{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/20-22.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/20-22.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/20-22.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/20-22.html"}],"law_id":78649,"edition_id":1,"section_id":78649,"structure_id":14353,"section_number":"20-22","catch_line":"Attorney for the Commonwealth to ascertain before circuit court name of minister failing to return certificates","history":"Code 1919, \u00a7 5074; 1928, p. 314; 1938, p. 151; 1979, c. 502.","full_text":"It shall be the duty of the attorney for the Commonwealth for each county and city, upon the receipt from the clerk of the list required by \u00a7 20-21, to have such person or persons as he may think proper summoned before the circuit court of his county or city to ascertain the name of the minister or other person celebrating such marriage and failing to return the license and certificates to the clerk as required by \u00a7 32.1-267.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":281824,"text":"It shall be the duty of the attorney for the Commonwealth for each county and city, upon the receipt from the clerk of the list required by \u00a7 20-21, to have such person or persons as he may think proper summoned before the circuit court of his county or city to ascertain the name of the minister or other person celebrating such marriage and failing to return the license and certificates to the clerk as required by \u00a7 32.1-267.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":14353,"edition_id":1,"name":"Marriage Generally","identifier":"2","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12711,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:47:51","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:47:51","permalink":{"id":178175,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":14353,"identifier":"2","token":"20\/2","url":"\/20\/2\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12711,"edition_id":1,"name":"Domestic Relations","identifier":"20","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:49","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:49","permalink":{"id":178075,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12711,"identifier":"20","token":"20","url":"\/20\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":66582,"structure_id":14353,"section_number":"20-13","catch_line":"License and solemnization required","url":"\/20-13\/","token":"20\/2\/20-13","metadata":false},{"id":86644,"structure_id":14353,"section_number":"20-13.1","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/20-13.1\/","token":"20\/2\/20-13.1","metadata":false},{"id":71545,"structure_id":14353,"section_number":"20-13.2","catch_line":"Marriage lawful regardless of sex, gender, or race of parties","url":"\/20-13.2\/","token":"20\/2\/20-13.2","metadata":false},{"id":55668,"structure_id":14353,"section_number":"20-14","catch_line":"By whom license to be issued","url":"\/20-14\/","token":"20\/2\/20-14","metadata":false},{"id":83362,"structure_id":14353,"section_number":"20-14.1","catch_line":"Duration of license; issuance of additional licenses","url":"\/20-14.1\/","token":"20\/2\/20-14.1","metadata":false},{"id":67609,"structure_id":14353,"section_number":"20-14.2","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/20-14.2\/","token":"20\/2\/20-14.2","metadata":false},{"id":58474,"structure_id":14353,"section_number":"20-15","catch_line":"Tax on license","url":"\/20-15\/","token":"20\/2\/20-15","metadata":false},{"id":63291,"structure_id":14353,"section_number":"20-16","catch_line":"Issuance of marriage licenses and marriage certificates","url":"\/20-16\/","token":"20\/2\/20-16","metadata":false},{"id":84838,"structure_id":14353,"section_number":"20-16.1","catch_line":"Clerk authorized to amend marriage records","url":"\/20-16.1\/","token":"20\/2\/20-16.1","metadata":false},{"id":69817,"structure_id":14353,"section_number":"20-17","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/20-17\/","token":"20\/2\/20-17","metadata":false},{"id":80336,"structure_id":14353,"section_number":"20-20","catch_line":"Clerk to file license and certificate; indexing names of parties; certified copies as evidence","url":"\/20-20\/","token":"20\/2\/20-20","metadata":false},{"id":60626,"structure_id":14353,"section_number":"20-21","catch_line":"Clerk to furnish attorney for the Commonwealth list of licenses not returned by minister","url":"\/20-21\/","token":"20\/2\/20-21","metadata":false},{"id":78649,"structure_id":14353,"section_number":"20-22","catch_line":"Attorney for the Commonwealth to ascertain before circuit court name of minister failing to return certificates","url":"\/20-22\/","token":"20\/2\/20-22","metadata":false},{"id":58372,"structure_id":14353,"section_number":"20-23","catch_line":"Order authorizing ministers to perform ceremony","url":"\/20-23\/","token":"20\/2\/20-23","metadata":false},{"id":69426,"structure_id":14353,"section_number":"20-24","catch_line":"Penalty for failure to certify record of marriage","url":"\/20-24\/","token":"20\/2\/20-24","metadata":false},{"id":79164,"structure_id":14353,"section_number":"20-25","catch_line":"Persons other than ministers who may perform rites","url":"\/20-25\/","token":"20\/2\/20-25","metadata":false},{"id":66369,"structure_id":14353,"section_number":"20-26","catch_line":"Marriage between members of religious society having no