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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>86551</law_id><section_number>18.2-370.2</section_number><catch_line>Sex offenses prohibiting proximity to children; penalty</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>18.2-10</reference><reference>18.2-11</reference><reference>19.2-299</reference><reference>19.2-392.02</reference><reference>63.2-1530</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="8">Crimes Involving Morals and Decency</unit><unit label="article" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="4">Family Offenses; Crimes Against Children, etc</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> &#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Offense prohibiting proximity to children</span>&#x201D; means a violation or an attempt to commit a violation of (i) subsection A of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Abduction and kidnapping defined; forced labor; punishment" href="/18.2-47/">18.2-47</a>, clause (ii) or (iii) of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Abduction with intent to extort money or for immoral purpose" href="/18.2-48/">18.2-48</a>, subsection B of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Crimes against nature; penalty" href="/18.2-361/">18.2-361</a>, or subsection B of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Sexual intercourse by persons forbidden to marry; incest; penalties" href="/18.2-366/">18.2-366</a>, where the victim of one of the foregoing <span class="dictionary">offenses</span> was a <span class="dictionary">minor</span>, or (ii) clause (iii) of subsection A of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Rape" href="/18.2-61/">18.2-61</a>, &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Carnal knowledge of child between thirteen and fifteen years of age" href="/18.2-63/">18.2-63</a> or <a class="law" title="Carnal knowledge of certain minors" href="/18.2-64.1/">18.2-64.1</a>, subdivision A 1 of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Forcible sodomy" href="/18.2-67.1/">18.2-67.1</a>, subdivision A 1 of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Object sexual penetration; penalty" href="/18.2-67.2/">18.2-67.2</a>, subdivision A 1 or A 4 (a) of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Aggravated sexual battery; penalty" href="/18.2-67.3/">18.2-67.3</a>, &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Taking indecent liberties with children; penalties" href="/18.2-370/">18.2-370</a> or <a class="law" title="Taking indecent liberties with child by person in custodial or supervisory relationship; penalties" href="/18.2-370.1/">18.2-370.1</a>, clause (ii) of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Causing or encouraging acts rendering children delinquent, abused, etc.; penalty; abandoned infant" href="/18.2-371/">18.2-371</a>, or &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Production, publication, sale, financing, etc., of child pornography; presumption as to age" href="/18.2-374.1/">18.2-374.1</a>, <a class="law" title="Possession, reproduction, distribution, solicitation, and facilitation of child pornography; penalty" href="/18.2-374.1_1/">18.2-374.1:1</a> or <a class="law" title="Employing or permitting minor to assist in offense under article" href="/18.2-379/">18.2-379</a>. As of July 1, 2006, &#x201C;<span class="dictionary">offense prohibiting proximity to children</span>&#x201D; includes a violation of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Providing false information or failing to provide registration information; penalty; prima facie evidence" href="/18.2-472.1/">18.2-472.1</a> when the offense requiring registration was one of the foregoing <span class="dictionary">offenses</span>. <a id="paragraph-309977" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-370.2/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> Every adult who is convicted of an <span class="dictionary">offense prohibiting proximity to children</span> when the offense occurred on or after July 1, 2000, shall as part of his sentence be forever prohibited from loitering within 100 feet of the premises of any place he knows or has reason to know is a primary, secondary or high school. In addition, every adult who is convicted of an <span class="dictionary">offense prohibiting proximity to children</span> when the offense occurred on or after July 1, 2006, shall as part of his sentence be forever prohibited from loitering within 100 feet of the premises of any place he knows or has reason to know is a child day program as defined in &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Definitions" href="/22.1-289.02/">22.1-289.02</a>. <a id="paragraph-309978" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-370.2/#B"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="C"><p><span class="prefix-number">C.</span> Every adult who is convicted of an <span class="dictionary">offense prohibiting proximity to children</span>, when the offense occurred on or after July 1, 2008, shall as part of his sentence be forever prohibited from going, for the purpose of having any contact whatsoever with children who are not in his <span class="dictionary">custody</span>, within 100 feet of the premises of any place owned or operated by a locality that he knows or should know is a playground, athletic field or facility, or gymnasium. <a id="paragraph-309979" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-370.2/#C"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="D"><p><span class="prefix-number">D.</span> Any person convicted of an offense under the <span class="dictionary">laws</span> of any foreign country or any political subdivision thereof, or the United States or any political subdivision thereof, similar to any offense set forth in subsection A shall be forever prohibited from loitering within 100 feet of the premises of any place he knows or has reason to know is a primary, secondary, or high school or any place he knows or has reason to know is a child day program as defined in &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Definitions" href="/22.1-289.02/">22.1-289.02</a>. In addition, he shall be forever prohibited from going, for the purpose of having any contact whatsoever with children who are not in his <span class="dictionary">custody</span>, within 100 feet of the premises of any place owned or operated by a locality that he knows or has reason to know is a playground, athletic field or facility, or gymnasium. <a id="paragraph-309980" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-370.2/#D"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="E"><p><span class="prefix-number">E.</span> A violation of this section is punishable as a Class 6 <span class="dictionary">felony</span>. <a id="paragraph-309981" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-370.2/#E"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>2000, c. 770; 2006, cc. 857, 914; 2008, c. 579; 2017, c. 507; 2020, cc. 860, 861.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
