,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:53","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:53","permalink":{"id":171455,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12784,"identifier":"I","token":"2.2\/I","url":"\/2.2\/I\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12749,"edition_id":1,"name":"Administration of Government","identifier":"2.2","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:51","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:51","permalink":{"id":171453,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12749,"identifier":"2.2","token":"2.2","url":"\/2.2\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":78581,"structure_id":13688,"section_number":"2.2-500","catch_line":"Attorney General to be chief executive officer; duties generally","url":"\/2.2-500\/","token":"2.2\/I\/B\/5\/1\/2.2-500","metadata":false},{"id":63667,"structure_id":13688,"section_number":"2.2-501","catch_line":"Assistant and deputy Attorneys General","url":"\/2.2-501\/","token":"2.2\/I\/B\/5\/1\/2.2-501","metadata":false},{"id":69927,"structure_id":13688,"section_number":"2.2-502","catch_line":"Support staff","url":"\/2.2-502\/","token":"2.2\/I\/B\/5\/1\/2.2-502","metadata":false},{"id":65967,"structure_id":13688,"section_number":"2.2-503","catch_line":"Office space","url":"\/2.2-503\/","token":"2.2\/I\/B\/5\/1\/2.2-503","metadata":false},{"id":61651,"structure_id":13688,"section_number":"2.2-504","catch_line":"Contingent and traveling expenses","url":"\/2.2-504\/","token":"2.2\/I\/B\/5\/1\/2.2-504","metadata":false},{"id":80761,"structure_id":13688,"section_number":"2.2-505","catch_line":"Official opinions of Attorney General","url":"\/2.2-505\/","token":"2.2\/I\/B\/5\/1\/2.2-505","metadata":false},{"id":60958,"structure_id":13688,"section_number":"2.2-506","catch_line":"Legal services to attorneys for the Commonwealth in certain proceedings; 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victims of domestic violence, stalking, child abduction, sexual violence, or human trafficking; application; disclosure of records","url":"\/2.2-515.2\/","token":"2.2\/I\/B\/5\/1\/2.2-515.2","metadata":false},{"id":81041,"structure_id":13688,"section_number":"2.2-516","catch_line":"Annual report","url":"\/2.2-516\/","token":"2.2\/I\/B\/5\/1\/2.2-516","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":61651,"structure_id":13688,"section_number":"2.2-504","catch_line":"Contingent and traveling expenses","url":"\/2.2-504\/","token":"2.2\/I\/B\/5\/1\/2.2-504","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":60958,"structure_id":13688,"section_number":"2.2-506","catch_line":"Legal services to attorneys for the Commonwealth in certain proceedings; costs","url":"\/2.2-506\/","token":"2.2\/I\/B\/5\/1\/2.2-506","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/2.2-505\/","history_text":"

The record of this law\u2019s original creation isn\u2019t available online. It has been modified 5 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 1966, chapter 677; in 1968, chapter 414; in 1976, chapter 715; in 1999, chapter 14<\/a>; in 2001, chapter 844<\/a>.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":172327,"object_type":"law","relational_id":80761,"identifier":"2.2-505","token":"2.2\/I\/B\/5\/1\/2.2-505","url":"\/2.2-505\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/2.2-505\/","token":"2.2\/I\/B\/5\/1\/2.2-505","dublin_core":{"Title":"Official opinions of Attorney General","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 2.2-505","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

A.<\/span> The Attorney General<\/span> shall give his advice and render official advisory opinions<\/span> in writing only when requested in writing so to do by one of the following: the Governor; a member of the General Assembly; a judge<\/span> of a court<\/span> of record or a judge<\/span> of a court<\/span> not of record; the State Corporation Commission; an attorney for the Commonwealth; a county, city or town attorney in those localities in which such office has been created; a clerk of a court<\/span> of record; a city or county sheriff; a city or county treasurer or similar officer; a commissioner of the revenue or similar officer; a chairman or secretary of an electoral board; or the head of a state department, division, bureau, institution or board. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

B.<\/span> Except in cases where an opinion<\/span> is requested by the Governor or a member of the General Assembly, the Attorney General<\/span> shall have no authority to render an official opinion<\/span> unless the question dealt with is directly related to the discharge of the duties of the official requesting the opinion<\/span>. Any opinion<\/span> request to the Attorney General<\/span> by an attorney for the Commonwealth or county, city or town attorney shall itself be in the form of an opinion<\/span> embodying a precise statement of all facts<\/span> together with such attorney’s legal conclusions. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nOFFICIAL OPINIONS OF ATTORNEY GENERAL (\u00a7 2.2-505)\n\nA. The Attorney General shall give his advice and render official advisory\nopinions in writing only when requested in writing so to do by one of the\nfollowing: the Governor; a member of the General Assembly; a judge of a court of\nrecord or a judge of a court not of record; the State Corporation Commission; an\nattorney for the Commonwealth; a county, city or town attorney in those\nlocalities in which such office has been created; a clerk of a court of record;\na city or county sheriff; a city or county treasurer or similar officer; a\ncommissioner of the revenue or similar officer; a chairman or secretary of an\nelectoral board; or the head of a state department, division, bureau,\ninstitution or board.\n\nB. Except in cases where an opinion is requested by the Governor or a member of\nthe General Assembly, the Attorney General shall have no authority to render an\nofficial opinion unless the question dealt with is directly related to the\ndischarge of the duties of the official requesting the opinion. Any opinion\nrequest to the Attorney General by an attorney for the Commonwealth or county,\ncity or town attorney shall itself be in the form of an opinion embodying a\nprecise statement of all facts together with such attorney’s legal\nconclusions.\n\nHISTORY: Code 1950, \u00a7 2-86; 1966, c. 677, \u00a7 2.1-118; 1968, c. 414; 1971, Ex.\nSess., c. 155; 1976, c. 715; 1999, c. 14; 2001, c. 844.","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}}