Virginia Freedom of Information Act

This is the 2026 edition of the code. This is the current edition. It was last updated Aug 02, 2026. Browse all editions.

This is Chapter 37 of the Code of Virginia, titled “Virginia Freedom of Information Act.” It is part of Part B “Transaction of Public Business”, which is part of Subtitle II “Administration of State Government”, which is part of Title 2.2 “Administration of Government”. It contains 37 laws.

It’s comprised of the following 37 sections.

§ 2.2-3700	Short title; policy
§ 2.2-3701	Definitions
§ 2.2-3702	Notice of chapter
§ 2.2-3703	Public bodies and records to which chapter inapplicable; voter registration and election records; access by persons incarcerated in a state, local, or federal correctional facility
§ 2.2-3703.1	Disclosure pursuant to court order or subpoena
§ 2.2-3704	Public records to be open to inspection; procedure for requesting records and responding to request; charges; transfer of records for storage, etc
§ 2.2-3704.01	Records containing both excluded and nonexcluded information; duty to redact
§ 2.2-3704.1	Posting of notice of rights and responsibilities by state and local public bodies; assistance by the Freedom of Information Advisory Council
§ 2.2-3704.2	Public bodies to designate FOIA officer
§ 2.2-3704.3	Training for local officials
§ 2.2-3705	Repealed
§ 2.2-3705.1	Exclusions to application of chapter; exclusions of general application to public bodies
§ 2.2-3705.2	Exclusions to application of chapter; records relating to public safety
§ 2.2-3705.3	(Effective July 1, 2026) Exclusions to application of chapter; records relating to administrative investigations
§ 2.2-3705.4	Exclusions to application of chapter; educational records and certain records of educational institutions
§ 2.2-3705.5	Exclusions to application of chapter; health and social services records
§ 2.2-3705.6	Exclusions to application of chapter; proprietary records and trade secrets
§ 2.2-3705.7	Exclusions to application of chapter; records of specific public bodies and certain other limited exclusions
§ 2.2-3705.8	Limitation on record exclusions
§ 2.2-3706	(Effective July 1, 2026) Disclosure of law-enforcement and criminal records; limitations
§ 2.2-3706.1	(Effective July 1, 2026) Disclosure of law-enforcement records; criminal incident information and certain criminal investigative files; limitations
§ 2.2-3707	Meetings to be public; notice of meetings; recordings; minutes
§ 2.2-3707.01	Meetings of the General Assembly
§ 2.2-3707.02	Meetings of Virginia Parole Board
§ 2.2-3707.1	Posting of minutes for state boards and commissions
§ 2.2-3707.2	Posting of minutes for local public bodies
§ 2.2-3708	Repealed
§ 2.2-3708.1	Repealed
§ 2.2-3708.2	Meetings held through electronic communication means during declared states of emergency
§ 2.2-3708.3	Meetings held through electronic communication means; situations other than declared states of emergency
§ 2.2-3709	Expired
§ 2.2-3710	Transaction of public business other than by votes at meetings prohibited
§ 2.2-3711	(Effective July 1, 2026) Closed meetings authorized for certain limited purposes
§ 2.2-3712	Closed meetings procedures; certification of proceedings
§ 2.2-3713	Proceedings for enforcement of chapter
§ 2.2-3714	Violations and penalties
§ 2.2-3715	Effect of advisory opinions from the Freedom of Information Advisory Council on liability for willful and knowing violations