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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>54447</law_id><section_number>15.2-1716.1</section_number><catch_line>Reimbursement of expenses incurred in responding to terrorism hoax incident, bomb threat, or malicious activation of fire alarm</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>46.2-417</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="17">Police and Public Order</unit><unit label="article" level="4" order_by="1" identifier="1">General Provisions</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>Any <span class="dictionary">locality</span> may provide by <span class="dictionary">ordinance</span> that any person who is convicted of a violation of subsection B or C of &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Possession, manufacture, distribution, etc., of weapon of terrorism or hoax device prohibited; penalty" href="/18.2-46.6/">18.2-46.6</a>, a <span class="dictionary">felony</span> violation of &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Threats to bomb, damage, or discharge a firearm within or at buildings or means of transportation; false information as to danger to such buildings, etc.; punishment; venue" href="/18.2-83/">18.2-83</a> or <a class="law" title="Causing, inciting, etc., commission of act proscribed by &#xA7; 18.2-83" href="/18.2-84/">18.2-84</a>, or a violation of &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Calling or summoning emergency medical services vehicle or firefighting apparatus without just cause; maliciously activating fire alarms; venue" href="/18.2-212/">18.2-212</a> or <a class="law" title="False emergency communication to emergency personnel; penalties" href="/18.2-461.1/">18.2-461.1</a>, when his violation of such section is the proximate cause of any incident resulting in an appropriate emergency response, shall be liable at the time of sentencing or in a separate <span class="dictionary">civil action</span> to the <span class="dictionary">locality</span>, the Virginia State Police, or any volunteer emergency medical services agency, or any combination thereof, which may provide such emergency response for the reasonable expense thereof, in an amount not to exceed $2,500 in the aggregate for a particular incident occurring in such <span class="dictionary">locality</span>. In determining the &#x201C;reasonable expense,&#x201D; a <span class="dictionary">locality</span> may bill a flat fee of $250 or a minute-by-minute accounting of the actual costs incurred. As used in this section, &#x201C;appropriate emergency response&#x201D; includes all costs of providing <span class="dictionary">law</span>-enforcement, firefighting, and emergency medical services. The provisions of this section shall not preempt or limit any remedy available to the Commonwealth, to the <span class="dictionary">locality</span>, or to any volunteer emergency medical services agency to recover the reasonable expenses of an emergency response to an incident not involving a terroristic hoax or an act undertaken in violation of &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Threats to bomb, damage, or discharge a firearm within or at buildings or means of transportation; false information as to danger to such buildings, etc.; punishment; venue" href="/18.2-83/">18.2-83</a>, <a class="law" title="Causing, inciting, etc., commission of act proscribed by &#xA7; 18.2-83" href="/18.2-84/">18.2-84</a>, <a class="law" title="Calling or summoning emergency medical services vehicle or firefighting apparatus without just cause; maliciously activating fire alarms; venue" href="/18.2-212/">18.2-212</a>, or <a class="law" title="False emergency communication to emergency personnel; penalties" href="/18.2-461.1/">18.2-461.1</a> as set forth herein.</p></section></text><history>2002, cc. 588, 623; 2005, c. 479; 2015, cc. 502, 503; 2016, c. 213; 2017, cc. 98, 519; 2023, cc. 22, 23.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
