{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/58.1-4123.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/58.1-4123.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/58.1-4123.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/58.1-4123.html"}],"law_id":55413,"edition_id":1,"section_id":55413,"structure_id":14215,"section_number":"58.1-4123","catch_line":"Local referendum required","history":"2020, cc. 1197, 1248; 2024, cc. 291, 798.","full_text":"A\n\nThe Department shall not grant any initial license to operate a gaming operation in an eligible host city until a referendum on the question of whether casino gaming shall be permitted in such city is approved by the voters of such city.B\n\nThe governing body of any city containing an eligible host city shall petition the court, by resolution, asking that a referendum be held on the question of whether casino gaming shall be permitted within the city. The court, by order entered of record in accordance with Article 5 (§ 24.2-681 et seq.) of Chapter 6 of Title 24.2, shall require the regular election officials of the city to open the polls and take the sense of the voters on the question as herein provided.C\n\nThe clerk of such court of record of such city shall publish notice of such election in a newspaper of general circulation in such city once a week for three consecutive weeks prior to such election.D\n\nThe regular election officers of such city shall open the polls at the various voting places in such city on the date specified in such order and conduct such election in the manner provided by law. The election shall be by ballot, which shall be prepared by the electoral board of the city and on which shall be printed the following question:\n\t\t\t“Shall casino gaming be permitted at a casino gaming establishment in (name of city and location) as may be approved by the Virginia Lottery Board?\n\t\t\t[ ] Yes\n\t\t\t[ ] No”\n\t\t\tIn the blank shall be inserted the name of the city in which such election is held and the proposed location of the casino gaming establishment. Any voter desiring to vote “Yes” shall mark in the square provided for such purpose immediately preceding the word “Yes,” leaving the square immediately preceding the word “No” unmarked. Any voter desiring to vote “No” shall mark in the square provided for such purpose immediately preceding the word “No,” leaving the square immediately preceding the word “Yes” unmarked.E\n\nThe ballots shall be counted, the returns made and canvassed as in other elections, and the results certified by the electoral board to the court ordering such election. Thereupon, such court shall enter an order proclaiming the results of such election and a duly certified copy of such order shall be transmitted to the Department and to the governing body of such city.F\n\nA subsequent local referendum shall be required if a license has not been granted by the Board within five years of the court order proclaiming the results of the election.G\n\nThe governing body of any eligible host city that holds a local referendum pursuant to this section that subsequently fails shall be prohibited from holding another local referendum on the same question for a period of three years from the date of the last referendum.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":203163,"text":"The Department shall not grant any initial license to operate a gaming operation in an eligible host city until a referendum on the question of whether casino gaming shall be permitted in such city is approved by the voters of such city.","type":"section","prefixes":["A"],"prefix":"A","entire_prefix":"A","prefix_anchor":"A","level":1,"next_prefix":"B"},"1":{"id":203164,"text":"The governing body of any city containing an eligible host city shall petition the court, by resolution, asking that a referendum be held on the question of whether casino gaming shall be permitted within the city. The court, by order entered of record in accordance with Article 5 (§ 24.2-681 et seq.) of Chapter 6 of Title 24.2, shall require the regular election officials of the city to open the polls and take the sense of the voters on the question as herein provided.","type":"section","prefixes":["B"],"prefix":"B","entire_prefix":"B","prefix_anchor":"B","level":1,"prior_prefix":"A","next_prefix":"C"},"2":{"id":203165,"text":"The clerk of such court of record of such city shall publish notice of such election in a newspaper of general circulation in such city once a week for three consecutive weeks prior to such election.","type":"section","prefixes":["C"],"prefix":"C","entire_prefix":"C","prefix_anchor":"C","level":1,"prior_prefix":"B","next_prefix":"D"},"3":{"id":203166,"text":"The regular election officers of such city shall open the polls at the various voting places in such city on the date specified in such order and conduct such election in the manner provided by law. The election shall be by ballot, which shall be prepared by the electoral board of the city and on which shall be printed the following question:\n\t\t\t“Shall casino gaming be permitted at a casino gaming establishment in (name of city and location) as may be approved by the Virginia Lottery Board?