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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>79737</law_id><section_number>36-96.14</section_number><catch_line>Issuance of a charge</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>36-96.16</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="36">Housing</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="5.1">Virginia Fair Housing Law</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>Upon failure to resolve a complaint by <span class="dictionary">conciliation</span> and after consultation with the Office of the <span class="dictionary">Attorney General</span>, the Board shall <span class="dictionary">issue</span> a charge on behalf of the <span class="dictionary">aggrieved person</span> or <span class="dictionary">persons</span> and shall immediately refer the charge to the <span class="dictionary">Attorney General</span>, who shall proceed with the charge as directed by &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Civil action by Attorney General upon referral of charge by the Real Estate Board" href="/36-96.16/">36-96.16</a>. The Board may not <span class="dictionary">issue</span> a charge under this section regarding an alleged discriminatory housing practice after the beginning of a <span class="dictionary">trial</span> of a <span class="dictionary">civil action</span> commenced by the <span class="dictionary">aggrieved party</span> under an Act of Congress or a state <span class="dictionary">law</span> seeking relief with respect to that discriminatory housing practice.</p></section>
						<section id="1"><p><span class="prefix-number">1.</span> Such charge:
			a. Shall consist of a short and plain statement of the <span class="dictionary">facts</span> upon which the Board has found reasonable cause to believe that a discriminatory housing practice has occurred or is about to occur;
			b. Shall be based on the final investigative report; and
			c. Need not be limited to the acts or grounds alleged in the complaint filed under &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Procedures for receipt or initiation of complaint; notice to parties; filing of answer" href="/36-96.9/">36-96.9</a>. <a id="paragraph-285739" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/36-96.14/#1"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="2"><p><span class="prefix-number">2.</span> After the Board <span class="dictionary">issues</span> a charge under this section, the Board shall cause a copy thereof to be served on each <span class="dictionary">respondent</span> named in such charge and on each <span class="dictionary">aggrieved person</span> on whose behalf the complaint was filed. <a id="paragraph-285740" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/36-96.14/#2"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>1991, c. 557.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
