{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-json\/17.1-515.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-text\/17.1-515.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-xml\/17.1-515.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-html\/17.1-515.html"}],"law_id":350165,"edition_id":2,"section_id":350165,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-515","catch_line":"Jurisdiction formerly in county courts","history":"Code 1919, \u00a7 5891, \u00a7 17-124; 1998, c. 872.","full_text":"The jurisdiction and powers which were vested in the county courts and the judges and officers thereof, respectively, on January 31, 1904, by the laws of this Commonwealth or under any will or other instrument of writing shall be vested in, exercised by and imposed upon the circuit courts and the judges and officers thereof, except when otherwise specially provided.\n\nAll such acts and proceedings of the circuit courts, judges and officers thereof, respectively, whether de jure or de facto officers, done or had since January 31, 1904, as may hereafter be done under this section, are hereby ratified and made valid.\n\n","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":1305004,"text":"The jurisdiction and powers which were vested in the county courts and the judges and officers thereof, respectively, on January 31, 1904, by the laws of this Commonwealth or under any will or other instrument of writing shall be vested in, exercised by and imposed upon the circuit courts and the judges and officers thereof, except when otherwise specially provided.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"next_prefix":""},"1":{"id":1305005,"text":"All such acts and proceedings of the circuit courts, judges and officers thereof, respectively, whether de jure or de facto officers, done or had since January 31, 1904, as may hereafter be done under this section, are hereby ratified and made valid.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":""}},"ancestry":[{"id":50124,"edition_id":2,"name":"Establishment; Jurisdiction; Etc","identifier":"1","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":50123,"metadata":{"child_laws":36,"child_structures":0},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:22:41","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:30:13","permalink":{"id":1390699,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":50124,"identifier":"1","token":"17.1\/5\/1","url":"\/17.1\/5\/1\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":50123,"edition_id":2,"name":"Circuit Courts","identifier":"5","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":5,"parent_id":50105,"metadata":{"child_laws":36,"child_structures":1},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:22:41","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:30:13","permalink":{"id":1390697,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":50123,"identifier":"5","token":"17.1\/5","url":"\/17.1\/5\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":50105,"edition_id":2,"name":"Courts of Record","identifier":"17.1","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":50,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{"child_laws":322,"child_structures":25},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:22:16","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:30:09","permalink":{"id":1389801,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":50105,"identifier":"17.1","token":"17.1","url":"\/17.1\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":350140,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-500","catch_line":"Establishment of circuit courts","url":"\/17.1-500\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-500","metadata":false},{"id":350141,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-501","catch_line":"Judges of circuit courts; selection, powers and duties of chief judges; exercise of appointive powers","url":"\/17.1-501\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-501","metadata":false},{"id":350142,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-502","catch_line":"(Effective July 1, 2026) Administrator of circuit court system","url":"\/17.1-502\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-502","metadata":false},{"id":350143,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-503","catch_line":"Rules of practice and procedure; rules not to preclude judges from hearing certain cases","url":"\/17.1-503\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-503","metadata":false},{"id":350144,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-504","catch_line":"Reserved","url":"\/17.1-504\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-504","metadata":false},{"id":350145,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-505","catch_line":"Circuit court of county to constitute circuit court of certain cities","url":"\/17.1-505\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-505","metadata":false},{"id":350146,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-506","catch_line":"Judicial circuits","url":"\/17.1-506\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-506","metadata":false},{"id":350147,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-507","catch_line":"Maximum number of judges; residence requirement; compensation; powers; etc","url":"\/17.1-507\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-507","metadata":false},{"id":350148,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-508","catch_line":"Judges in new or changed circuits; ratifying, validating and confirming certain actions","url":"\/17.1-508\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-508","metadata":false},{"id":350149,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-509","catch_line":"Vacancies in office of judge","url":"\/17.1-509\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-509","metadata":{"court_decisions":""}},{"id":350150,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-510","catch_line":"Election of judge of new circuit; how court held meanwhile","url":"\/17.1-510\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-510","metadata":false},{"id":350151,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-511","catch_line":"Investigation and certification of necessity before vacancies filled","url":"\/17.1-511\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-511","metadata":false},{"id":350152,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-512","catch_line":"Election of successor judge before date of vacancy","url":"\/17.1-512\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-512","metadata":false},{"id":350156,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-513","catch_line":"Jurisdiction of circuit courts","url":"\/17.1-513\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-513","metadata":false},{"id":350153,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-513.01","catch_line":"Jurisdiction of circuit courts with respect to charitable assets","url":"\/17.1-513.01\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-513.01","metadata":false},{"id":350154,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-513.1","catch_line":"Appeals from administrative proceedings; abuse and neglect; record to be sealed","url":"\/17.1-513.1\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-513.1","metadata":false},{"id":350155,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-513.2","catch_line":"Use of telephonic communication systems or electronic video and audio communication systems to conduct hearing","url":"\/17.1-513.2\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-513.2","metadata":false},{"id":350157,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-514","catch_line":"When