{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/51.5-44.1.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/51.5-44.1.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/51.5-44.1.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/51.5-44.1.html"}],"law_id":77660,"edition_id":1,"section_id":77660,"structure_id":14354,"section_number":"51.5-44.1","catch_line":"Fraudulent representation of a service dog or hearing dog; penalty","history":"2016, c. 575.","full_text":"Any person who knowingly and willfully fits a dog with a harness, collar, vest, or sign, or uses an identification card commonly used by a person with a disability, in order to represent that the dog is a service dog or hearing dog to fraudulently gain public access for such dog pursuant to provisions in \u00a7 51.5-44 is guilty of a Class 4 misdemeanor.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":278547,"text":"Any person who knowingly and willfully fits a dog with a harness, collar, vest, or sign, or uses an identification card commonly used by a person with a disability, in order to represent that the dog is a service dog or hearing dog to fraudulently gain public access for such dog pursuant to provisions in \u00a7 51.5-44 is guilty of a Class 4 misdemeanor.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":14354,"edition_id":1,"name":"Rights of Persons With Disabilities","identifier":"9","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12761,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:47:51","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:47:51","permalink":{"id":237089,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":14354,"identifier":"9","token":"51.5\/9","url":"\/51.5\/9\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12761,"edition_id":1,"name":"Persons With Disabilities","identifier":"51.5","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:51","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:51","permalink":{"id":236393,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12761,"identifier":"51.5","token":"51.5","url":"\/51.5\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":55888,"structure_id":14354,"section_number":"51.5-40","catch_line":"Nondiscrimination under state grants and programs","url":"\/51.5-40\/","token":"51.5\/9\/51.5-40","metadata":false},{"id":60539,"structure_id":14354,"section_number":"51.5-40.1","catch_line":"Definitions","url":"\/51.5-40.1\/","token":"51.5\/9\/51.5-40.1","metadata":false},{"id":73313,"structure_id":14354,"section_number":"51.5-41","catch_line":"Discrimination against otherwise qualified persons with disabilities by employers prohibited","url":"\/51.5-41\/","token":"51.5\/9\/51.5-41","metadata":false},{"id":55669,"structure_id":14354,"section_number":"51.5-42","catch_line":"Discrimination against otherwise qualified persons with disabilities by educational institutions prohibited","url":"\/51.5-42\/","token":"51.5\/9\/51.5-42","metadata":false},{"id":79150,"structure_id":14354,"section_number":"51.5-43","catch_line":"Discrimination against qualified persons with disabilities in exercising right to vote prohibited","url":"\/51.5-43\/","token":"51.5\/9\/51.5-43","metadata":false},{"id":58207,"structure_id":14354,"section_number":"51.5-44","catch_line":"Rights of persons with disabilities in public places and places of public accommodation","url":"\/51.5-44\/","token":"51.5\/9\/51.5-44","metadata":false},{"id":77660,"structure_id":14354,"section_number":"51.5-44.1","catch_line":"Fraudulent representation of a service dog or hearing dog; penalty","url":"\/51.5-44.1\/","token":"51.5\/9\/51.5-44.1","metadata":false},{"id":77113,"structure_id":14354,"section_number":"51.5-45","catch_line":"Right of persons with disabilities to housing accommodations","url":"\/51.5-45\/","token":"51.5\/9\/51.5-45","metadata":false},{"id":78152,"structure_id":14354,"section_number":"51.5-46","catch_line":"Remedies","url":"\/51.5-46\/","token":"51.5\/9\/51.5-46","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":58207,"structure_id":14354,"section_number":"51.5-44","catch_line":"Rights of persons with disabilities in public places and places of public accommodation","url":"\/51.5-44\/","token":"51.5\/9\/51.5-44","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":77113,"structure_id":14354,"section_number":"51.5-45","catch_line":"Right of persons with disabilities to housing accommodations","url":"\/51.5-45\/","token":"51.5\/9\/51.5-45","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/51.5-44.1\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 2016. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 575<\/a> 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.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":[{"id":58207,"section_number":"51.5-44","catch_line":"Rights of persons with disabilities in public places and places of public accommodation","order_by":null,"url":"\/51.5-44\/"}],"permalink":{"id":237115,"object_type":"law","relational_id":77660,"identifier":"51.5-44.1","token":"51.5\/9\/51.5-44.1","url":"\/51.5-44.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/51.5-44.1\/","token":"51.5\/9\/51.5-44.1","dublin_core":{"Title":"Fraudulent representation of a service dog or hearing dog; penalty","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 51.5-44.1","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

Any person who knowingly and willfully fits a dog with a harness, collar, vest, or sign, or uses an identification card commonly used by a person with a disability<\/span>, in order<\/span> to represent that the dog is a service dog<\/span> or hearing dog<\/span> to fraudulently gain public access for such dog pursuant to provisions in \u00a7 51.5-44<\/a> is guilty of a Class 4 misdemeanor<\/span>.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nFRAUDULENT REPRESENTATION OF A SERVICE DOG OR HEARING DOG; PENALTY (\u00a7\n51.5-44.1)\n\nAny person who knowingly and willfully fits a dog with a harness, collar, vest,\nor sign, or uses an identification card commonly used by a person with a\ndisability, in order to represent that the dog is a service dog or hearing dog\nto fraudulently gain public access for such dog pursuant to provisions in \u00a7\n51.5-44 is guilty of a Class 4 misdemeanor.\n\nHISTORY: 2016, c. 575.","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}}