{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-json\/13.1-569.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-text\/13.1-569.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-xml\/13.1-569.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-html\/13.1-569.html"}],"law_id":346710,"edition_id":2,"section_id":346710,"structure_id":49779,"section_number":"13.1-569","catch_line":"Crimes","history":"1972, c. 561; 1978, c. 670.","full_text":"A\n\nAny person who shall knowingly and willfully make, or cause to be made, any false statement in any book of account or other paper of any person subject to the provisions of this chapter, or knowingly and willfully exhibit any false paper to the Commission, or who shall knowingly and willfully commit any act declared unlawful by this chapter with the intent to defraud any franchisee or with intent to deceive the Commission as to any material fact for the purpose of inducing the Commission to take any action or refrain from taking any action pursuant to this chapter, shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony.\n\nB\n\nAny person who shall knowingly make or cause to be made any false statement in any book of account or other paper of any person subject to the provisions of this chapter or exhibit any false paper to the Commission or who shall commit any act declared unlawful by this chapter shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and on conviction, be punished by a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $5,000, or by confinement in jail for not less than thirty days nor more than one year, or by both such fine and imprisonment.\n\nC\n\nProsecutions under this section shall be instituted by indictments in the courts of record having jurisdiction of felonies within three years from the date of the offense.\n\n","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":1292832,"text":"Any person who shall knowingly and willfully make, or cause to be made, any false statement in any book of account or other paper of any person subject to the provisions of this chapter, or knowingly and willfully exhibit any false paper to the Commission, or who shall knowingly and willfully commit any act declared unlawful by this chapter with the intent to defraud any franchisee or with intent to deceive the Commission as to any material fact for the purpose of inducing the Commission to take any action or refrain from taking any action pursuant to this chapter, shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony.","type":"section","prefixes":["A"],"prefix":"A","entire_prefix":"A","prefix_anchor":"A","level":1,"next_prefix":"B"},"1":{"id":1292833,"text":"Any person who shall knowingly make or cause to be made any false statement in any book of account or other paper of any person subject to the provisions of this chapter or exhibit any false paper to the Commission or who shall commit any act declared unlawful by this chapter shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and on conviction, be punished by a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $5,000, or by confinement in jail for not less than thirty days nor more than one year, or by both such fine and imprisonment.","type":"section","prefixes":["B"],"prefix":"B","entire_prefix":"B","prefix_anchor":"B","level":1,"prior_prefix":"A","next_prefix":"C"},"2":{"id":1292834,"text":"Prosecutions under this section shall be instituted by indictments in the courts of record having jurisdiction of felonies within three years from the date of the offense.","type":"section","prefixes":["C"],"prefix":"C","entire_prefix":"C","prefix_anchor":"C","level":1,"prior_prefix":"B"}},"ancestry":[{"id":49779,"edition_id":2,"name":"Retail Franchising Act","identifier":"8","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":11,"parent_id":49726,"metadata":{"child_laws":20,"child_structures":0},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:14:52","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:29:08","permalink":{"id":1377083,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":49779,"identifier":"8","token":"13.1\/8","url":"\/13.1\/8\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":49726,"edition_id":2,"name":"Corporations","identifier":"13.1","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":44,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{"child_laws":894,"child_structures":104},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:14:01","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:29:04","permalink":{"id":1374495,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":49726,"identifier":"13.1","token":"13.1","url":"\/13.1\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":346696,"structure_id":49779,"section_number":"13.1-557","catch_line":"Short title","url":"\/13.1-557\/","token":"13.1\/8\/13.1-557","metadata":false},{"id":346697,"structure_id":49779,"section_number":"13.1-558","catch_line":"Policy of the Commonwealth","url":"\/13.1-558\/","token":"13.1\/8\/13.1-558","metadata":false},{"id":346698,"structure_id":49779,"section_number":"13.1-559","catch_line":"Definitions; applicability of chapter","url":"\/13.1-559\/","token":"13.1\/8\/13.1-559","metadata":false},{"id":346699,"structure_id":49779,"section_number":"13.1-560","catch_line":"Registration required","url":"\/13.1-560\/","token":"13.1\/8\/13.1-560","metadata":false},{"id":346701,"structure_id":49779,"section_number":"13.1-561","catch_line":"Procedure for registration; bond; renewal; fee","url":"\/13.1-561\/","token":"13.1\/8\/13.1-561","metadata":false},{"id":346700,"structure_id":49779,"section_number":"13.1-561.1","catch_line":"Fees to cover expense of regulation","url":"\/13.1-561.1\/","token":"13.1\/8\/13.1-561.1","metadata":false},{"id":346702,"structure_id":49779,"section_number":"13.1-562","catch_line":"Revocation of or refusal to renew registration","url":"\/13.1-562\/","token":"13.1\/8\/13.1-562","metadata":{"court_decisions":""}},{"id":346703,"structure_id":49779,"section_number":"13.1-563","catch_line":"Unlawful offers","url":"\/13.1-563\/","token":"13.1\/8\/13.1-563","metadata":false},{"id":346704,"structure_id":49779,"section_number":"13.1-564","catch_line":"Unlawful cancellation of franchise; undue influence","url":"\/13.1-564\/","token":"13.1\/8\/13.1-564","metadata":false},{"id":346705,"structure_id":49779,"section_number":"13.1-565","catch_line":"Voidable franchises","url":"\/13.1-565\/","token":"13.1\/8\/13.1-565","metadata":false},{"id":346706,"structure_id":49779,"section_number":"13.1-566","catch_line":"Service of process on nonresident franchisor","url":"\/13.1-566\/","token":"13.1\/8\/13.1-566","metadata":false},{"id":346707,"structure_id":49779,"section_number":"13.1-567","catch_line":"Investigations; confidentiality of information and documents","url":"\/13.1-567\/","token":"13.1\/8\/13.1-567","metadata":false},{"id":346708,"structure_id":49779,"section_number":"13.1-568","catch_line":"Injunctions","url":"\/13.1-568\/","token":"13.1\/8\/13.1-568","metadata":{"court_decisions":""}},{"id":346710,"structure_id":49779,"section_number":"13.1-569","catch_line":"Crimes","url":"\/13.1-569\/","token":"13.1\/8\/13.1-569","metadata":false},{"id":346709,"structure_id":49779,"section_number":"13.1-569.1","catch_line":"Commission may transmit record or complaint to locality where violation occurred","url":"\/13.1-569.1\/","token":"13.1\/8\/13.1-569.1","metadata":false},{"id":346711,"structure_id":49779,"section_number":"13.1-570","catch_line":"Violations punishable by Commission","url":"\/13.1-570\/","token":"13.1\/8\/13.1-570","metadata":false},{"id":346712,"structure_id":49779,"section_number":"13.1-571","catch_line":"Civil remedies","url":"\/13.1-571\/","token":"13.1\/8\/13.1-571","metadata":false},{"id":346713,"structure_id":49779,"section_number":"13.1-572","catch_line":"Rules and forms","url":"\/13.1-572\/","token":"13.1\/8\/13.1-572","metadata":false},{"id":346714,"structure_id":49779,"section_number":"13.1-573","catch_line":"Certain records of Commission available to public; admissibility of copies; destruction","url":"\/13.1-573\/","token":"13.1\/8\/13.1-573","metadata":false},{"id":346715,"structure_id":49779,"section_number":"13.1-574","catch_line":"Effective date","url":"\/13.1-574\/","token":"13.1\/8\/13.1-574","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":346708,"structure_id":49779,"section_number":"13.1-568","catch_line":"Injunctions","url":"\/13.1-568\/","token":"13.1\/8\/13.1-568","metadata":{"court_decisions":""}},"next_section":{"id":346709,"structure_id":49779,"section_number":"13.1-569.1","catch_line":"Commission may transmit record or complaint to locality where violation occurred","url":"\/13.1-569.1\/","token":"13.1\/8\/13.1-569.1","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/13.1-569\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 1972. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 561 of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. Unfortunately, the 1972 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online. It has been modified 1 time. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. That modification is as follows: in 1978, chapter 670.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":1377137,"object_type":"law","relational_id":346710,"identifier":"13.1-569","token":"13.1\/8\/13.1-569","url":"\/13.1-569\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/13.1-569\/","token":"13.1\/8\/13.1-569","dublin_core":{"Title":"Crimes","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 13.1-569","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

