{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/46.2-1212.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/46.2-1212.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/46.2-1212.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/46.2-1212.html"}],"law_id":69651,"edition_id":1,"section_id":69651,"structure_id":15956,"section_number":"46.2-1212","catch_line":"Authority to provide for temporary removal and disposition of vehicles involved in accidents","history":"1964, c. 349, \u00a7 46.1-3.1; 1989, c. 727; 1992, c. 269; 2012, c. 474.","full_text":"The governing body of any county, city, or town may provide by ordinance that whenever a motor vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer involved in an accident is so located as to impede the orderly flow of traffic, the police or other uniformed employee of the local law-enforcement agency who specifically is authorized to do so by the chief law-enforcement officer or his designee may (i) at no cost to the owner or operator remove the motor vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer to some point in the vicinity where it will not impede the flow of traffic or (ii) have the vehicle removed to a storage area for safekeeping and shall report the removal to the Department and to the owner of the vehicle as promptly as possible. If the vehicle is removed to a storage area under clause (ii), the owner shall pay to the parties entitled thereto all costs incidental to its removal and storage.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":251807,"text":"The governing body of any county, city, or town may provide by ordinance that whenever a motor vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer involved in an accident is so located as to impede the orderly flow of traffic, the police or other uniformed employee of the local law-enforcement agency who specifically is authorized to do so by the chief law-enforcement officer or his designee may (i) at no cost to the owner or operator remove the motor vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer to some point in the vicinity where it will not impede the flow of traffic or (ii) have the vehicle removed to a storage area for safekeeping and shall report the removal to the Department and to the owner of the vehicle as promptly as possible. If the vehicle is removed to a storage area under clause (ii), the owner shall pay to the parties entitled thereto all costs incidental to its removal and storage.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":15956,"edition_id":1,"name":"Immobilized and Unattended Vehicles","identifier":"2","label":"article","depth":4,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13248,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 04:02:39","date_modified":"2026-06-26 04:02:39","permalink":{"id":229767,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":15956,"identifier":"2","token":"46.2\/III\/12\/2","url":"\/46.2\/III\/12\/2\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13248,"edition_id":1,"name":"Abandoned, Immobilized, Unattended and Trespassing Vehicles; Parking","identifier":"12","label":"chapter","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12827,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:31","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:31","permalink":{"id":229707,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13248,"identifier":"12","token":"46.2\/III\/12","url":"\/46.2\/III\/12\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12827,"edition_id":1,"name":"Operation","identifier":"III","label":"subtitle","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12770,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:55","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:55","permalink":{"id":228597,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12827,"identifier":"III","token":"46.2\/III","url":"\/46.2\/III\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12770,"edition_id":1,"name":"Motor Vehicles","identifier":"46.2","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:52","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:52","permalink":{"id":225289,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12770,"identifier":"46.2","token":"46.2","url":"\/46.2\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":74116,"structure_id":15956,"section_number":"46.2-1209","catch_line":"Unattended or immobile vehicles, generally","url":"\/46.2-1209\/","token":"46.2\/III\/12\/2\/46.2-1209","metadata":false},{"id":74430,"structure_id":15956,"section_number":"46.2-1210","catch_line":"Motor vehicles immobilized by weather conditions, accidents, or emergencies","url":"\/46.2-1210\/","token":"46.2\/III\/12\/2\/46.2-1210","metadata":false},{"id":85250,"structure_id":15956,"section_number":"46.2-1211","catch_line":"Removal of motor vehicles obstructing movement; storage; payment of costs","url":"\/46.2-1211\/","token":"46.2\/III\/12\/2\/46.2-1211","metadata":false},{"id":69651,"structure_id":15956,"section_number":"46.2-1212","catch_line":"Authority