{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/46.2-336.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/46.2-336.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/46.2-336.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/46.2-336.html"}],"law_id":83220,"edition_id":1,"section_id":83220,"structure_id":12892,"section_number":"46.2-336","catch_line":"Manner of issuing original driver’s licenses to minors","history":"1962, c. 261, \u00a7 46.1-375.1; 1964, c. 185; 1984, c. 780; 1989, c. 727; 1993, c. 53; 1998, c. 472; 2012, cc. 30, 100; 2014, c. 352; 2022, cc. 55, 636.","full_text":"A\n\nExcept as provided in subsection B, the Department shall forward all original driver’s licenses issued to persons under the age of 18 years to the judge of the juvenile and domestic relations court in the city or county in which the licensee resides. The judge or a substitute judge shall issue to each person to be licensed the license so forwarded, and shall, at the time of issuance, conduct a formal, appropriate ceremony, in which he shall illustrate to the licensee the responsibility attendant on the privilege of driving a motor vehicle. The attorney for the Commonwealth who serves the jurisdiction in which the ceremony is to be conducted may request in writing in advance of such ceremony an opportunity to participate in the ceremony. Any judge who presides over such ceremony shall, upon request, afford the attorney for the Commonwealth the opportunity to participate in such ceremony and to address the prospective licensees and the persons enumerated below who may be accompanying the prospective licensees as to matters of enforcement, prosecutions, applicable punishments, and the responsibility of drivers generally. If the licensee is under the age of 18 years at the time his ceremony is held, he shall be accompanied at the ceremony by a parent, his guardian, spouse, or other person in loco parentis. However, the judge, for good cause shown, may mail or otherwise deliver the driver’s license to any person who is a student at any educational institution outside of the Commonwealth at the time such license is received by the judge as prescribed in this section.B\n\nThe chief juvenile and domestic relations district court judge may waive the ceremonial requirements of subsection A for each juvenile and domestic relations district court within the district or order that each juvenile and domestic relations district court within the district conduct such ceremony in an alternative manner. In courts where the ceremony has been waived, the Department shall mail or otherwise deliver the driver’s licenses directly to licensees.C\n\nThe provisions of this section shall not apply to the issuance of Virginia driver’s licenses to persons who hold valid driver’s licenses issued by other states.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":298144,"text":"Except as provided in subsection B, the Department shall forward all original driver’s licenses issued to persons under the age of 18 years to the judge of the juvenile and domestic relations court in the city or county in which the licensee resides. The judge or a substitute judge shall issue to each person to be licensed the license so forwarded, and shall, at the time of issuance, conduct a formal, appropriate ceremony, in which he shall illustrate to the licensee the responsibility attendant on the privilege of driving a motor vehicle. The attorney for the Commonwealth who serves the jurisdiction in which the ceremony is to be conducted may request in writing in advance of such ceremony an opportunity to participate in the ceremony. Any judge who presides over such ceremony shall, upon request, afford the attorney for the Commonwealth the opportunity to participate in such ceremony and to address the prospective licensees and the persons enumerated below who may be accompanying the prospective licensees as to matters of enforcement, prosecutions, applicable punishments, and the responsibility of drivers generally. If the licensee is under the age of 18 years at the time his ceremony is held, he shall be accompanied at the ceremony by a parent, his guardian, spouse, or other person in loco parentis. However, the judge, for good cause shown, may mail or otherwise deliver the driver’s license to any person who is a student at any educational institution outside of the Commonwealth at the time such license is received by the judge as prescribed in this section.","type":"section","prefixes":["A"],"prefix":"A","entire_prefix":"A","prefix_anchor":"A","level":1,"next_prefix":"B"},"1":{"id":298145,"text":"The chief juvenile and domestic relations district court judge may waive the ceremonial requirements of subsection A for each juvenile and domestic relations district court within the district or order that each juvenile and domestic relations district court within the district conduct such ceremony in an alternative manner. In courts where the ceremony has been waived, the Department shall mail or otherwise deliver the driver’s licenses directly to licensees.","type":"section","prefixes":["B"],"prefix":"B","entire_prefix":"B","prefix_anchor":"B","level":1,"prior_prefix":"A","next_prefix":"C"},"2":{"id":298146,"text":"The provisions of this section shall not apply to the issuance of Virginia driver’s licenses to persons who hold valid driver’s licenses issued by other states.","type":"section","prefixes":["C"],"prefix":"C","entire_prefix":"C","prefix_anchor":"C","level":1,"prior_prefix":"B"}},"ancestry":[{"id":12892,"edition_id":1,"name":"Licensure