{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/27-59.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/27-59.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/27-59.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/27-59.html"}],"law_id":58274,"edition_id":1,"section_id":58274,"structure_id":15306,"section_number":"27-59","catch_line":"Criminal prosecutions","history":"Code 1919, \u00a7 4188; 1918, p. 123; 1977, c. 613.","full_text":"If the Department shall be of opinion, after investigation as to the cause or origin of any fire, that there is sufficient evidence to charge any person with the crime of arson, or with incendiary burning of property, it shall furnish to the attorney for the Commonwealth of the city or county all such evidence, together with the names of witnesses, and all information obtained by it, including a copy of all pertinent and material testimony taken by it touching such offense.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":213503,"text":"If the Department shall be of opinion, after investigation as to the cause or origin of any fire, that there is sufficient evidence to charge any person with the crime of arson, or with incendiary burning of property, it shall furnish to the attorney for the Commonwealth of the city or county all such evidence, together with the names of witnesses, and all information obtained by it, including a copy of all pertinent and material testimony taken by it touching such offense.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":15306,"edition_id":1,"name":"General Provisions","identifier":"1","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13532,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:53:48","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:53:48","permalink":{"id":190361,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":15306,"identifier":"1","token":"27\/6\/1","url":"\/27\/6\/1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13532,"edition_id":1,"name":"Department of State Police; Public Building Safety Law; Arson Reporting Immunity Act","identifier":"6","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13504,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:45:08","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:45:08","permalink":{"id":190359,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13532,"identifier":"6","token":"27\/6","url":"\/27\/6\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13504,"edition_id":1,"name":"Fire Protection","identifier":"27","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:45:05","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:45:05","permalink":{"id":189965,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13504,"identifier":"27","token":"27","url":"\/27\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":80282,"structure_id":15306,"section_number":"27-55","catch_line":"Department of State Police or successor agency to keep record of fires and explosions; when open to public inspection","url":"\/27-55\/","token":"27\/6\/1\/27-55","metadata":false},{"id":69427,"structure_id":15306,"section_number":"27-56","catch_line":"Department to examine into origin of fires; appointment of arson investigators","url":"\/27-56\/","token":"27\/6\/1\/27-56","metadata":false},{"id":76444,"structure_id":15306,"section_number":"27-57","catch_line":"When insurance company to pay expenses of examination","url":"\/27-57\/","token":"27\/6\/1\/27-57","metadata":false},{"id":73787,"structure_id":15306,"section_number":"27-58","catch_line":"Right to examine buildings or premises","url":"\/27-58\/","token":"27\/6\/1\/27-58","metadata":false},{"id":58274,"structure_id":15306,"section_number":"27-59","catch_line":"Criminal prosecutions","url":"\/27-59\/","token":"27\/6\/1\/27-59","metadata":false},{"id":61418,"structure_id":15306,"section_number":"27-60","catch_line":"Department to conduct investigations in certain cases; investigations may be private","url":"\/27-60\/","token":"27\/6\/1\/27-60","metadata":false},{"id":71050,"structure_id":15306,"section_number":"27-61","catch_line":"When Department or fire chief may remedy inflammable or unsafe conditions","url":"\/27-61\/","token":"27\/6\/1\/27-61","metadata":false},{"id":60103,"structure_id":15306,"section_number":"27-62","catch_line":"Penalty on local officers for violating law","url":"\/27-62\/","token":"27\/6\/1\/27-62","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":73787,"structure_id":15306,"section_number":"27-58","catch_line":"Right to examine buildings or premises","url":"\/27-58\/","token":"27\/6\/1\/27-58","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":61418,"structure_id":15306,"section_number":"27-60","catch_line":"Department to conduct investigations in certain cases; investigations may be private","url":"\/27-60\/","token":"27\/6\/1\/27-60","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/27-59\/","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 1977, chapter 613.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":190379,"object_type":"law","relational_id":58274,"identifier":"27-59","token":"27\/6\/1\/27-59","url":"\/27-59\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/27-59\/","token":"27\/6\/1\/27-59","dublin_core":{"Title":"Criminal prosecutions","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 27-59","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section><p>If the Department shall be of <span class=\"dictionary\">opinion<\/span>, after investigation as to the cause or origin of any fire, that there is sufficient <span class=\"dictionary\">evidence<\/span> to charge any person with the <span class=\"dictionary\">crime<\/span> of <span class=\"dictionary\">arson<\/span>, or with incendiary burning of property, it shall furnish to the attorney for the Commonwealth of the city or county all such <span class=\"dictionary\">evidence<\/span>, together with the names of witnesses, and all information obtained by it, including a copy of all pertinent and <span class=\"dictionary\">material<\/span> <span class=\"dictionary\">testimony<\/span> taken by it touching such <span class=\"dictionary\">offense<\/span>.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":"                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nCRIMINAL PROSECUTIONS (\u00a7 27-59)\n\nIf the Department shall be of opinion, after investigation as to the cause or\norigin of any fire, that there is sufficient evidence to charge any person with\nthe crime of arson, or with incendiary burning of property, it shall furnish to\nthe attorney for the Commonwealth of the city or county all such evidence,\ntogether with the names of witnesses, and all information obtained by it,\nincluding a copy of all pertinent and material testimony taken by it touching\nsuch offense.\n\nHISTORY: Code 1919, \u00a7 4188; 1918, p. 123; 1977, c. 613.","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}}