to provide for temporary removal and disposition of vehicles involved in accidents","url":"\/46.2-1212\/","token":"46.2\/III\/12\/2\/46.2-1212","metadata":false},{"id":62123,"structure_id":15956,"section_number":"46.2-1212.1","catch_line":"Authority to provide for removal and disposition of vehicles and cargoes of vehicles involved in accidents","url":"\/46.2-1212.1\/","token":"46.2\/III\/12\/2\/46.2-1212.1","metadata":false},{"id":75425,"structure_id":15956,"section_number":"46.2-1213","catch_line":"Removal and disposition of unattended or immobile vehicles; ordinances in counties, cities, and towns","url":"\/46.2-1213\/","token":"46.2\/III\/12\/2\/46.2-1213","metadata":false},{"id":66076,"structure_id":15956,"section_number":"46.2-1214","catch_line":"Sale of personal property found in unattended or abandoned vehicles","url":"\/46.2-1214\/","token":"46.2\/III\/12\/2\/46.2-1214","metadata":false},{"id":79942,"structure_id":15956,"section_number":"46.2-1215","catch_line":"Leaving vehicles on private property prohibited; authority of counties, cities, and towns to provide for removal and disposition; notice of disposition","url":"\/46.2-1215\/","token":"46.2\/III\/12\/2\/46.2-1215","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":85250,"structure_id":15956,"section_number":"46.2-1211","catch_line":"Removal of motor vehicles obstructing movement; storage; payment of costs","url":"\/46.2-1211\/","token":"46.2\/III\/12\/2\/46.2-1211","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":62123,"structure_id":15956,"section_number":"46.2-1212.1","catch_line":"Authority to provide for removal and disposition of vehicles and cargoes of vehicles involved in accidents","url":"\/46.2-1212.1\/","token":"46.2\/III\/12\/2\/46.2-1212.1","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/46.2-1212\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 1964. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 349 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 1964 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online. It has been modified 3 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 1989, chapter 727; in 1992, chapter 269; in 2012, chapter 474<\/a>.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":229781,"object_type":"law","relational_id":69651,"identifier":"46.2-1212","token":"46.2\/III\/12\/2\/46.2-1212","url":"\/46.2-1212\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/46.2-1212\/","token":"46.2\/III\/12\/2\/46.2-1212","dublin_core":{"Title":"Authority to provide for temporary removal and disposition of vehicles involved in accidents","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 46.2-1212","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

The governing body<\/span> of any county, city, or town may provide by ordinance<\/span> that whenever a motor vehicle<\/span>, trailer<\/span>, or semitrailer<\/span> involved in an accident is so located as to impede the orderly flow of traffic, the police or other uniformed employee of the local law<\/span>-enforcement agency who specifically is authorized to do so by the chief law<\/span>-enforcement officer<\/span> or his designee may (i) at no cost to the owner<\/span> or operator<\/span> remove the motor vehicle<\/span>, trailer<\/span>, or semitrailer<\/span> to some point in the vicinity where it will not impede the flow of traffic or (ii) have the vehicle removed to a storage area for safekeeping and shall report the removal to the Department<\/span> and to the owner<\/span> of the vehicle as promptly as possible. If the vehicle is removed to a storage area under clause (ii), the owner<\/span> shall pay to the parties entitled thereto all costs incidental to its removal and storage.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nAUTHORITY TO PROVIDE FOR TEMPORARY REMOVAL AND DISPOSITION OF VEHICLES INVOLVED\nIN ACCIDENTS (\u00a7 46.2-1212)\n\nThe governing body of any county, city, or town may provide by ordinance that\nwhenever a motor vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer involved in an accident is so\nlocated as to impede the orderly flow of traffic, the police or other uniformed\nemployee of the local law-enforcement agency who specifically is authorized to\ndo so by the chief law-enforcement officer or his designee may (i) at no cost to\nthe owner or operator remove the motor vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer to some\npoint in the vicinity where it will not impede the flow of traffic or (ii) have\nthe vehicle removed to a storage area for safekeeping and shall report the\nremoval to the Department and to the owner of the vehicle as promptly as\npossible. If the vehicle is removed to a storage area under clause (ii), the\nowner shall pay to the parties entitled thereto all costs incidental to its\nremoval and storage.\n\nHISTORY: 1964, c. 349, \u00a7 46.1-3.1; 1989, c. 727; 1992, c. 269; 2012, c. 474.","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}}