                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

LOCAL OFFICES OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS; ESTABLISHMENT; POWERS AND DUTIES (§
15.2-963)

Any county or city may, by ordinance, establish a local office of consumer
affairs that shall have only such powers as may be necessary to perform the
following duties:

1. To serve as a central coordinating agency and clearinghouse for receiving and
investigating complaints of illegal, fraudulent, deceptive, or dangerous
practices occurring in such county or city, and referring such complaints to the
local departments or agencies charged with enforcement of consumer laws. The
processing of complaints involving statutes or regulations administered by state
agencies shall be coordinated, where applicable, with the Division of Consumer
Counsel of the Department of Law;

2. To attempt to resolve complaints received pursuant to subdivision 1 by means
of voluntary mediation or arbitration that may involve the creation of written
agreements to resolve individual complaints between complainants and respondents
to complaints;

3. To develop programs of community consumer education and information; and

4. To maintain records of consumer complaints and their eventual disposition,
provided that records disclosing the business interests of any person, trade
secrets, or the names of customers shall be held confidential except to the
extent that disclosures of such matters may be necessary for the enforcement of
laws. A copy of all periodic reports compiled by any local office of consumer
affairs shall be filed with the Division of Consumer Counsel of the Department
of Law.

HISTORY: 1974, c. 644, § 15.1-23.2; 1987, c. 463; 1997, c. 587; 1998, c. 194;
2013, c. 24.