A.<\/span> Any person who shall knowingly and willfully make, or cause to be made, any false statement in any book of account or other paper of any person subject to the provisions of this chapter, or knowingly and willfully exhibit any false paper to the Commission, or who shall knowingly and willfully commit any act declared unlawful by this chapter with the intent<\/span> to defraud any franchisee or with intent<\/span> to deceive the Commission as to any material<\/span> fact<\/span> for the purpose of inducing the Commission to take any action or refrain from taking any action pursuant to this chapter, shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony<\/span>. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

B.<\/span> Any person who shall knowingly make or cause to be made any false statement in any book of account or other paper of any person subject to the provisions of this chapter or exhibit any false paper to the Commission or who shall commit any act declared unlawful by this chapter shall be guilty of a misdemeanor<\/span>, and on conviction<\/span>, be punished by a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $5,000, or by confinement in jail for not less than thirty days nor more than one year, or by both such fine and imprisonment. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

C.<\/span> Prosecutions<\/span> under this section shall be instituted by indictments<\/span> in the courts<\/span> of record having jurisdiction<\/span> of felonies within three years from the date of the offense<\/span>. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nCRIMES (\u00a7 13.1-569)\n\nA. Any person who shall knowingly and willfully make, or cause to be made, any\nfalse statement in any book of account or other paper of any person subject to\nthe provisions of this chapter, or knowingly and willfully exhibit any false\npaper to the Commission, or who shall knowingly and willfully commit any act\ndeclared unlawful by this chapter with the intent to defraud any franchisee or\nwith intent to deceive the Commission as to any material fact for the purpose of\ninducing the Commission to take any action or refrain from taking any action\npursuant to this chapter, shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony.\n\nB. Any person who shall knowingly make or cause to be made any false statement\nin any book of account or other paper of any person subject to the provisions of\nthis chapter or exhibit any false paper to the Commission or who shall commit\nany act declared unlawful by this chapter shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and\non conviction, be punished by a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $5,000,\nor by confinement in jail for not less than thirty days nor more than one year,\nor by both such fine and imprisonment.\n\nC. Prosecutions under this section shall be instituted by indictments in the\ncourts of record having jurisdiction of felonies within three years from the\ndate of the offense.\n\nHISTORY: 1972, c. 561; 1978, c. 670.","edition":{"id":2,"name":"2026","slug":"2026","date_created":"2026-07-16 18:40:23","date_modified":"2026-08-02 15:14:36","current":1,"order_by":2,"last_import":"2026-08-02 12:37:30"}}