of Minors, Student Drivers, School Bus Drivers, and Motorcyclists","identifier":"5","label":"article","depth":4,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12772,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:59","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:59","permalink":{"id":226515,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12892,"identifier":"5","token":"46.2\/II\/3\/5","url":"\/46.2\/II\/3\/5\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12772,"edition_id":1,"name":"Licensure of Drivers","identifier":"3","label":"chapter","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12771,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:52","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:52","permalink":{"id":225629,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12772,"identifier":"3","token":"46.2\/II\/3","url":"\/46.2\/II\/3\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12771,"edition_id":1,"name":"Titling, Registration and Licensure","identifier":"II","label":"subtitle","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12770,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:52","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:52","permalink":{"id":225627,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12771,"identifier":"II","token":"46.2\/II","url":"\/46.2\/II\/","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":55605,"structure_id":12892,"section_number":"46.2-334","catch_line":"Conditions and requirements for licensure of persons under 18","url":"\/46.2-334\/","token":"46.2\/II\/3\/5\/46.2-334","metadata":false},{"id":54013,"structure_id":12892,"section_number":"46.2-334.001","catch_line":"Court to suspend driver's license issued to certain minors","url":"\/46.2-334.001\/","token":"46.2\/II\/3\/5\/46.2-334.001","metadata":false},{"id":61788,"structure_id":12892,"section_number":"46.2-334.01","catch_line":"Licenses issued to persons less than 18 years old subject to certain restrictions","url":"\/46.2-334.01\/","token":"46.2\/II\/3\/5\/46.2-334.01","metadata":false},{"id":76226,"structure_id":12892,"section_number":"46.2-334.02","catch_line":"Licenses issued to persons less than twenty years old subject to certain restrictions","url":"\/46.2-334.02\/","token":"46.2\/II\/3\/5\/46.2-334.02","metadata":false},{"id":85632,"structure_id":12892,"section_number":"46.2-334.1","catch_line":"Knowledge test; waiting period prior to reexamination","url":"\/46.2-334.1\/","token":"46.2\/II\/3\/5\/46.2-334.1","metadata":false},{"id":80637,"structure_id":12892,"section_number":"46.2-335","catch_line":"Learner's permits; fees; certification required","url":"\/46.2-335\/","token":"46.2\/II\/3\/5\/46.2-335","metadata":false},{"id":78353,"structure_id":12892,"section_number":"46.2-335.1","catch_line":"Knowledge test; waiting period prior to reexamination","url":"\/46.2-335.1\/","token":"46.2\/II\/3\/5\/46.2-335.1","metadata":false},{"id":70055,"structure_id":12892,"section_number":"46.2-335.2","catch_line":"Learner's permits; required before driver's license; minimum holding period","url":"\/46.2-335.2\/","token":"46.2\/II\/3\/5\/46.2-335.2","metadata":false},{"id":83220,"structure_id":12892,"section_number":"46.2-336","catch_line":"Manner of issuing original driver's licenses to minors","url":"\/46.2-336\/","token":"46.2\/II\/3\/5\/46.2-336","metadata":false},{"id":78428,"structure_id":12892,"section_number":"46.2-337","catch_line":"Examination and road test required for license to operate motorcycle; regulations","url":"\/46.2-337\/","token":"46.2\/II\/3\/5\/46.2-337","metadata":false},{"id":79936,"structure_id":12892,"section_number":"46.2-338","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/46.2-338\/","token":"46.2\/II\/3\/5\/46.2-338","metadata":false},{"id":70529,"structure_id":12892,"section_number":"46.2-339","catch_line":"Qualifications of school bus operators; training; examination","url":"\/46.2-339\/","token":"46.2\/II\/3\/5\/46.2-339","metadata":false},{"id":67491,"structure_id":12892,"section_number":"46.2-340","catch_line":"Information concerning school bus drivers and driver education instructors","url":"\/46.2-340\/","token":"46.2\/II\/3\/5\/46.2-340","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":70055,"structure_id":12892,"section_number":"46.2-335.2","catch_line":"Learner's permits; required before driver's license; minimum holding period","url":"\/46.2-335.2\/","token":"46.2\/II\/3\/5\/46.2-335.2","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":78428,"structure_id":12892,"section_number":"46.2-337","catch_line":"Examination and road test required for license to operate motorcycle; regulations","url":"\/46.2-337\/","token":"46.2\/II\/3\/5\/46.2-337","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/46.2-336\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 1962. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 261 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 1962 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online. It has been modified 8 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 1964, chapter 185; in 1984, chapter 780; in 1989, chapter 727; in 1993, chapter 53; in 1998, chapter 472<\/a>; in 2012, chapters 30<\/a> and 100<\/a>; in 2014, chapter 352<\/a>; in 2022, chapters 55<\/a> and 636<\/a>.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":226549,"object_type":"law","relational_id":83220,"identifier":"46.2-336","token":"46.2\/II\/3\/5\/46.2-336","url":"\/46.2-336\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/46.2-336\/","token":"46.2\/II\/3\/5\/46.2-336","dublin_core":{"Title":"Manner of issuing original driver’s licenses to minors","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 46.2-336","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

