{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/51.1-801.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/51.1-801.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/51.1-801.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/51.1-801.html"}],"law_id":56250,"edition_id":1,"section_id":56250,"structure_id":14662,"section_number":"51.1-801","catch_line":"Counties, cities, and towns generally","history":"Code 1919, \u00a7 3035; 1932, p. 752; 1942, p. 178; 1944, p. 54; 1945, p. 74; 1946, p. 61; Code 1950, \u00a7 51-112; 1952, cc. 59, 587; 1959, Ex. Sess., c. 58; 1960, c. 404; 1968, c. 60; 1980, c. 135; 1989, Sp. Sess., c. 3; 1990, c. 832.","full_text":"The governing body of any county, city, or town may, by ordinance adopted by a recorded vote of a majority of the members elected, establish a retirement system. The retirement system may cover injured or retired officers and employees of the county, city, or town. Benefits may be payable to the officers and employees or their dependents, estates, or designated beneficiaries. The retirement system may provide for accrued vested or contractual rights thereunder. The local governing body may, through self-funding or the purchase of insurance and annuities, or a combination thereof, provide retirement allowances, death benefits, and group life insurance coverage for officers and employees of the county, city, or town and group accident and sickness insurance coverage for officers and employees of the county, city, or town and their dependents. The governing body may by ordinance establish a fund for the payment of retirement allowances, death benefits, and insurance and annuity premiums by appropriating funds from the treasury of the county, city, or town or by requiring employee contributions through payroll deductions, or both, or by any other mode not prohibited by law.\n\t\tFor the purposes of this section, the term “employees” may include teachers or other employees of county, city, and town school boards.\n\t\tIf any county, city, or town participates in the Virginia Retirement System and also establishes a local retirement system providing supplemental benefits to the employees covered under the Virginia Retirement System, the local system shall not be required to satisfy the retirement age and service criterion established in clause A (i) of \u00a7 51.1-800.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":206024,"text":"The governing body of any county, city, or town may, by ordinance adopted by a recorded vote of a majority of the members elected, establish a retirement system. The retirement system may cover injured or retired officers and employees of the county, city, or town. Benefits may be payable to the officers and employees or their dependents, estates, or designated beneficiaries. The retirement system may provide for accrued vested or contractual rights thereunder. The local governing body may, through self-funding or the purchase of insurance and annuities, or a combination thereof, provide retirement allowances, death benefits, and group life insurance coverage for officers and employees of the county, city, or town and group accident and sickness insurance coverage for officers and employees of the county, city, or town and their dependents. The governing body may by ordinance establish a fund for the payment of retirement allowances, death benefits, and insurance and annuity premiums by appropriating funds from the treasury of the county, city, or town or by requiring employee contributions through payroll deductions, or both, or by any other mode not prohibited by law.\n\t\tFor the purposes of this section, the term “employees” may include teachers or other employees of county, city, and town school boards.\n\t\tIf any county, city, or town participates in the Virginia Retirement System and also establishes a local retirement system providing supplemental benefits to the employees covered under the Virginia Retirement System, the local system shall not be required to satisfy the retirement age and service criterion established in clause A (i) of \u00a7 51.1-800.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":14662,"edition_id":1,"name":"General Provisions","identifier":"1","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13777,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:49:12","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:49:12","permalink":{"id":236281,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":14662,"identifier":"1","token":"51.1\/8\/1","url":"\/51.1\/8\/1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13777,"edition_id":1,"name":"Local Retirement Systems","identifier":"8","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12947,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:45:51","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:45:51","permalink":{"id":236279,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13777,"identifier":"8","token":"51.1\/8","url":"\/51.1\/8\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12947,"edition_id":1,"name":"Pensions, Benefits, and Retirement","identifier":"51.1","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:04","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:04","permalink":{"id":235029,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12947,"identifier":"51.1","token":"51.1","url":"\/51.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":82031,"structure_id":14662,"section_number":"51.1-800","catch_line":"Counties, cities, and certain towns to establish local systems or participate in Virginia Retirement System","url":"\/51.1-800\/","token":"51.1\/8\/1\/51.1-800","metadata":false},{"id":56250,"structure_id":14662,"section_number":"51.1-801","catch_line":"Counties, cities, and towns generally","url":"\/51.1-801\/","token":"51.1\/8\/1\/51.1-801","metadata":false},{"id":77134,"structure_id":14662,"section_number":"51.1-801.1","catch_line":"Portability of service credit between certain political subdivisions of the Commonwealth and the Virginia Retirement System or certain other political subdivisions of the Commonwealth","url":"\/51.1-801.1\/","token":"51.1\/8\/1\/51.1-801.1","metadata":false},{"id":56314,"structure_id":14662,"section_number":"51.1-802","catch_line":"Assets of retirement systems; exemption from taxation; execution and assignment","url":"\/51.1-802\/","token":"51.1\/8\/1\/51.1-802","metadata":false},{"id":56610,"structure_id":14662,"section_number":"51.1-803","catch_line":"Investments of retirement