\n\t\t\t[ ] Yes\n\t\t\t[ ] No”\n\t\t\tIn the blank shall be inserted the name of the city in which such election is held and the proposed location of the casino gaming establishment. Any voter desiring to vote “Yes” shall mark in the square provided for such purpose immediately preceding the word “Yes,” leaving the square immediately preceding the word “No” unmarked. Any voter desiring to vote “No” shall mark in the square provided for such purpose immediately preceding the word “No,” leaving the square immediately preceding the word “Yes” unmarked.","type":"section","prefixes":["D"],"prefix":"D","entire_prefix":"D","prefix_anchor":"D","level":1,"prior_prefix":"C","next_prefix":"E"},"4":{"id":203167,"text":"The ballots shall be counted, the returns made and canvassed as in other elections, and the results certified by the electoral board to the court ordering such election. Thereupon, such court shall enter an order proclaiming the results of such election and a duly certified copy of such order shall be transmitted to the Department and to the governing body of such city.","type":"section","prefixes":["E"],"prefix":"E","entire_prefix":"E","prefix_anchor":"E","level":1,"prior_prefix":"D","next_prefix":"F"},"5":{"id":203168,"text":"A subsequent local referendum shall be required if a license has not been granted by the Board within five years of the court order proclaiming the results of the election.","type":"section","prefixes":["F"],"prefix":"F","entire_prefix":"F","prefix_anchor":"F","level":1,"prior_prefix":"E","next_prefix":"G"},"6":{"id":203169,"text":"The governing body of any eligible host city that holds a local referendum pursuant to this section that subsequently fails shall be prohibited from holding another local referendum on the same question for a period of three years from the date of the last referendum.","type":"section","prefixes":["G"],"prefix":"G","entire_prefix":"G","prefix_anchor":"G","level":1,"prior_prefix":"F"}},"ancestry":[{"id":14215,"edition_id":1,"name":"Local Referendum","identifier":"8","label":"article","depth":4,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13502,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:47:18","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:47:18","permalink":{"id":259505,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":14215,"identifier":"8","token":"58.1\/IV\/41\/8","url":"\/58.1\/IV\/41\/8\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13502,"edition_id":1,"name":"Casino Gaming","identifier":"41","label":"chapter","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13501,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:45:05","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:45:05","permalink":{"id":259321,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13502,"identifier":"41","token":"58.1\/IV\/41","url":"\/58.1\/IV\/41\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13501,"edition_id":1,"name":"Other Sources of State Revenue","identifier":"IV","label":"subtitle","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12703,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:45:05","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:45:05","permalink":{"id":259073,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13501,"identifier":"IV","token":"58.1\/IV","url":"\/58.1\/IV\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12703,"edition_id":1,"name":"Taxation","identifier":"58.1","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:49","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:49","permalink":{"id":251959,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12703,"identifier":"58.1","token":"58.1","url":"\/58.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":55413,"structure_id":14215,"section_number":"58.1-4123","catch_line":"Local referendum required","url":"\/58.1-4123\/","token":"58.1\/IV\/41\/8\/58.1-4123","metadata":false}],"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/58.1-4123\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 2020. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapters 1197<\/a> and 1248<\/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. It has been modified 1 time. 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. That modification is as follows: in 2024, chapters 291<\/a> and 798<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":65707,"section_number":"58.1-4107","catch_line":"Eligible host city; certification of preferred casino gaming operator","order_by":null,"url":"\/58.1-4107\/"},{"id":61549,"section_number":"58.1-4109","catch_line":"Submission of preferred casino gaming operator by eligible host city; application for operator's license; penalty","order_by":null,"url":"\/58.1-4109\/"}],"refers_to":[{"id":58078,"section_number":"24.2-681","catch_line":"How special elections superintended and determined","order_by":null,"url":"\/24.2-681\/"}],"permalink":{"id":259507,"object_type":"law","relational_id":55413,"identifier":"58.1-4123","token":"58.1\/IV\/41\/8\/58.1-4123","url":"\/58.1-4123\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/58.1-4123\/","token":"58.1\/IV\/41\/8\/58.1-4123","dublin_core":{"Title":"Local referendum required","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 58.1-4123","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

