{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-json\/28.2-109.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-text\/28.2-109.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-xml\/28.2-109.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-html\/28.2-109.html"}],"law_id":356453,"edition_id":2,"section_id":356453,"structure_id":51003,"section_number":"28.2-109","catch_line":"Definitions","history":"2001, c. 312.","full_text":"As used in this article, unless the context requires a different meaning:\n\n“Ballast water” means any water or matter taken on board a vessel to control or maintain trim, draft, stability or stresses of the vessel, without regard to the manner in which it is carried.\n\n“Commercial vessel” means a self-propelled ship in commerce of 300 gross tons or more. The term “commercial vessel” does not include a vessel of the United States Department of Defense or United States Coast Guard subject to the requirements of \u00a7 1103 of the National Invasive Species Act of 1996, or any vessel of the Armed Forces, as defined in 33 U.S.C. \u00a7 1322 (a)(14), that is subject to the uniform national discharge standards for vessels of the Armed Forces under 33 U.S.C. \u00a7 1322 (n).\n\n“Federal guidelines” means the provisions of 33 C.F.R. Part 151, Subpart D, “Ballast Water Management for Control of Nonindigenous Species in Waters of the United States.”\n\n“Operator” means any person who owns, operates, charters, rents or otherwise exercises control over or responsibility for a vessel.\n\n","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":1327053,"text":"As used in this article, unless the context requires a different meaning:","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"next_prefix":""},"1":{"id":1327054,"text":"“Ballast water” means any water or matter taken on board a vessel to control or maintain trim, draft, stability or stresses of the vessel, without regard to the manner in which it is carried.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":""},"2":{"id":1327055,"text":"“Commercial vessel” means a self-propelled ship in commerce of 300 gross tons or more. The term “commercial vessel” does not include a vessel of the United States Department of Defense or United States Coast Guard subject to the requirements of \u00a7 1103 of the National Invasive Species Act of 1996, or any vessel of the Armed Forces, as defined in 33 U.S.C. \u00a7 1322 (a)(14), that is subject to the uniform national discharge standards for vessels of the Armed Forces under 33 U.S.C. \u00a7 1322 (n).","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":""},"3":{"id":1327056,"text":"“Federal guidelines” means the provisions of 33 C.F.R. Part 151, Subpart D, “Ballast Water Management for Control of Nonindigenous Species in Waters of the United States.”","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":""},"4":{"id":1327057,"text":"“Operator” means any person who owns, operates, charters, rents or otherwise exercises control over or responsibility for a vessel.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":""}},"ancestry":[{"id":51003,"edition_id":2,"name":"Ballast Water Discharge","identifier":"3","label":"article","depth":4,"order_by":3,"parent_id":50996,"metadata":{"child_laws":3,"child_structures":0},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:36:07","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:31:42","permalink":{"id":1417661,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":51003,"identifier":"3","token":"28.2\/I\/1\/3","url":"\/28.2\/I\/1\/3\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":50996,"edition_id":2,"name":"Administration","identifier":"1","label":"chapter","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":50995,"metadata":{"child_laws":18,"child_structures":3},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:36:05","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:31:42","permalink":{"id":1417595,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":50996,"identifier":"1","token":"28.2\/I\/1","url":"\/28.2\/I\/1\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":50995,"edition_id":2,"name":"General Provisions Relating to Marine Resources Commission","identifier":"I","label":"subtitle","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":50994,"metadata":{"child_laws":18,"child_structures":4},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:36:05","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:31:41","permalink":{"id":1417593,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":50995,"identifier":"I","token":"28.2\/I","url":"\/28.2\/I\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":50994,"edition_id":2,"name":"Fisheries and Habitat of the Tidal Waters","identifier":"28.2","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":70,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{"child_laws":386,"child_structures":71},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:36:05","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:31:41","permalink":{"id":1417591,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":50994,"identifier":"28.2","token":"28.2","url":"\/28.2\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":356453,"structure_id":51003,"section_number":"28.2-109","catch_line":"Definitions","url":"\/28.2-109\/","token":"28.2\/I\/1\/3\/28.2-109","metadata":false},{"id":356454,"structure_id":51003,"section_number":"28.2-110","catch_line":"Filing requirements; penalty","url":"\/28.2-110\/","token":"28.2\/I\/1\/3\/28.2-110","metadata":false},{"id":356463,"structure_id":51003,"section_number":"28.2-111","catch_line":"Adoption of guidelines and forms","url":"\/28.2-111\/","token":"28.2\/I\/1\/3\/28.2-111","metadata":false}],"next_section":{"id":356454,"structure_id":51003,"section_number":"28.2-110","catch_line":"Filing requirements; penalty","url":"\/28.2-110\/","token":"28.2\/I\/1\/3\/28.2-110","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/28.2-109\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 2001. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 312<\/a> 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.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":1417663,"object_type":"law","relational_id":356453,"identifier":"28.2-109","token":"28.2\/I\/1\/3\/28.2-109","url":"\/28.2-109\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/28.2-109\/","token":"28.2\/I\/1\/3\/28.2-109","dublin_core":{"Title":"Definitions","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 28.2-109","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

As used in this article, unless the context requires a different meaning:<\/p>

“Ballast water<\/span>” means any water or matter taken on board a vessel to control or maintain trim, draft, stability or stresses of the vessel, without regard to the manner in which it is carried.<\/p>

“Commercial vessel<\/span>” means a self-propelled ship in commerce of 300 gross tons or more. The term “commercial vessel<\/span>” does not include a vessel of the United States Department of Defense or United States Coast Guard subject to the requirements of \u00a7 1103 of the National Invasive Species Act of 1996, or any vessel of the Armed Forces, as defined in 33 U.S.C. \u00a7 1322 (a)(14), that is subject to the uniform national discharge standards for vessels of the Armed Forces under 33 U.S.C. \u00a7 1322 (n).<\/p>

“Federal guidelines<\/span>” means the provisions of 33 C.F.R. Part 151, Subpart D, “Ballast Water<\/span> Management for Control of Nonindigenous Species in Waters of the United States.”<\/p>

“Operator<\/span>” means any person who owns, operates, charters, rents or otherwise exercises control over or responsibility for a vessel.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nDEFINITIONS (\u00a7 28.2-109)\n\nAs used in this article, unless the context requires a different meaning:\n\n“Ballast water” means any water or matter taken on board a vessel to\ncontrol or maintain trim, draft, stability or stresses of the vessel, without\nregard to the manner in which it is carried.\n\n“Commercial vessel” means a self-propelled ship in commerce of 300\ngross tons or more. The term “commercial vessel” does not include a\nvessel of the United States Department of Defense or United States Coast Guard\nsubject to the requirements of \u00a7 1103 of the National Invasive Species Act of\n1996, or any vessel of the Armed Forces, as defined in 33 U.S.C. \u00a7 1322\n(a)(14), that is subject to the uniform national discharge standards for vessels\nof the Armed Forces under 33 U.S.C. \u00a7 1322 (n).\n\n“Federal guidelines” means the provisions of 33 C.F.R. Part 151,\nSubpart D, “Ballast Water Management for Control of Nonindigenous Species\nin Waters of the United States.”\n\n“Operator” means any person who owns, operates, charters, rents or\notherwise exercises control over or responsibility for a vessel.\n\nHISTORY: 2001, c. 312.","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"}}