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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>83105</law_id><section_number>18.2-370.3</section_number><catch_line>Sex offenses prohibiting residing in proximity to children; penalty</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>19.2-392.02</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> Every adult who is convicted of an <span class="dictionary">offense</span> occurring on or after July 1, 2006, where the offender is more than three years older than the victim, of one of the following qualifying <span class="dictionary">offenses</span>: (i) clause (iii) of subsection A of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Rape" href="/18.2-61/">18.2-61</a>, (ii) subdivision A 1 of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Forcible sodomy" href="/18.2-67.1/">18.2-67.1</a>, (iii) subdivision A 1 of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Object sexual penetration; penalty" href="/18.2-67.2/">18.2-67.2</a>, or (iv) any similar <span class="dictionary">offense</span> 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, shall be forever prohibited from residing within 500 feet of the premises of any place he knows or has reason to know is a child day center as defined in &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Definitions" href="/22.1-289.02/">22.1-289.02</a>, or a primary, secondary, or high school. A violation of this section is a Class 6 <span class="dictionary">felony</span>. The provisions of this section shall only apply if the qualifying <span class="dictionary">offense</span> was done in the commission of, or as a part of the same course of conduct as, or as part of a common scheme or plan as a violation of (a) subsection A of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Abduction and kidnapping defined; forced labor; punishment" href="/18.2-47/">18.2-47</a> or &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Abduction with intent to extort money or for immoral purpose" href="/18.2-48/">18.2-48</a>; (b) &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Burglary; how punished" href="/18.2-89/">18.2-89</a>, <a class="law" title="Entering dwelling house, etc., with intent to commit murder, rape, robbery or arson; penalty" href="/18.2-90/">18.2-90</a>, or <a class="law" title="Entering dwelling house, etc., with intent to commit larceny, assault and battery or other felony" href="/18.2-91/">18.2-91</a>; (c) &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Aggravated malicious wounding; penalty" href="/18.2-51.2/">18.2-51.2</a>; or (d) any similar <span class="dictionary">offense</span> 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. <a id="paragraph-297850" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-370.3/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> An adult who is convicted of an <span class="dictionary">offense</span> as specified in subsection A and has established a lawful residence shall not be in violation of this section if a child day center or a primary, secondary, or high school is established within 500 feet of his residence subsequent to his <span class="dictionary">conviction</span>. <a id="paragraph-297851" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-370.3/#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</span> occurring on or after July 1, 2008, where the offender is more than three years older than the victim, of one of the following qualifying <span class="dictionary">offenses</span>: (i) clause (iii) of subsection A of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Rape" href="/18.2-61/">18.2-61</a>, (ii) subdivision A 1 of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Forcible sodomy" href="/18.2-67.1/">18.2-67.1</a>, (iii) subdivision A 1 of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Object sexual penetration; penalty" href="/18.2-67.2/">18.2-67.2</a>, or (iv) any similar <span class="dictionary">offense</span> 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, shall be forever prohibited from residing within 500 feet of the boundary line of any place he knows is a public park when such park (a) is owned and operated by a county, city, or town, (b) shares a boundary line with a primary, secondary, or high school, and (c) is regularly used for school activities. A violation of this section is a Class 6 <span class="dictionary">felony</span>. The provisions of this section shall only apply if the qualifying <span class="dictionary">offense</span> was done in the commission of, or as a part of the same course of conduct as, or as part of a common scheme or plan as a violation of (1) subsection A of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Abduction and kidnapping defined; forced labor; punishment" href="/18.2-47/">18.2-47</a> or &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Abduction with intent to extort money or for immoral purpose" href="/18.2-48/">18.2-48</a>; (2) &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Burglary; how punished" href="/18.2-89/">18.2-89</a>, <a class="law" title="Entering dwelling house, etc., with intent to commit murder, rape, robbery or arson; penalty" href="/18.2-90/">18.2-90</a>, or <a class="law" title="Entering dwelling house, etc., with intent to commit larceny, assault and battery or other felony" href="/18.2-91/">18.2-91</a>; (3) &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Aggravated malicious wounding; penalty" href="/18.2-51.2/">18.2-51.2</a>; or (4) any similar <span class="dictionary">offense</span> 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. <a id="paragraph-297852" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-370.3/#C"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="D"><p><span class="prefix-number">D.</span> An adult who is convicted of an <span class="dictionary">offense</span> as specified in subsection C and has established a lawful residence shall not be in violation of this section if a public park that (i) is owned and operated by a county, city, or town, (ii) shares a boundary line with a primary, secondary, or high school, and (iii) is regularly used for school activities, is established within 500 feet of his residence subsequent to his <span class="dictionary">conviction</span>. <a id="paragraph-297853" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-370.3/#D"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="E"><p><span class="prefix-number">E.</span> The prohibitions in this section predicated upon an <span class="dictionary">offense</span> similar to any <span class="dictionary">offense</span> set forth in this section 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, shall apply only to residences established on and after July 1, 2017. <a id="paragraph-297854" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-370.3/#E"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>2006, cc. 857, 914; 2008, c. 726; 2017, c. 507; 2020, cc. 860, 861.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
