{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/28.2-1200.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/28.2-1200.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/28.2-1200.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/28.2-1200.html"}],"law_id":59255,"edition_id":1,"section_id":59255,"structure_id":13215,"section_number":"28.2-1200","catch_line":"Ungranted beds of bays, rivers, creeks and shores of the sea to remain in common","history":"Code 1950, \u00a7 62-1; 1960, c. 533; 1968, c. 659, \u00a7 62.1-1; 1992, c. 836; 1995, c. 850; 1998, c. 427.","full_text":"All the beds of the bays, rivers, creeks and the shores of the sea within the jurisdiction of the Commonwealth, not conveyed by special grant or compact according to law, shall remain the property of the Commonwealth and may be used as a common by all the people of the Commonwealth for the purpose of fishing, fowling, hunting, and taking and catching oysters and other shellfish. No grant shall be issued by the Librarian of Virginia to pass any estate or interest of the Commonwealth in any natural oyster bed, rock, or shoal, whether or not it ebbs bare.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":217195,"text":"All the beds of the bays, rivers, creeks and the shores of the sea within the jurisdiction of the Commonwealth, not conveyed by special grant or compact according to law, shall remain the property of the Commonwealth and may be used as a common by all the people of the Commonwealth for the purpose of fishing, fowling, hunting, and taking and catching oysters and other shellfish. No grant shall be issued by the Librarian of Virginia to pass any estate or interest of the Commonwealth in any natural oyster bed, rock, or shoal, whether or not it ebbs bare.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":13215,"edition_id":1,"name":"Ownership and Uses of Submerged Lands","identifier":"1","label":"article","depth":4,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13214,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:27","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:27","permalink":{"id":191919,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13215,"identifier":"1","token":"28.2\/III\/12\/1","url":"\/28.2\/III\/12\/1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13214,"edition_id":1,"name":"Submerged Lands","identifier":"12","label":"chapter","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13040,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:27","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:27","permalink":{"id":191917,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13214,"identifier":"12","token":"28.2\/III\/12","url":"\/28.2\/III\/12\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13040,"edition_id":1,"name":"Habitat","identifier":"III","label":"subtitle","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12813,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:10","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:10","permalink":{"id":191915,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13040,"identifier":"III","token":"28.2\/III","url":"\/28.2\/III\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12813,"edition_id":1,"name":"Fisheries and Habitat of the Tidal Waters","identifier":"28.2","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:54","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:54","permalink":{"id":190589,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12813,"identifier":"28.2","token":"28.2","url":"\/28.2\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":59255,"structure_id":13215,"section_number":"28.2-1200","catch_line":"Ungranted beds of bays, rivers, creeks and shores of the sea to remain in common","url":"\/28.2-1200\/","token":"28.2\/III\/12\/1\/28.2-1200","metadata":false},{"id":79938,"structure_id":13215,"section_number":"28.2-1200.1","catch_line":"Conveyance of state-owned bottomlands","url":"\/28.2-1200.1\/","token":"28.2\/III\/12\/1\/28.2-1200.1","metadata":false},{"id":69308,"structure_id":13215,"section_number":"28.2-1201","catch_line":"Ungranted islands which rise from lands which are property of the Commonwealth","url":"\/28.2-1201\/","token":"28.2\/III\/12\/1\/28.2-1201","metadata":false},{"id":74996,"structure_id":13215,"section_number":"28.2-1202","catch_line":"Rights of owners to extend to mean low-water mark","url":"\/28.2-1202\/","token":"28.2\/III\/12\/1\/28.2-1202","metadata":false},{"id":79002,"structure_id":13215,"section_number":"28.2-1203","catch_line":"Unlawful use of subaqueous beds; penalty","url":"\/28.2-1203\/","token":"28.2\/III\/12\/1\/28.2-1203","metadata":false},{"id":78037,"structure_id":13215,"section_number":"28.2-1204","catch_line":"Authority of Commission over submerged lands","url":"\/28.2-1204\/","token":"28.2\/III\/12\/1\/28.2-1204","metadata":false},{"id":54222,"structure_id":13215,"section_number":"28.2-1204.1","catch_line":"Submerged aquatic vegetation","url":"\/28.2-1204.1\/","token":"28.2\/III\/12\/1\/28.2-1204.1","metadata":false},{"id":72222,"structure_id":13215,"section_number":"28.2-1204.2","catch_line":"Marine