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

§ 28.2-523 Penalty

Any person who takes or catches oysters with a dredge, scrape, or instrument other than ordinary or patent oyster tongs or by hand, in any of the waters of the Commonwealth except as provided by law, or regulations of the Commission, is guilty of a Class 6 felony.

History

The record of this law’s original creation isn’t available online. The oldest record of it is its appearance in the Code of Virginia of 1950, as §§ 28-154 and 28-156. It has been modified 3 times. Those modifications are cataloged by “The Acts of Assembly,” a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly’s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 1962, chapter 406; in 1968, chapter 747; in 1992, chapter 836.

Code 1950, §§ 28-154, 28-156; 1962, c. 406, § 28.1-132; 1968, c. 747; 1992, c. 836.

Download