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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>78721</law_id><section_number>18.2-127</section_number><catch_line>Injuries to churches, church property, cemeteries, burial grounds, etc.; penalty</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>16.1-278.8</reference><reference>18.2-46.1</reference><reference>18.2-77</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="18.2">Crimes and Offenses Generally</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="5">Crimes Against Property</unit><unit label="article" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="5">Trespass to Realty</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> Any person who willfully or maliciously commits any of the following acts is guilty of a Class 1 <span class="dictionary">misdemeanor</span>: <a id="paragraph-282063" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-127/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="A1" class="indent-1"><p><span class="prefix-number">1.</span> Destroys, removes, cuts, breaks, or injures any tree, shrub, or plant on any <span class="dictionary">church property</span> or within any cemetery or lot of any memorial or monumental association; <a id="paragraph-282064" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-127/#A1"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="A2" class="indent-1"><p><span class="prefix-number">2.</span> Destroys, mutilates, injures, or removes and carries away any flowers, wreaths, vases, or other ornaments placed within any church or on <span class="dictionary">church property</span>, or placed upon or around any grave, tomb, monument, or lot in any cemetery, graveyard, or other place of burial; or <a id="paragraph-282065" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-127/#A2"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="A3" class="indent-1"><p><span class="prefix-number">3.</span> Obstructs proper ingress to and egress from any church or any cemetery or lot belonging to any memorial or monumental association. <a id="paragraph-282066" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-127/#A3"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> Any person who maliciously places any dead animal within any church or on <span class="dictionary">church property</span> is guilty of a Class 1 <span class="dictionary">misdemeanor</span>. <a id="paragraph-282067" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-127/#B"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="C"><p><span class="prefix-number">C.</span> Any person who willfully or maliciously destroys, mutilates, defaces, injures, or removes any <span class="dictionary">object</span> or structure permanently attached or affixed within any church or on <span class="dictionary">church property</span>, any tomb, monument, gravestone, or other structure placed within any cemetery, graveyard, or place of burial, or within any lot belonging to any memorial or monumental association, or any fence, railing, or other work for the protection or ornament of any tomb, monument, gravestone, or other structure aforesaid, or of any cemetery lot within any cemetery is guilty of a Class 6 <span class="dictionary">felony</span>. A person convicted under this section who is required to pay <span class="dictionary">restitution</span> by the <span class="dictionary">court</span> shall be required to pay <span class="dictionary">restitution</span> to the church, if the property damaged is property of the church, or to the owner of a cemetery, if the property damaged is located within such cemetery regardless of whether the property damaged is owned by the cemetery or by another person. <a id="paragraph-282068" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-127/#C"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="D"><p><span class="prefix-number">D.</span> This section shall not apply to any work which is done by the authorities of a church or congregation in the maintenance or improvement of any <span class="dictionary">church property</span> or any burial ground or cemetery belonging to it and under its management or control and which does not injure or result in the removal of a tomb, monument, gravestone, grave marker or vault. For purposes of this section, &#x201C;church&#x201D; shall mean any place of worship, and &#x201C;<span class="dictionary">church property</span>&#x201D; shall mean any educational building or community center owned or rented by a church. <a id="paragraph-282069" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-127/#D"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>Code 1950, &#xA7; 18.1-244; 1960, c. 358; 1975, cc. 14, 15; 1982, c. 561; 1983, c. 579; 1990, c. 510; 2004, c. 203; 2020, c. 485.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
