{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/62.1-194.1.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/62.1-194.1.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/62.1-194.1.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/62.1-194.1.html"}],"law_id":72173,"edition_id":1,"section_id":72173,"structure_id":14003,"section_number":"62.1-194.1","catch_line":"Obstructing or contaminating state waters","history":"1968, c. 659; 2007, c. 26.","full_text":"A\n\nExcept as otherwise permitted by law, it shall be unlawful for any person to dump, place or put, or cause to be dumped, placed or put into, upon the banks of or into the channels of any state waters any object or substance, noxious or otherwise, which may reasonably be expected to endanger, obstruct, impede, contaminate or substantially impair the lawful use or enjoyment of such waters and their environs by others. Any person who violates any provision of this law shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. Each day that any of said materials or substances so dumped, placed or put, or caused to be dumped, placed or put into, upon the banks of or into the channels of, said streams shall constitute a separate offense and be punished as such.B\n\nIn addition to the foregoing penalties for violation of this law, the judge of the circuit court of the locality wherein any such violation occurs, whether there be a criminal conviction therefor or not shall, upon a complaint filed by the attorney of such locality or by any person whose property is damaged or whose property is threatened with damage from any such violation, award an injunction enjoining any violation of this law by any person found by the court in such suit to have violated this law or causing the same to be violated, when made a party defendant to such suit.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":260003,"text":"Except as otherwise permitted by law, it shall be unlawful for any person to dump, place or put, or cause to be dumped, placed or put into, upon the banks of or into the channels of any state waters any object or substance, noxious or otherwise, which may reasonably be expected to endanger, obstruct, impede, contaminate or substantially impair the lawful use or enjoyment of such waters and their environs by others. Any person who violates any provision of this law shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. Each day that any of said materials or substances so dumped, placed or put, or caused to be dumped, placed or put into, upon the banks of or into the channels of, said streams shall constitute a separate offense and be punished as such.","type":"section","prefixes":["A"],"prefix":"A","entire_prefix":"A","prefix_anchor":"A","level":1,"next_prefix":"B"},"1":{"id":260004,"text":"In addition to the foregoing penalties for violation of this law, the judge of the circuit court of the locality wherein any such violation occurs, whether there be a criminal conviction therefor or not shall, upon a complaint filed by the attorney of such locality or by any person whose property is damaged or whose property is threatened with damage from any such violation, award an injunction enjoining any violation of this law by any person found by the court in such suit to have violated this law or causing the same to be violated, when made a party defendant to such suit.","type":"section","prefixes":["B"],"prefix":"B","entire_prefix":"B","prefix_anchor":"B","level":1,"prior_prefix":"A"}},"ancestry":[{"id":14003,"edition_id":1,"name":"Miscellaneous Offenses","identifier":"20","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12909,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:46:34","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:46:34","permalink":{"id":268627,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":14003,"identifier":"20","token":"62.1\/20","url":"\/62.1\/20\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12909,"edition_id":1,"name":"Waters of the State, Ports and Harbors","identifier":"62.1","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:00","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:00","permalink":{"id":268199,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12909,"identifier":"62.1","token":"62.1","url":"\/62.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":83807,"structure_id":14003,"section_number":"62.1-194","catch_line":"Casting garbage, etc., into waters","url":"\/62.1-194\/","token":"62.1\/20\/62.1-194","metadata":false},{"id":72173,"structure_id":14003,"section_number":"62.1-194.1","catch_line":"Obstructing or contaminating state waters","url":"\/62.1-194.1\/","token":"62.1\/20\/62.1-194.1","metadata":false},{"id":86276,"structure_id":14003,"section_number":"62.1-194.1:1","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/62.1-194.1_1\/","token":"62.1\/20\/62.1-194.1_1","metadata":false},{"id":58267,"structure_id":14003,"section_number":"62.1-194.2","catch_line":"Throwing trash, etc., into or obstructing river, creek, stream or swamp","url":"\/62.1-194.2\/","token":"62.1\/20\/62.1-194.2","metadata":false},{"id":84619,"structure_id":14003,"section_number":"62.1-194.3","catch_line":"Obstructing tributaries of Big Sandy River; dumping refuse, etc., into Big Sandy River or its