plaintiff entitled to less than $100; judgment for defendant","url":"\/17.1-514\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-514","metadata":false},{"id":350165,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-515","catch_line":"Jurisdiction formerly in county courts","url":"\/17.1-515\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-515","metadata":false},{"id":350158,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-515.1","catch_line":"Territorial jurisdiction of the Circuit Court for the City of Lynchburg","url":"\/17.1-515.1\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-515.1","metadata":false},{"id":350159,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-515.2","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/17.1-515.2\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-515.2","metadata":false},{"id":350160,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-515.3","catch_line":"Designation of courtrooms within twenty-first and twenty-third circuits for trial of certain cases","url":"\/17.1-515.3\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-515.3","metadata":false},{"id":350161,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-515.4","catch_line":"Designation of certain courtrooms within sixteenth circuit for trial of certain cases","url":"\/17.1-515.4\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-515.4","metadata":false},{"id":350162,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-515.5","catch_line":"Designation of certain courtrooms within twenty-fifth circuit for trial of certain cases","url":"\/17.1-515.5\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-515.5","metadata":false},{"id":350163,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-515.6","catch_line":"Concurrent law-enforcement jurisdiction over Joint Judicial Center in Winchester","url":"\/17.1-515.6\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-515.6","metadata":false},{"id":350164,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-515.7","catch_line":"Designation of certain courtrooms within twenty-fifth circuit for trial of certain cases","url":"\/17.1-515.7\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-515.7","metadata":false},{"id":350166,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-516","catch_line":"Jurisdiction of courts over certain waters","url":"\/17.1-516\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-516","metadata":false},{"id":350167,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-517","catch_line":"Number of terms; how fixed","url":"\/17.1-517\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-517","metadata":false},{"id":350168,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-518","catch_line":"Special terms; when, how and by whom appointed","url":"\/17.1-518\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-518","metadata":false},{"id":350169,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-519","catch_line":"Adjournment thereof to a future day","url":"\/17.1-519\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-519","metadata":false},{"id":350170,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-520","catch_line":"What tried at a special term","url":"\/17.1-520\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-520","metadata":false},{"id":350171,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-521","catch_line":"Who to hold special term; powers","url":"\/17.1-521\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-521","metadata":false},{"id":350172,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-522","catch_line":"Adjournment of special term","url":"\/17.1-522\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-522","metadata":false},{"id":350173,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-523","catch_line":"Salaries of judges of circuit courts","url":"\/17.1-523\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-523","metadata":false},{"id":350174,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-524","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/17.1-524\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-524","metadata":false},{"id":350175,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-525","catch_line":"Certain information to be made available to certain defendants found not guilty","url":"\/17.1-525\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-525","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":350157,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-514","catch_line":"When plaintiff entitled to less than $100; judgment for defendant","url":"\/17.1-514\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-514","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":350158,"structure_id":50124,"section_number":"17.1-515.1","catch_line":"Territorial jurisdiction of the Circuit Court for the City of Lynchburg","url":"\/17.1-515.1\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-515.1","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/17.1-515\/","history_text":"<p>The record of this law\u2019s original creation isn\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 1998, chapter <a href=\"https:\/\/legacylis.virginia.gov\/cgi-bin\/legp604.exe?981+ful+CHAP0872\">872<\/a>.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":1390773,"object_type":"law","relational_id":350165,"identifier":"17.1-515","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-515","url":"\/17.1-515\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/17.1-515\/","token":"17.1\/5\/1\/17.1-515","dublin_core":{"Title":"Jurisdiction formerly in county courts","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 17.1-515","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section><p>The <span class=\"dictionary\">jurisdiction<\/span> and powers which were vested in the county <span class=\"dictionary\">courts<\/span> and the <span class=\"dictionary\">judges<\/span> and officers thereof, respectively, on January 31, 1904, by the <span class=\"dictionary\">laws<\/span> of this Commonwealth or under any will or other instrument of writing shall be vested in, exercised by and imposed upon the <span class=\"dictionary\">circuit<\/span> <span class=\"dictionary\">courts<\/span> and the <span class=\"dictionary\">judges<\/span> and officers thereof, except when otherwise specially provided.<\/p><p>All such acts and proceedings of the <span class=\"dictionary\">circuit<\/span> <span class=\"dictionary\">courts<\/span>, <span class=\"dictionary\">judges<\/span> and officers thereof, respectively, whether <span class=\"dictionary\">de jure<\/span> or <span class=\"dictionary\">de facto<\/span> officers, done or had since January 31, 1904, as may hereafter be done under this section, are hereby ratified and made valid.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":"                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nJURISDICTION FORMERLY IN COUNTY COURTS (\u00a7 17.1-515)\n\nThe jurisdiction and powers which were vested in the county courts and the\njudges and officers thereof, respectively, on January 31, 1904, by the laws of\nthis Commonwealth or under any will or other instrument of writing shall be\nvested in, exercised by and imposed upon the circuit courts and the judges and\nofficers thereof, except when otherwise specially provided.\n\nAll such acts and proceedings of the circuit courts, judges and officers\nthereof, respectively, whether de jure or de facto officers, done or had since\nJanuary 31, 1904, as may hereafter be done under this section, are hereby\nratified and made valid.\n\nHISTORY: Code 1919, \u00a7 5891, \u00a7 17-124; 1998, c. 872.","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"}}