systems","url":"\/51.1-803\/","token":"51.1\/8\/1\/51.1-803","metadata":false},{"id":68961,"structure_id":14662,"section_number":"51.1-804","catch_line":"In certain cities","url":"\/51.1-804\/","token":"51.1\/8\/1\/51.1-804","metadata":false},{"id":82534,"structure_id":14662,"section_number":"51.1-805","catch_line":"In certain counties","url":"\/51.1-805\/","token":"51.1\/8\/1\/51.1-805","metadata":false},{"id":77958,"structure_id":14662,"section_number":"51.1-806","catch_line":"Reimbursement by Commonwealth for portion of employer contribution on account of certain officers and employees","url":"\/51.1-806\/","token":"51.1\/8\/1\/51.1-806","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":82031,"structure_id":14662,"section_number":"51.1-800","catch_line":"Counties, cities, and certain towns to establish local systems or participate in Virginia Retirement System","url":"\/51.1-800\/","token":"51.1\/8\/1\/51.1-800","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":77134,"structure_id":14662,"section_number":"51.1-801.1","catch_line":"Portability of service credit between certain political subdivisions of the Commonwealth and the Virginia Retirement System or certain other political subdivisions of the Commonwealth","url":"\/51.1-801.1\/","token":"51.1\/8\/1\/51.1-801.1","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/51.1-801\/","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 1952, chapters 59 and 587; in 1960, chapter 404; in 1968, chapter 60; in 1980, chapter 135; in 1990, chapter 832.<\/p>","references":[{"id":70234,"section_number":"15.2-5117","catch_line":"Same; insurance for employees","order_by":null,"url":"\/15.2-5117\/"},{"id":82027,"section_number":"15.2-5431.13","catch_line":"Insurance for employees","order_by":null,"url":"\/15.2-5431.13\/"},{"id":60219,"section_number":"33.2-2801","catch_line":"Powers of the Charlottesville-Albemarle Regional Transit Authority","order_by":null,"url":"\/33.2-2801\/"},{"id":82031,"section_number":"51.1-800","catch_line":"Counties, cities, and certain towns to establish local systems or participate in Virginia Retirement System","order_by":null,"url":"\/51.1-800\/"}],"refers_to":[{"id":82031,"section_number":"51.1-800","catch_line":"Counties, cities, and certain towns to establish local systems or participate in Virginia Retirement System","order_by":null,"url":"\/51.1-800\/"}],"permalink":{"id":236287,"object_type":"law","relational_id":56250,"identifier":"51.1-801","token":"51.1\/8\/1\/51.1-801","url":"\/51.1-801\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/51.1-801\/","token":"51.1\/8\/1\/51.1-801","dublin_core":{"Title":"Counties, cities, and towns generally","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 51.1-801","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

The governing body of any county, city, or town may, by ordinance<\/span> adopted by a recorded vote of a majority of the members elected, establish a retirement system. The retirement system may cover injured or retired officers and employees of the county, city, or town. Benefits may be payable to the officers and employees or their dependents, estates, or designated beneficiaries. The retirement system may provide for accrued vested or contractual rights thereunder. The local governing body may, through self-funding or the purchase of insurance and annuities, or a combination thereof, provide retirement allowances, death benefits, and group life insurance coverage for officers and employees of the county, city, or town and group accident and sickness insurance coverage for officers and employees of the county, city, or town and their dependents. The governing body may by ordinance<\/span> establish a fund for the payment of retirement allowances, death benefits, and insurance and annuity premiums by appropriating funds from the treasury of the county, city, or town or by requiring employee contributions through payroll deductions, or both, or by any other mode not prohibited by law<\/span>.\n\t\tFor the purposes of this section, the term “employees” may include teachers or other employees of county, city, and town school boards.\n\t\tIf any county, city, or town participates in the Virginia Retirement System and also establishes a local retirement system providing supplemental benefits to the employees covered under the Virginia Retirement System, the local system shall not be required to satisfy the retirement age and service criterion established in clause A (i) of \u00a7 51.1-800<\/a>.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nCOUNTIES, CITIES, AND TOWNS GENERALLY (\u00a7 51.1-801)\n\nThe governing body of any county, city, or town may, by ordinance adopted by a\nrecorded vote of a majority of the members elected, establish a retirement\nsystem. The retirement system may cover injured or retired officers and\nemployees of the county, city, or town. Benefits may be payable to the officers\nand employees or their dependents, estates, or designated beneficiaries. The\nretirement system may provide for accrued vested or contractual rights\nthereunder. The local governing body may, through self-funding or the purchase\nof insurance and annuities, or a combination thereof, provide retirement\nallowances, death benefits, and group life insurance coverage for officers and\nemployees of the county, city, or town and group accident and sickness insurance\ncoverage for officers and employees of the county, city, or town and their\ndependents. The governing body may by ordinance establish a fund for the payment\nof retirement allowances, death benefits, and insurance and annuity premiums by\nappropriating funds from the treasury of the county, city, or town or by\nrequiring employee contributions through payroll deductions, or both, or by any\nother mode not prohibited by law.\n\t\tFor the purposes of this section, the term “employees” may include\nteachers or other employees of county, city, and town school boards.\n\t\tIf any county, city, or town participates in the Virginia Retirement System\nand also establishes a local retirement system providing supplemental benefits\nto the employees covered under the Virginia Retirement System, the local system\nshall not be required to satisfy the retirement age and service criterion\nestablished in clause A (i) of \u00a7 51.1-800.\n\nHISTORY: Code 1919, \u00a7 3035; 1932, p. 752; 1942, p. 178; 1944, p. 54; 1945, p.\n74; 1946, p. 61; Code 1950, \u00a7 51-112; 1952, cc. 59, 587; 1959, Ex. Sess., c.\n58; 1960, c. 404; 1968, c. 60; 1980, c. 135; 1989, Sp. Sess., c. 3; 1990, c.\n832.","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}}