{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/62.1-254.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/62.1-254.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/62.1-254.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/62.1-254.html"}],"law_id":66154,"edition_id":1,"section_id":66154,"structure_id":13595,"section_number":"62.1-254","catch_line":"Findings and purpose","history":"1992, c. 812.","full_text":"The General Assembly hereby determines and finds that, pursuant to the Groundwater Act of 1973, the continued, unrestricted usage of ground water is contributing and will contribute to pollution and shortage of ground water, thereby jeopardizing the public welfare, safety and health. It is the purpose of this Act to recognize and declare that the right to reasonable control of all ground water resources within this Commonwealth belongs to the public and that in order to conserve, protect and beneficially utilize the ground water of this Commonwealth and to ensure the public welfare, safety and health, provision for management and control of ground water resources is essential.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":240305,"text":"The General Assembly hereby determines and finds that, pursuant to the Groundwater Act of 1973, the continued, unrestricted usage of ground water is contributing and will contribute to pollution and shortage of ground water, thereby jeopardizing the public welfare, safety and health. It is the purpose of this Act to recognize and declare that the right to reasonable control of all ground water resources within this Commonwealth belongs to the public and that in order to conserve, protect and beneficially utilize the ground water of this Commonwealth and to ensure the public welfare, safety and health, provision for management and control of ground water resources is essential.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":13595,"edition_id":1,"name":"Ground Water Management Act of 1992","identifier":"25","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12909,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:45:20","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:45:20","permalink":{"id":269039,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13595,"identifier":"25","token":"62.1\/25","url":"\/62.1\/25\/","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":66154,"structure_id":13595,"section_number":"62.1-254","catch_line":"Findings and purpose","url":"\/62.1-254\/","token":"62.1\/25\/62.1-254","metadata":false},{"id":79593,"structure_id":13595,"section_number":"62.1-255","catch_line":"Definitions","url":"\/62.1-255\/","token":"62.1\/25\/62.1-255","metadata":false},{"id":61205,"structure_id":13595,"section_number":"62.1-255.1","catch_line":"Certified mail; subsequent mail or notices may be sent by regular mail","url":"\/62.1-255.1\/","token":"62.1\/25\/62.1-255.1","metadata":false},{"id":78244,"structure_id":13595,"section_number":"62.1-256","catch_line":" Duties of Board","url":"\/62.1-256\/","token":"62.1\/25\/62.1-256","metadata":false},{"id":66336,"structure_id":13595,"section_number":"62.1-256.1","catch_line":"Expired","url":"\/62.1-256.1\/","token":"62.1\/25\/62.1-256.1","metadata":false},{"id":81341,"structure_id":13595,"section_number":"62.1-256.2","catch_line":"(Expires July 1, 2030) Eastern Virginia Groundwater Management Advisory Committee established; sunset","url":"\/62.1-256.2\/","token":"62.1\/25\/62.1-256.2","metadata":false},{"id":84825,"structure_id":13595,"section_number":"62.1-257","catch_line":"When Board may initiate a ground water management area study proceeding; hearing required","url":"\/62.1-257\/","token":"62.1\/25\/62.1-257","metadata":false},{"id":78237,"structure_id":13595,"section_number":"62.1-258","catch_line":"Use of ground water in ground water management area; registration of well construction required","url":"\/62.1-258\/","token":"62.1\/25\/62.1-258","metadata":false},{"id":84483,"structure_id":13595,"section_number":"62.1-258.1","catch_line":"Irrigation wells for nonagricultural use prohibited; exceptions","url":"\/62.1-258.1\/","token":"62.1\/25\/62.1-258.1","metadata":false},{"id":85111,"structure_id":13595,"section_number":"62.1-259","catch_line":" Certain withdrawals; permit not required","url":"\/62.1-259\/","token":"62.1\/25\/62.1-259","metadata":false},{"id":60711,"structure_id":13595,"section_number":"62.1-259.1","catch_line":"Certain withdrawals; technical evaluation required","url":"\/62.1-259.1\/","token":"62.1\/25\/62.1-259.1","metadata":false},{"id":63995,"structure_id":13595,"section_number":"62.1-260","catch_line":"Permits for existing ground water withdrawals in existing ground water management areas","url":"\/62.1-260\/","token":"62.1\/25\/62.1-260","metadata":false},{"id":74245,"structure_id":13595,"section_number":"62.1-261","catch_line":"Permits for existing ground water withdrawals in newly established ground water management areas","url":"\/62.1-261\/","token":"62.1\/25\/62.1-261","metadata":false},{"id":70026,"structure_id":13595,"section_number":"62.1-262","catch_line":"(For contingent effective date, see Acts 2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 100) Permits for other ground water withdrawals","url":"\/62.1-262\/","token":"62.1\/25\/62.1-262","metadata":false},{"id":83090,"structure_id":13595,"section_number":"62.1-262.1","catch_line":"Permits