{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/54.1-1506.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/54.1-1506.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/54.1-1506.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/54.1-1506.html"}],"law_id":79147,"edition_id":1,"section_id":79147,"structure_id":15960,"section_number":"54.1-1506","catch_line":"Exemptions","history":"1954, c. 237, \u00a7\u00a7 54-398.1, 54-398.3; 1974, c. 534; 1988, c. 765, \u00a7 54.1-1701; 2002, c. 740; 2012, cc. 803, 835.","full_text":"The provisions of this chapter shall not apply to:\n\n1\n\nAny licensed physician or licensed optometrist;2\n\nAny individual, partnership, or corporation engaged in supplying ophthalmic prescriptions and supplies exclusively to licensed physicians, licensed optometrists, licensed opticians, or optical scientists;3\n\nAny person who does not hold himself out to the public as an “optician,” and who works exclusively under the direct supervision and control of a licensed physician or licensed optometrist or licensed optician, and in the same location;4\n\nThe sale of spectacles, eyeglasses, magnifying glasses, goggles, sunglasses, telescopes, or binoculars that are completely preassembled and sold as merchandise; or5\n\nAny optician who (i) does not regularly practice in Virginia; (ii) holds a current valid license or certificate to practice as an optician in another state, territory, district, or possession of the United States; (iii) volunteers to provide free health care to an underserved area of the Commonwealth under the auspices of a publicly supported all volunteer, nonprofit organization with no paid employees that sponsors the provision of health care to populations of underserved people throughout the world; (iv) files a copy of the license or certificate issued in such other jurisdiction with the Board; (v) notifies the Board, within 15 days prior to the voluntary provision of services of the dates and location of such services; and (vi) acknowledges, in writing, that such licensure exemption shall only be valid, in compliance with the Board’s regulations, during the limited period that such free health care is made available through the volunteer, nonprofit organization on the dates and at the location filed with the Board.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":283444,"text":"The provisions of this chapter shall not apply to:","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"next_prefix":"1"},"1":{"id":283445,"text":"Any licensed physician or licensed optometrist;","type":"section","prefixes":["1"],"prefix":"1","entire_prefix":"1","prefix_anchor":"1","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":"2"},"2":{"id":283446,"text":"Any individual, partnership, or corporation engaged in supplying ophthalmic prescriptions and supplies exclusively to licensed physicians, licensed optometrists, licensed opticians, or optical scientists;","type":"section","prefixes":["2"],"prefix":"2","entire_prefix":"2","prefix_anchor":"2","level":1,"prior_prefix":"1","next_prefix":"3"},"3":{"id":283447,"text":"Any person who does not hold himself out to the public as an “optician,” and who works exclusively under the direct supervision and control of a licensed physician or licensed optometrist or licensed optician, and in the same location;","type":"section","prefixes":["3"],"prefix":"3","entire_prefix":"3","prefix_anchor":"3","level":1,"prior_prefix":"2","next_prefix":"4"},"4":{"id":283448,"text":"The sale of spectacles, eyeglasses, magnifying glasses, goggles, sunglasses, telescopes, or binoculars that are completely preassembled and sold as merchandise; or","type":"section","prefixes":["4"],"prefix":"4","entire_prefix":"4","prefix_anchor":"4","level":1,"prior_prefix":"3","next_prefix":"5"},"5":{"id":283449,"text":"Any optician who (i) does not regularly practice in Virginia; (ii) holds a current valid license or certificate to practice as an optician in another state, territory, district, or possession of the United States; (iii) volunteers to provide free health care to an underserved area of the Commonwealth under the auspices of a publicly supported all volunteer, nonprofit organization with no paid employees that sponsors the provision of health care to populations of underserved people throughout the world; (iv) files a copy of the license or certificate issued in such other jurisdiction with the Board; (v) notifies the Board, within 15 days prior to the voluntary provision of services of the dates and location of such services; and (vi) acknowledges, in writing, that such licensure exemption shall only be valid, in compliance with the Board’s regulations, during the limited period that such free health care is made available through the volunteer, nonprofit organization on the dates and at the location filed with the Board.","type":"section","prefixes":["5"],"prefix":"5","entire_prefix":"5","prefix_anchor":"5","level":1,"prior_prefix":"4"}},"ancestry":[{"id":15960,"edition_id":1,"name":"Opticians","identifier":"3","label":"article","depth":4,"order_by":1,"parent_id":15356,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 04:02:43","date_modified":"2026-06-26 04:02:43","permalink":{"id":239713,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":15960,"identifier":"3","token":"54.1\/II\/15\/3","url":"\/54.1\/II\/15\/3\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":15356,"edition_id":1,"name":"Hearing Aid Specialists and Opticians","identifier":"15","label":"chapter","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12755,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:54:13","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:54:13","permalink":{"id":239679,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":15356,"identifier":"15","token":"54.1\/II\/15","url":"\/54.1\/II\/15\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12755,"edition_id":1,"name":"Professions and Occupations Regulated by the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation and Boards Within the Department","identifier":"II","label":"subtitle","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12754,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:51","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:51","permalink":{"id":239415,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12755,"identifier":"II","token":"54.1\/II","url":"\/54.1\/II\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12754,"edition_id":1,"name":"Professions and Occupations","identifier":"54.1","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":239313,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12754,"identifier":"54.1","token":"54.1","url":"\/54.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":79147,"structure_id":15960,"section_number":"54.1-1506","catch_line":"Exemptions","url":"\/54.1-1506\/","token":"54.1\/II\/15\/3\/54.1-1506","metadata":false},{"id":83029,"structure_id":15960,"section_number":"54.1-1507","catch_line":"Practice of opticians restricted","url":"\/54.1-1507\/","token":"54.1\/II\/15\/3\/54.1-1507","metadata":false},{"id":62158,"structure_id":15960,"section_number":"54.1-1508","catch_line":"Optical prescriptions, ocular refraction, etc","url":"\/54.1-1508\/","token":"54.1\/II\/15\/3\/54.1-1508","metadata":false},{"id":81627,"structure_id":15960,"section_number":"54.1-1509","catch_line":"Permissible practices","url":"\/54.1-1509\/","token":"54.1\/II\/15\/3\/54.1-1509","metadata":false}],"next_section":{"id":83029,"structure_id":15960,"section_number":"54.1-1507","catch_line":"Practice of opticians restricted","url":"\/54.1-1507\/","token":"54.1\/II\/15\/3\/54.1-1507","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/54.1-1506\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 1954. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 237 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 1954 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online. It has been modified 4 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 1974, chapter 534; in 1988, chapter 765; in 2002, chapter 740<\/a>; in 2012, chapters 803<\/a> and 835<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":63567,"section_number":"54.1-1500","catch_line":"Definitions","order_by":null,"url":"\/54.1-1500\/"}],"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":239715,"object_type":"law","relational_id":79147,"identifier":"54.1-1506","token":"54.1\/II\/15\/3\/54.1-1506","url":"\/54.1-1506\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/54.1-1506\/","token":"54.1\/II\/15\/3\/54.1-1506","dublin_core":{"Title":"Exemptions","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 54.1-1506","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