tributaries","url":"\/62.1-194.3\/","token":"62.1\/20\/62.1-194.3","metadata":false},{"id":72974,"structure_id":14003,"section_number":"62.1-195","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/62.1-195\/","token":"62.1\/20\/62.1-195","metadata":false},{"id":80747,"structure_id":14003,"section_number":"62.1-195.1","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/62.1-195.1\/","token":"62.1\/20\/62.1-195.1","metadata":false},{"id":57166,"structure_id":14003,"section_number":"62.1-195.2","catch_line":"Expired","url":"\/62.1-195.2\/","token":"62.1\/20\/62.1-195.2","metadata":false},{"id":55087,"structure_id":14003,"section_number":"62.1-195.3","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/62.1-195.3\/","token":"62.1\/20\/62.1-195.3","metadata":false},{"id":85791,"structure_id":14003,"section_number":"62.1-196","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/62.1-196\/","token":"62.1\/20\/62.1-196","metadata":false},{"id":66533,"structure_id":14003,"section_number":"62.1-196.1","catch_line":"Prohibiting high-PAH pavement sealants; civil penalty","url":"\/62.1-196.1\/","token":"62.1\/20\/62.1-196.1","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":83807,"structure_id":14003,"section_number":"62.1-194","catch_line":"Casting garbage, etc., into waters","url":"\/62.1-194\/","token":"62.1\/20\/62.1-194","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":86276,"structure_id":14003,"section_number":"62.1-194.1:1","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/62.1-194.1_1\/","token":"62.1\/20\/62.1-194.1_1","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/62.1-194.1\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 1968. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 659 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 1968 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online. 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 2007, chapter 26<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":71434,"section_number":"19.2-8","catch_line":"Limitation of prosecutions","order_by":null,"url":"\/19.2-8\/"}],"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":268633,"object_type":"law","relational_id":72173,"identifier":"62.1-194.1","token":"62.1\/20\/62.1-194.1","url":"\/62.1-194.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/62.1-194.1\/","token":"62.1\/20\/62.1-194.1","dublin_core":{"Title":"Obstructing or contaminating state waters","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 62.1-194.1","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

A.<\/span> Except as otherwise permitted by law<\/span>, it shall be unlawful for any person to dump, place or put, or cause to be dumped, placed or put into, upon the banks of or into the channels of any state waters any object<\/span> or substance, noxious or otherwise, which may reasonably be expected to endanger, obstruct, impede, contaminate or substantially impair the lawful use or enjoyment of such waters and their environs by others. Any person who violates any provision of this law<\/span> shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor<\/span>. Each day that any of said materials<\/span> or substances so dumped, placed or put, or caused to be dumped, placed or put into, upon the banks of or into the channels of, said streams shall constitute a separate offense<\/span> and be punished as such. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

B.<\/span> In addition to the foregoing penalties for violation of this law<\/span>, the judge<\/span> of the circuit<\/span> court<\/span> of the locality wherein any such violation occurs, whether there be a criminal conviction<\/span> therefor or not shall, upon a complaint filed by the attorney of such locality or by any person whose property is damaged or whose property is threatened with damage from any such violation, award an injunction<\/span> enjoining any violation of this law<\/span> by any person found by the court<\/span> in such suit to have violated this law<\/span> or causing the same to be violated, when made a party<\/span> defendant<\/span> to such suit. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nOBSTRUCTING OR CONTAMINATING STATE WATERS (\u00a7 62.1-194.1)\n\nA. Except as otherwise permitted by law, it shall be unlawful for any person to\ndump, place or put, or cause to be dumped, placed or put into, upon the banks of\nor into the channels of any state waters any object or substance, noxious or\notherwise, which may reasonably be expected to endanger, obstruct, impede,\ncontaminate or substantially impair the lawful use or enjoyment of such waters\nand their environs by others. Any person who violates any provision of this law\nshall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. Each day that any of said materials or\nsubstances so dumped, placed or put, or caused to be dumped, placed or put into,\nupon the banks of or into the channels of, said streams shall constitute a\nseparate offense and be punished as such.\n\nB. In addition to the foregoing penalties for violation of this law, the judge\nof the circuit court of the locality wherein any such violation occurs, whether\nthere be a criminal conviction therefor or not shall, upon a complaint filed by\nthe attorney of such locality or by any person whose property is damaged or\nwhose property is threatened with damage from any such violation, award an\ninjunction enjoining any violation of this law by any person found by the court\nin such suit to have violated this law or causing the same to be violated, when\nmade a party defendant to such suit.\n\nHISTORY: 1968, c. 659; 2007, c. 26.","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}}