for withdrawals from Eastern Shore Groundwater Management Area","url":"\/62.1-262.1\/","token":"62.1\/25\/62.1-262.1","metadata":false},{"id":77402,"structure_id":13595,"section_number":"62.1-262.2","catch_line":"Permits for certain ground water withdrawals in Eastern Virginia Groundwater Management Area","url":"\/62.1-262.2\/","token":"62.1\/25\/62.1-262.2","metadata":false},{"id":74151,"structure_id":13595,"section_number":"62.1-263","catch_line":"Criteria for issuance of permits","url":"\/62.1-263\/","token":"62.1\/25\/62.1-263","metadata":false},{"id":66178,"structure_id":13595,"section_number":"62.1-263.1","catch_line":"Permit rationale","url":"\/62.1-263.1\/","token":"62.1\/25\/62.1-263.1","metadata":false},{"id":80966,"structure_id":13595,"section_number":"62.1-264","catch_line":"Permits for public water supplies","url":"\/62.1-264\/","token":"62.1\/25\/62.1-264","metadata":false},{"id":60586,"structure_id":13595,"section_number":"62.1-265","catch_line":"Drought relief wells","url":"\/62.1-265\/","token":"62.1\/25\/62.1-265","metadata":false},{"id":62679,"structure_id":13595,"section_number":"62.1-266","catch_line":"Ground water withdrawal permits","url":"\/62.1-266\/","token":"62.1\/25\/62.1-266","metadata":false},{"id":76472,"structure_id":13595,"section_number":"62.1-267","catch_line":"Issuance of special exceptions","url":"\/62.1-267\/","token":"62.1\/25\/62.1-267","metadata":false},{"id":79539,"structure_id":13595,"section_number":"62.1-268","catch_line":"Issuance of special orders","url":"\/62.1-268\/","token":"62.1\/25\/62.1-268","metadata":false},{"id":78604,"structure_id":13595,"section_number":"62.1-269","catch_line":"Enforcement by injunction, etc","url":"\/62.1-269\/","token":"62.1\/25\/62.1-269","metadata":false},{"id":54563,"structure_id":13595,"section_number":"62.1-270","catch_line":"Penalties","url":"\/62.1-270\/","token":"62.1\/25\/62.1-270","metadata":false}],"next_section":{"id":79593,"structure_id":13595,"section_number":"62.1-255","catch_line":"Definitions","url":"\/62.1-255\/","token":"62.1\/25\/62.1-255","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/62.1-254\/","history_text":"<p>This law was first created in 1992. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 812 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 1992 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online.<\/p>","references":[{"id":78729,"section_number":"2.2-4006","catch_line":"Exemptions from requirements of this article","order_by":null,"url":"\/2.2-4006\/"},{"id":55823,"section_number":"45.2-1647","catch_line":" Hydraulic fracturing; groundwater management area","order_by":null,"url":"\/45.2-1647\/"},{"id":76136,"section_number":"62.1-239.1","catch_line":"Loans, loan subsidies, and grants for regional projects, etc","order_by":null,"url":"\/62.1-239.1\/"},{"id":68522,"section_number":"62.1-44.15:6","catch_line":"Permit fee regulations","order_by":null,"url":"\/62.1-44.15_6\/"},{"id":72071,"section_number":"62.1-44.15:7","catch_line":"Permit Program Fund established; use of moneys","order_by":null,"url":"\/62.1-44.15_7\/"}],"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":269041,"object_type":"law","relational_id":66154,"identifier":"62.1-254","token":"62.1\/25\/62.1-254","url":"\/62.1-254\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/62.1-254\/","token":"62.1\/25\/62.1-254","dublin_core":{"Title":"Findings and purpose","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 62.1-254","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section><p>The General Assembly hereby determines and finds that, pursuant to the Groundwater Act of 1973, the continued, unrestricted usage of <span class=\"dictionary\">ground water<\/span> is contributing and will contribute to pollution and shortage of <span class=\"dictionary\">ground water<\/span>, thereby jeopardizing the public welfare, safety and health. It is the purpose of this Act to recognize and declare that the right to reasonable control of all <span class=\"dictionary\">ground water<\/span> resources within this Commonwealth belongs to the public and that in <span class=\"dictionary\">order<\/span> to conserve, protect and beneficially utilize the <span class=\"dictionary\">ground water<\/span> of this Commonwealth and to ensure the public welfare, safety and health, provision for management and control of <span class=\"dictionary\">ground water<\/span> resources is essential.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":"                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nFINDINGS AND PURPOSE (\u00a7 62.1-254)\n\nThe General Assembly hereby determines and finds that, pursuant to the\nGroundwater Act of 1973, the continued, unrestricted usage of ground water is\ncontributing and will contribute to pollution and shortage of ground water,\nthereby jeopardizing the public welfare, safety and health. It is the purpose of\nthis Act to recognize and declare that the right to reasonable control of all\nground water resources within this Commonwealth belongs to the public and that\nin order to conserve, protect and beneficially utilize the ground water of this\nCommonwealth and to ensure the public welfare, safety and health, provision for\nmanagement and control of ground water resources is essential.\n\nHISTORY: 1992, c. 812.","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}}