minister","url":"\/20-26\/","token":"20\/2\/20-26","metadata":false},{"id":68541,"structure_id":14353,"section_number":"20-27","catch_line":"Fee for celebrating marriage","url":"\/20-27\/","token":"20\/2\/20-27","metadata":false},{"id":80371,"structure_id":14353,"section_number":"20-28","catch_line":"Penalty for celebrating marriage without license","url":"\/20-28\/","token":"20\/2\/20-28","metadata":false},{"id":59731,"structure_id":14353,"section_number":"20-29","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/20-29\/","token":"20\/2\/20-29","metadata":false},{"id":71366,"structure_id":14353,"section_number":"20-30","catch_line":"Licenses of persons on federal reservations","url":"\/20-30\/","token":"20\/2\/20-30","metadata":false},{"id":76357,"structure_id":14353,"section_number":"20-31","catch_line":"Belief of parties in lawful marriage validates certain defects","url":"\/20-31\/","token":"20\/2\/20-31","metadata":false},{"id":73616,"structure_id":14353,"section_number":"20-31.1","catch_line":"When marriage legitimates children; issue of marriages prohibited by law, etc., legitimate","url":"\/20-31.1\/","token":"20\/2\/20-31.1","metadata":false},{"id":69033,"structure_id":14353,"section_number":"20-32","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/20-32\/","token":"20\/2\/20-32","metadata":false},{"id":83541,"structure_id":14353,"section_number":"20-33","catch_line":"Penalty for clerk issuing license contrary to law","url":"\/20-33\/","token":"20\/2\/20-33","metadata":false},{"id":66607,"structure_id":14353,"section_number":"20-34","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/20-34\/","token":"20\/2\/20-34","metadata":false},{"id":81401,"structure_id":14353,"section_number":"20-37","catch_line":"Validation of certain marriages when license issued by clerk of county court","url":"\/20-37\/","token":"20\/2\/20-37","metadata":false},{"id":83218,"structure_id":14353,"section_number":"20-37.1","catch_line":"Validation of certain marriages solemnized outside of Commonwealth","url":"\/20-37.1\/","token":"20\/2\/20-37.1","metadata":false},{"id":72912,"structure_id":14353,"section_number":"20-37.2","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/20-37.2\/","token":"20\/2\/20-37.2","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":60626,"structure_id":14353,"section_number":"20-21","catch_line":"Clerk to furnish attorney for the Commonwealth list of licenses not returned by minister","url":"\/20-21\/","token":"20\/2\/20-21","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":58372,"structure_id":14353,"section_number":"20-23","catch_line":"Order authorizing ministers to perform ceremony","url":"\/20-23\/","token":"20\/2\/20-23","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/20-22\/","history_text":"<p>The record of this law\u2019s original creation isn\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 1979, chapter 502.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":[{"id":60626,"section_number":"20-21","catch_line":"Clerk to furnish attorney for the Commonwealth list of licenses not returned by minister","order_by":null,"url":"\/20-21\/"},{"id":70103,"section_number":"32.1-267","catch_line":"Records of marriages; duties of officer issuing marriage license and person officiating at ceremony; blocking of social security number","order_by":null,"url":"\/32.1-267\/"}],"permalink":{"id":178225,"object_type":"law","relational_id":78649,"identifier":"20-22","token":"20\/2\/20-22","url":"\/20-22\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/20-22\/","token":"20\/2\/20-22","dublin_core":{"Title":"Attorney for the Commonwealth to ascertain before circuit court name of minister failing to return certificates","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 20-22","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section><p>It shall be the duty of the attorney for the Commonwealth for each county and city, upon the receipt from the clerk of the list required by \u00a7&nbsp;<a class=\"law\" title=\"Clerk to furnish attorney for the Commonwealth list of licenses not returned by minister\" href=\"\/20-21\/\">20-21<\/a>, to have such person or persons as he may think proper summoned before the <span class=\"dictionary\">circuit<\/span> <span class=\"dictionary\">court<\/span> of his county or city to ascertain the name of the minister or other person celebrating such marriage and failing to return the license and certificates to the clerk as required by \u00a7&nbsp;<a class=\"law\" title=\"Records of marriages; duties of officer issuing marriage license and person officiating at ceremony; blocking of social security number\" href=\"\/32.1-267\/\">32.1-267<\/a>.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":"                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nATTORNEY FOR THE COMMONWEALTH TO ASCERTAIN BEFORE CIRCUIT COURT NAME OF MINISTER\nFAILING TO RETURN CERTIFICATES (\u00a7 20-22)\n\nIt shall be the duty of the attorney for the Commonwealth for each county and\ncity, upon the receipt from the clerk of the list required by \u00a7 20-21, to have\nsuch person or persons as he may think proper summoned before the circuit court\nof his county or city to ascertain the name of the minister or other person\ncelebrating such marriage and failing to return the license and certificates to\nthe clerk as required by \u00a7 32.1-267.\n\nHISTORY: Code 1919, \u00a7 5074; 1928, p. 314; 1938, p. 151; 1979, c. 502.","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}}