A.<\/span> Except as provided in subsection B, the Department<\/span> shall forward all original driver<\/span>’s licenses issued to persons under the age of 18 years to the judge<\/span> of the juvenile and domestic relations court<\/span> in the city or county in which the licensee resides. The judge<\/span> or a substitute judge<\/span> shall issue<\/span> to each person to be licensed the license so forwarded, and shall, at the time of issuance, conduct a formal, appropriate ceremony, in which he shall illustrate to the licensee the responsibility attendant on the privilege<\/span> of driving a motor vehicle<\/span>. The attorney for the Commonwealth who serves the jurisdiction<\/span> in which the ceremony is to be conducted may request in writing in advance of such ceremony an opportunity to participate in the ceremony. Any judge<\/span> who presides over such ceremony shall, upon request, afford the attorney for the Commonwealth the opportunity to participate in such ceremony and to address the prospective licensees and the persons enumerated below who may be accompanying the prospective licensees as to matters of enforcement, prosecutions<\/span>, applicable punishments, and the responsibility of drivers<\/span> generally. If the licensee is under the age of 18 years at the time his ceremony is held, he shall be accompanied at the ceremony by a parent, his guardian, spouse, or other person in loco parentis. However, the judge<\/span>, for good cause shown, may mail or otherwise deliver the driver<\/span>’s license to any person who is a student at any educational institution outside of the Commonwealth at the time such license is received by the judge<\/span> as prescribed in this section. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

B.<\/span> The chief juvenile and domestic relations district court<\/span> judge<\/span> may waive<\/span> the ceremonial requirements of subsection A for each juvenile and domestic relations district court<\/span> within the district or order<\/span> that each juvenile and domestic relations district court<\/span> within the district conduct such ceremony in an alternative manner. In courts<\/span> where the ceremony has been waived, the Department<\/span> shall mail or otherwise deliver the driver<\/span>’s licenses directly to licensees. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

C.<\/span> The provisions of this section shall not apply to the issuance of Virginia driver<\/span>’s licenses to persons who hold valid driver<\/span>’s licenses issued by other states. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nMANNER OF ISSUING ORIGINAL DRIVER’S LICENSES TO MINORS (\u00a7 46.2-336)\n\nA. Except as provided in subsection B, the Department shall forward all original\ndriver’s licenses issued to persons under the age of 18 years to the judge\nof the juvenile and domestic relations court in the city or county in which the\nlicensee resides. The judge or a substitute judge shall issue to each person to\nbe licensed the license so forwarded, and shall, at the time of issuance,\nconduct a formal, appropriate ceremony, in which he shall illustrate to the\nlicensee the responsibility attendant on the privilege of driving a motor\nvehicle. The attorney for the Commonwealth who serves the jurisdiction in which\nthe ceremony is to be conducted may request in writing in advance of such\nceremony an opportunity to participate in the ceremony. Any judge who presides\nover such ceremony shall, upon request, afford the attorney for the Commonwealth\nthe opportunity to participate in such ceremony and to address the prospective\nlicensees and the persons enumerated below who may be accompanying the\nprospective licensees as to matters of enforcement, prosecutions, applicable\npunishments, and the responsibility of drivers generally. If the licensee is\nunder the age of 18 years at the time his ceremony is held, he shall be\naccompanied at the ceremony by a parent, his guardian, spouse, or other person\nin loco parentis. However, the judge, for good cause shown, may mail or\notherwise deliver the driver’s license to any person who is a student at\nany educational institution outside of the Commonwealth at the time such license\nis received by the judge as prescribed in this section.\n\nB. The chief juvenile and domestic relations district court judge may waive the\nceremonial requirements of subsection A for each juvenile and domestic relations\ndistrict court within the district or order that each juvenile and domestic\nrelations district court within the district conduct such ceremony in an\nalternative manner. In courts where the ceremony has been waived, the Department\nshall mail or otherwise deliver the driver’s licenses directly to\nlicensees.\n\nC. The provisions of this section shall not apply to the issuance of Virginia\ndriver’s licenses to persons who hold valid driver’s licenses issued\nby other states.\n\nHISTORY: 1962, c. 261, \u00a7 46.1-375.1; 1964, c. 185; 1984, c. 780; 1989, c. 727;\n1993, c. 53; 1998, c. 472; 2012, cc. 30, 100; 2014, c. 352; 2022, cc. 55, 636.","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}}