<?xml version="1.0"?>
<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>83724</law_id><section_number>18.2-137</section_number><catch_line>Injuring, etc., any property, monument, etc</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>18.2-146</reference><reference>18.2-46.1</reference><reference>19.2-169.1</reference><reference>19.2-169.2</reference><reference>19.2-303.2</reference><reference>19.2-327.15</reference><reference>19.2-81</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="6">Damage to Realty and Personalty Thereon</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> If any person unlawfully destroys, defaces, <span class="dictionary">damages</span>, or removes without the <span class="dictionary">intent</span> to <span class="dictionary">steal</span> any property, real or personal, not his own, or breaks down, destroys, defaces, <span class="dictionary">damages</span>, or removes without the <span class="dictionary">intent</span> to <span class="dictionary">steal</span>, any monument or memorial for war veterans, not his own, described in &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Memorials for war veterans" href="/15.2-1812/">15.2-1812</a>; any monument erected to mark the site of any engagement fought during the Civil War, or any memorial to designate the boundaries of any city, town, tract of land, or any tree marked for that purpose, he shall be guilty of a Class 3 <span class="dictionary">misdemeanor</span>, provided that the <span class="dictionary">court</span> may, in its discretion, dismiss the charge if the locality or organization that owns or is responsible for maintaining the injured property, monument, or memorial files a written <span class="dictionary">affidavit</span> with the <span class="dictionary">court</span> stating it has received full payment for the injury. <a id="paragraph-300114" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-137/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> If any person who is not the owner of such property intentionally causes such injury, he is guilty of (i) a Class 1 <span class="dictionary">misdemeanor</span> if the value of or damage to the property, memorial, or monument is less than $1,000 or (ii) a Class 6 <span class="dictionary">felony</span> if the value of or damage to the property, memorial, or monument is $1,000 or more. The amount of loss caused by the destruction, defacing, damage, or removal of such property, memorial, or monument may be established by proof of the fair market cost of repair or fair market replacement value. Upon <span class="dictionary">conviction</span>, the <span class="dictionary">court</span> may <span class="dictionary">order</span> that the <span class="dictionary">defendant</span> pay <span class="dictionary">restitution</span>. <a id="paragraph-300115" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-137/#B"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>Code 1950, &#xA7; 18.1-172; 1960, c. 358; 1975, cc. 14, 15, 598; 1990, c. 933; 1999, c. 625; 2020, cc. 1100, 1101.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