Habitat and Waterways Improvement Fund established","url":"\/28.2-1204.2\/","token":"28.2\/III\/12\/1\/28.2-1204.2","metadata":false},{"id":77192,"structure_id":13215,"section_number":"28.2-1205","catch_line":"Permits for the use of state-owned bottomlands","url":"\/28.2-1205\/","token":"28.2\/III\/12\/1\/28.2-1205","metadata":false},{"id":83246,"structure_id":13215,"section_number":"28.2-1205.1","catch_line":"Coordinated review of water resources projects","url":"\/28.2-1205.1\/","token":"28.2\/III\/12\/1\/28.2-1205.1","metadata":false},{"id":69126,"structure_id":13215,"section_number":"28.2-1205.2","catch_line":"Coordinated review of public beach replenishment projects using Chesapeake Bay sand; expedited process","url":"\/28.2-1205.2\/","token":"28.2\/III\/12\/1\/28.2-1205.2","metadata":false},{"id":58867,"structure_id":13215,"section_number":"28.2-1206","catch_line":"Fees; exemptions","url":"\/28.2-1206\/","token":"28.2\/III\/12\/1\/28.2-1206","metadata":false},{"id":72997,"structure_id":13215,"section_number":"28.2-1208","catch_line":"Granting easements in, permitting the use of, or leasing the beds of certain waters","url":"\/28.2-1208\/","token":"28.2\/III\/12\/1\/28.2-1208","metadata":false},{"id":83871,"structure_id":13215,"section_number":"28.2-1209","catch_line":"Maintenance or removal of structures erected upon or over state-owned subaqueous bottoms","url":"\/28.2-1209\/","token":"28.2\/III\/12\/1\/28.2-1209","metadata":false}],"next_section":{"id":79938,"structure_id":13215,"section_number":"28.2-1200.1","catch_line":"Conveyance of state-owned bottomlands","url":"\/28.2-1200.1\/","token":"28.2\/III\/12\/1\/28.2-1200.1","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/28.2-1200\/","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 1960, chapter 533; in 1968, chapter 659; in 1992, chapter 836; in 1995, chapter 850<\/a>; in 1998, chapter 427<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":83264,"section_number":"28.2-101","catch_line":"Jurisdiction of Commission","order_by":null,"url":"\/28.2-101\/"},{"id":64559,"section_number":"28.2-104.1","catch_line":"Living shorelines; development of general permit; guidance","order_by":null,"url":"\/28.2-104.1\/"},{"id":69308,"section_number":"28.2-1201","catch_line":"Ungranted islands which rise from lands which are property of the Commonwealth","order_by":null,"url":"\/28.2-1201\/"},{"id":74996,"section_number":"28.2-1202","catch_line":"Rights of owners to extend to mean low-water mark","order_by":null,"url":"\/28.2-1202\/"},{"id":55026,"section_number":"41.1-3","catch_line":"Grants of certain lands, etc., to be void; such lands, etc., under control of Governor","order_by":null,"url":"\/41.1-3\/"},{"id":67189,"section_number":"41.1-5","catch_line":"Circuit courts authorized to dispose of waste and unappropriated lands","order_by":null,"url":"\/41.1-5\/"},{"id":56006,"section_number":"62.1-44.15","catch_line":"Powers and duties; civil penalties","order_by":null,"url":"\/62.1-44.15\/"}],"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":191921,"object_type":"law","relational_id":59255,"identifier":"28.2-1200","token":"28.2\/III\/12\/1\/28.2-1200","url":"\/28.2-1200\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/28.2-1200\/","token":"28.2\/III\/12\/1\/28.2-1200","dublin_core":{"Title":"Ungranted beds of bays, rivers, creeks and shores of the sea to remain in common","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 28.2-1200","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

All the beds of the bays, rivers, creeks and the shores of the sea within the jurisdiction<\/span> of the Commonwealth, not conveyed by special grant or compact according to law<\/span>, shall remain the property of the Commonwealth and may be used as a common by all the people of the Commonwealth for the purpose of fishing<\/span>, fowling, hunting, and taking and catching oysters and other shellfish<\/span>. No grant shall be issued by the Librarian of Virginia to pass any estate or interest of the Commonwealth in any natural oyster bed, rock, or shoal, whether or not it ebbs bare.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nUNGRANTED BEDS OF BAYS, RIVERS, CREEKS AND SHORES OF THE SEA TO REMAIN IN COMMON\n(\u00a7 28.2-1200)\n\nAll the beds of the bays, rivers, creeks and the shores of the sea within the\njurisdiction of the Commonwealth, not conveyed by special grant or compact\naccording to law, shall remain the property of the Commonwealth and may be used\nas a common by all the people of the Commonwealth for the purpose of fishing,\nfowling, hunting, and taking and catching oysters and other shellfish. No grant\nshall be issued by the Librarian of Virginia to pass any estate or interest of\nthe Commonwealth in any natural oyster bed, rock, or shoal, whether or not it\nebbs bare.\n\nHISTORY: Code 1950, \u00a7 62-1; 1960, c. 533; 1968, c. 659, \u00a7 62.1-1; 1992, c.\n836; 1995, c. 850; 1998, c. 427.","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}}