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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>67943</law_id><section_number>3.2-706</section_number><catch_line>Authority for inspections; warrants</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="7">Tree and Crop Pests</unit><unit label="article" level="4" order_by="1" identifier="1">Pests</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>To effectuate the purpose of this article, the <span class="dictionary">Commissioner</span> may, with a warrant or with the consent of the owner, make reasonable inspections of any property in the Commonwealth and may, without a warrant, stop and inspect, in a reasonable manner, any means of conveyance moving within the Commonwealth, upon <span class="dictionary">probable cause</span> that it contains or carries any <span class="dictionary">pest</span>, <span class="dictionary">host</span>, or other <span class="dictionary">regulated article</span> subject to this article, and may make any other reasonable inspection of any property or means of conveyance for which, under the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the Commonwealth, no warrant is required.
		In accordance with &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="When search warrant may issue" href="/19.2-52/">19.2-52</a>, the appropriate <span class="dictionary">persons</span> have authority to <span class="dictionary">issue</span> warrants for such inspections upon a showing by the <span class="dictionary">Commissioner</span> that there is <span class="dictionary">probable cause</span> to believe that there exists in or on the property to be inspected a <span class="dictionary">pest</span>, <span class="dictionary">host</span>, or other <span class="dictionary">regulated article</span> subject to this article.</p></section></text><history>1975, c. 29, &#xA7; 3.1-188.26; 1980, c. 291; 2008, c. 860.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
