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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>63592</law_id><section_number>15.2-1522</section_number><catch_line>When and how officers qualify</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>15.2-1400</reference><reference>15.2-1603</reference><reference>24.2-229</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="15.2">Counties, Cities and Towns</unit><unit label="subtitle" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="II">Powers of Local Government</unit><unit label="chapter" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="15">Local Government Personnel, Qualification for Office, Bonds, Dual Office Holding and Certain Local Government Officers</unit><unit label="article" level="4" order_by="1" identifier="4">Qualifications; Eligibility, Etc., of Local Elected Officers</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>Notwithstanding the provisions of any <span class="dictionary">local government</span> charter, or any other provision of <span class="dictionary">law</span>, every elected <span class="dictionary">county</span>, <span class="dictionary">city</span>, <span class="dictionary">town</span> and district officer, on or before the day on which his term of office begins, shall qualify by taking the <span class="dictionary">oath</span> prescribed by &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Form of general oath required of officers" href="/49-1/">49-1</a> and give the <span class="dictionary">bond</span>, if any, required by <span class="dictionary">law</span>, before the <span class="dictionary">circuit</span> <span class="dictionary">court</span> for the <span class="dictionary">county</span> or <span class="dictionary">city</span>, having <span class="dictionary">jurisdiction</span> in the <span class="dictionary">county</span>, <span class="dictionary">city</span>, <span class="dictionary">town</span> or district for which he is elected or appointed, or before the clerk of the <span class="dictionary">circuit</span> <span class="dictionary">court</span> for such <span class="dictionary">county</span>, <span class="dictionary">city</span>, <span class="dictionary">town</span> or district. However, members of governing bodies and elected school boards may qualify up to and including the day of the initial meeting of the new <span class="dictionary">governing body</span> or elected school board.
		Any such <span class="dictionary">oath</span> of <span class="dictionary">town</span> <span class="dictionary">council</span> members, <span class="dictionary">town</span> mayors or members of Boards of Supervisors may be taken before any officer authorized by <span class="dictionary">law</span> to administer <span class="dictionary">oaths</span>. Such <span class="dictionary">oath</span> shall be returned to the clerk of the <span class="dictionary">council</span> of the <span class="dictionary">town</span>, who shall enter the same record on the minute book of the <span class="dictionary">council</span>, or, for members of the <span class="dictionary">Board of Supervisors</span>, returned to the clerk of the <span class="dictionary">circuit</span> <span class="dictionary">court</span> having <span class="dictionary">jurisdiction</span> in the <span class="dictionary">county</span> for which he is elected or appointed, who shall record the same in the <span class="dictionary">order</span> book, on the <span class="dictionary">law</span> side thereof.
		Whenever an officer required to give <span class="dictionary">bond</span> is included in a blanket <span class="dictionary">surety</span> <span class="dictionary">bond</span> authorized by &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Blanket surety bond plan for state and local employees" href="/2.2-1840/">2.2-1840</a>, such officer shall furnish confirmation by the Division of Risk Management of the inclusion of the officer on such blanket <span class="dictionary">surety</span> <span class="dictionary">bond</span> and the amount of the coverage, which shall be the equivalent of giving the <span class="dictionary">bond</span> for purposes of qualification.
		An appointed officer as used in this article means a person appointed to temporarily fill an elected position. District officer as used in this article means a person elected by the people other than national and statewide officers and members of the General Assembly.</p></section></text><history>Code 1950, &#xA7; 15-475; 1962, c. 623, &#xA7; 15.1-38; 1972, c. 549; 1979, c. 643; 1993, c. 329; 1996, c. 167; 1997, c.; 2000, c. 293; 2017, c. 598; 2025, cc. 416, 424.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