A.<\/span> The Department<\/span> shall not grant any initial license to operate a gaming operation<\/span> in an eligible host city<\/span> until a referendum<\/span> on the question of whether casino gaming<\/span> shall be permitted in such city is approved by the voters of such city. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

B.<\/span> The governing body of any city containing an eligible host city<\/span> shall petition<\/span> the court<\/span>, by resolution, asking that a referendum<\/span> be held on the question of whether casino gaming<\/span> shall be permitted within the city. The court<\/span>, by order<\/span> entered of record in accordance with Article 5 (§ 24.2-681<\/a> et seq.) of Chapter 6 of Title 24.2, shall require the regular election officials of the city to open the polls and take the sense of the voters on the question as herein provided. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

C.<\/span> The clerk of such court<\/span> of record of such city shall publish notice of such election in a newspaper of general circulation in such city once a week for three consecutive weeks prior to such election. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

D.<\/span> The regular election officers of such city shall open the polls at the various voting places in such city on the date specified in such order<\/span> and conduct such election in the manner provided by law<\/span>. The election shall be by ballot, which shall be prepared by the electoral board<\/span> of the city and on which shall be printed the following question:\n\t\t\t“Shall casino gaming be permitted at a casino gaming establishment<\/span> in (name of city and location) as may be approved by the Virginia Lottery Board<\/span>?\n\t\t\t[ ] Yes\n\t\t\t[ ] No”\n\t\t\tIn the blank shall be inserted the name of the city in which such election is held and the proposed location of the casino gaming establishment<\/span>. Any voter desiring to vote “Yes” shall mark in the square provided for such purpose immediately preceding the word “Yes,” leaving the square immediately preceding the word “No” unmarked. Any voter desiring to vote “No” shall mark in the square provided for such purpose immediately preceding the word “No,” leaving the square immediately preceding the word “Yes” unmarked. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

E.<\/span> The ballots shall be counted, the returns made and canvassed as in other elections, and the results certified by the electoral board<\/span> to the court<\/span> ordering such election. Thereupon, such court<\/span> shall enter an order<\/span> proclaiming the results of such election and a duly certified copy of such order<\/span> shall be transmitted to the Department<\/span> and to the governing body of such city. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

F.<\/span> A subsequent local referendum<\/span> shall be required if a license has not been granted by the Board<\/span> within five years of the court order<\/span> proclaiming the results of the election. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

G.<\/span> The governing body of any eligible host city<\/span> that holds a local referendum<\/span> pursuant to this section that subsequently fails shall be prohibited from holding another local referendum<\/span> on the same question for a period of three years from the date of the last referendum<\/span>. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nLOCAL REFERENDUM REQUIRED (\u00a7 58.1-4123)\n\nA. The Department shall not grant any initial license to operate a gaming\noperation in an eligible host city until a referendum on the question of whether\ncasino gaming shall be permitted in such city is approved by the voters of such\ncity.\n\nB. The governing body of any city containing an eligible host city shall\npetition the court, by resolution, asking that a referendum be held on the\nquestion of whether casino gaming shall be permitted within the city. The court,\nby order entered of record in accordance with Article 5 (§ 24.2-681 et\nseq.) of Chapter 6 of Title 24.2, shall require the regular election officials\nof the city to open the polls and take the sense of the voters on the question\nas herein provided.\n\nC. The clerk of such court of record of such city shall publish notice of such\nelection in a newspaper of general circulation in such city once a week for\nthree consecutive weeks prior to such election.\n\nD. The regular election officers of such city shall open the polls at the\nvarious voting places in such city on the date specified in such order and\nconduct such election in the manner provided by law. The election shall be by\nballot, which shall be prepared by the electoral board of the city and on which\nshall be printed the following question:\n\t\t\t“Shall casino gaming be permitted at a casino gaming establishment in \n(name of city and location) as may be approved by the Virginia Lottery Board?\n\t\t\t[ ] Yes\n\t\t\t[ ] No”\n\t\t\tIn the blank shall be inserted the name of the city in which such election is\nheld and the proposed location of the casino gaming establishment. Any voter\ndesiring to vote “Yes” shall mark in the square provided for such\npurpose immediately preceding the word “Yes,” leaving the square\nimmediately preceding the word “No” unmarked. Any voter desiring to\nvote “No” shall mark in the square provided for such purpose\nimmediately preceding the word “No,” leaving the square immediately\npreceding the word “Yes” unmarked.\n\nE. The ballots shall be counted, the returns made and canvassed as in other\nelections, and the results certified by the electoral board to the court\nordering such election. Thereupon, such court shall enter an order proclaiming\nthe results of such election and a duly certified copy of such order shall be\ntransmitted to the Department and to the governing body of such city.\n\nF. A subsequent local referendum shall be required if a license has not been\ngranted by the Board within five years of the court order proclaiming the\nresults of the election.\n\nG. The governing body of any eligible host city that holds a local referendum\npursuant to this section that subsequently fails shall be prohibited from\nholding another local referendum on the same question for a period of three\nyears from the date of the last referendum.\n\nHISTORY: 2020, cc. 1197, 1248; 2024, cc. 291, 798.","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}}