                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

DISPLAY OF THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES; NECESSARY SUPPORTING STRUCTURES;
AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE (§ 55.1-1951)

A. In accordance with the federal Freedom to Display the American Flag Act of
2005 (P.L. 109-243), no unit owners&#8217; association shall prohibit or
otherwise adopt or enforce any policy restricting a unit owner from displaying
upon property to which the unit owner has a separate ownership interest or a
right to exclusive possession or use the flag of the United States whenever such
display is in compliance with Chapter 1 of Title 4 of the United States Code (4
U.S.C. &#xA7; 1 et seq.) or any rule or custom pertaining to the proper display
of the flag. A unit owners&#8217; association may, however, establish reasonable
restrictions as to the size, place, duration, and manner of placement or display
of the flag on such property, provided that such restrictions are necessary to
protect a substantial interest of the unit owners&#8217; association.

B. The unit owners&#8217; association may restrict the display of such flags in
the common elements.

C. In any action brought by the unit owners&#8217; association under &#xA7;
55.1-1959 for a violation of a flag restriction, the unit owners&#8217;
association shall bear the burden of proof that the restrictions as to the size,
place, duration, and manner of placement or display of such flag are necessary
to protect a substantial interest of the unit owners&#8217; association.

D. In any action brought by the unit owners&#8217; association under &#xA7;
55.1-1959, the unit owner shall be entitled to assert as an affirmative defense
that the required disclosure of any limitation pertaining to the flag of the
United States or any flagpole or similar structure necessary to display the flag
of the United States was not contained in the public offering statement or
resale certificate, as appropriate, required pursuant to &#xA7; 55.1-1976 or
55.1-2309.

HISTORY: 2007, cc. 854, 910, § 55-79.75:2; 2010, cc. 166, 453; 2019, c. 712;
2023, cc. 387, 388.