<?xml version="1.0"?>
<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>76857</law_id><section_number>3.2-409</section_number><catch_line>Ordinances</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="3.2">Agriculture, Animal Care, and Food</unit><unit label="subtitle" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="I">General Provisions; Protection and Promotion of Agriculture</unit><unit label="chapter" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="4">Agricultural Stewardship</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> Any locality may adopt an <span class="dictionary">ordinance</span> creating a <span class="dictionary">complaint</span>, investigation, and <span class="dictionary">agricultural stewardship plan</span> development program. <span class="dictionary">Ordinances</span> adopted hereunder may contain only provisions that parallel &#xA7;&#xA7; <a class="law" title="Exclusions from chapter" href="/3.2-401/">3.2-401</a> and <a class="law" title="Complaint; investigation; agricultural stewardship plan" href="/3.2-402/">3.2-402</a>. No such <span class="dictionary">ordinance</span> shall provide for the imposition of civil or criminal <span class="dictionary">sanctions</span> against an <span class="dictionary">operator</span> or <span class="dictionary">owner</span> who fails to implement a plan. If an <span class="dictionary">owner</span> or <span class="dictionary">operator</span> fails to implement a plan, the local governing body shall submit a <span class="dictionary">complaint</span> to the <span class="dictionary">Commissioner</span> as provided in &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Complaint; investigation; agricultural stewardship plan" href="/3.2-402/">3.2-402</a>. <a id="paragraph-275911" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/3.2-409/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> This section shall not apply to any <span class="dictionary">ordinance</span> (i) in existence on July 1, 1996 or (ii) adopted pursuant to the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act (&#xA7; <a class="law" title="Cooperative state-local program" href="/62.1-44.15_67/">62.1-44.15:67</a> et seq.). <a id="paragraph-275912" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/3.2-409/#B"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>1996, c. 773, &#xA7; 10.1-559.10; 2008, c. 860; 2013, cc. 756, 793.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