The provisions of this chapter shall not apply to:<\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

1.<\/span> Any licensed physician<\/span> or licensed optometrist<\/span>; <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

2.<\/span> Any individual, partnership, or corporation engaged in supplying ophthalmic prescriptions and supplies exclusively to licensed physicians<\/span>, licensed optometrists<\/span>, licensed opticians<\/span>, or optical scientists; <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

3.<\/span> Any person who does not hold himself out to the public as an “optician,” and who works exclusively under the direct supervision and control of a licensed physician<\/span> or licensed optometrist<\/span> or licensed optician<\/span>, and in the same location; <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

4.<\/span> The sale<\/span> of spectacles, eyeglasses, magnifying glasses, goggles, sunglasses, telescopes, or binoculars that are completely preassembled and sold as merchandise; or <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

5.<\/span> Any optician who (i) does not regularly practice in Virginia; (ii) holds a current valid license or certificate to practice as an optician in another state, territory, district, or possession<\/span> of the United States; (iii) volunteers to provide free health care to an underserved area of the Commonwealth under the auspices of a publicly supported all volunteer, nonprofit organization with no paid employees that sponsors the provision of health care to populations of underserved people throughout the world; (iv) files a copy of the license or certificate issued in such other jurisdiction<\/span> with the Board<\/span>; (v) notifies the Board<\/span>, within 15 days prior to the voluntary provision of services of the dates and location of such services; and (vi) acknowledges, in writing, that such licensure exemption shall only be valid, in compliance with the Board<\/span>’s regulations, during the limited period that such free health care is made available through the volunteer, nonprofit organization on the dates and at the location filed with the Board<\/span>. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nEXEMPTIONS (\u00a7 54.1-1506)\n\nThe provisions of this chapter shall not apply to:\n\n1. Any licensed physician or licensed optometrist;\n\n2. Any individual, partnership, or corporation engaged in supplying ophthalmic\nprescriptions and supplies exclusively to licensed physicians, licensed\noptometrists, licensed opticians, or optical scientists;\n\n3. Any person who does not hold himself out to the public as an\n“optician,” and who works exclusively under the direct supervision\nand control of a licensed physician or licensed optometrist or licensed\noptician, and in the same location;\n\n4. The sale of spectacles, eyeglasses, magnifying glasses, goggles, sunglasses,\ntelescopes, or binoculars that are completely preassembled and sold as\nmerchandise; or\n\n5. Any optician who (i) does not regularly practice in Virginia; (ii) holds a\ncurrent valid license or certificate to practice as an optician in another\nstate, territory, district, or possession of the United States; (iii) volunteers\nto provide free health care to an underserved area of the Commonwealth under the\nauspices of a publicly supported all volunteer, nonprofit organization with no\npaid employees that sponsors the provision of health care to populations of\nunderserved people throughout the world; (iv) files a copy of the license or\ncertificate issued in such other jurisdiction with the Board; (v) notifies the\nBoard, within 15 days prior to the voluntary provision of services of the dates\nand location of such services; and (vi) acknowledges, in writing, that such\nlicensure exemption shall only be valid, in compliance with the Board’s\nregulations, during the limited period that such free health care is made\navailable through the volunteer, nonprofit organization on the dates and at the\nlocation filed with the Board.\n\nHISTORY: 1954, c. 237, \u00a7\u00a7 54-398.1, 54-398.3; 1974, c. 534; 1988, c. 765, \u00a7\n54.1-1701; 2002, c. 740; 2012, cc. 803, 835.","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}}