{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-json\/36-156.3.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-text\/36-156.3.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-xml\/36-156.3.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-html\/36-156.3.html"}],"law_id":360639,"edition_id":2,"section_id":360639,"structure_id":51585,"section_number":"36-156.3","catch_line":"Definitions","history":"2020, cc. 956, 957.","full_text":"As used in this chapter, unless the context requires a different meaning:\n\n“CDFI” means a community development financial institution that provides credit and financial services for underserved communities.\n\n“Department” means the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.\n\n“Fund” means the Virginia Food Access Investment Fund.\n\n“Funding” means loans, forgivable loans, and grants made from the Fund.\n\n“Grocery store” means a for-profit or not-for-profit self-service retail establishment that primarily sells meat, seafood, fruits, vegetables, dairy products, dry groceries, household products, and sundries.\n\n“Innovative food retail project” means an innovative project, including a mobile market or a delivery model, that addresses food access issues in an underserved community.\n\n“Program” means the Virginia Food Access Investment Program.\n\n“Small food retailer,” also referred to as a small-scale store, neighborhood store, small grocery, farmer’s market, or bodega, means a small retail outlet of under 2,500 square feet that sells a limited selection of foods and other products.\n\n“Underserved community” means a census tract determined to be an area with low supermarket access either by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), as identified in the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, or through a methodology that has been adopted for use by another governmental or philanthropic healthy food initiative.\n\n","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":1341975,"text":"As used in this chapter, unless the context requires a different meaning:","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"next_prefix":""},"1":{"id":1341976,"text":"“CDFI” means a community development financial institution that provides credit and financial services for underserved communities.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":""},"2":{"id":1341977,"text":"“Department” means the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":""},"3":{"id":1341978,"text":"“Fund” means the Virginia Food Access Investment Fund.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":""},"4":{"id":1341979,"text":"“Funding” means loans, forgivable loans, and grants made from the Fund.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":""},"5":{"id":1341980,"text":"“Grocery store” means a for-profit or not-for-profit self-service retail establishment that primarily sells meat, seafood, fruits, vegetables, dairy products, dry groceries, household products, and sundries.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":""},"6":{"id":1341981,"text":"“Innovative food retail project” means an innovative project, including a mobile market or a delivery model, that addresses food access issues in an underserved community.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":""},"7":{"id":1341982,"text":"“Program” means the Virginia Food Access Investment Program.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":""},"8":{"id":1341983,"text":"“Small food retailer,” also referred to as a small-scale store, neighborhood store, small grocery, farmer’s market, or bodega, means a small retail outlet of under 2,500 square feet that sells a limited selection of foods and other products.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":""},"9":{"id":1341984,"text":"“Underserved community” means a census tract determined to be an area with low supermarket access either by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), as identified in the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, or through a methodology that has been adopted for use by another governmental or philanthropic healthy food initiative.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":""}},"ancestry":[{"id":51585,"edition_id":2,"name":"Virginia Food Access Investment Program and Fund","identifier":"10.2","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":10,"parent_id":51572,"metadata":{"child_laws":4,"child_structures":0},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:44:29","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:32:44","permalink":{"id":1435837,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":51585,"identifier":"10.2","token":"36\/10.2","url":"\/36\/10.2\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":51572,"edition_id":2,"name":"Housing","identifier":"36","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":83,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{"child_laws":336,"child_structures":35},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:44:20","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:32:40","permalink":{"id":1435259,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":51572,"identifier":"36","token":"36","url":"\/36\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":360639,"structure_id":51585,"section_number":"36-156.3","catch_line":"Definitions","url":"\/36-156.3\/","token":"36\/10.2\/36-156.3","metadata":false},{"id":360640,"structure_id":51585,"section_number":"36-156.4","catch_line":"Virginia Food Access Investment Fund","url":"\/36-156.4\/","token":"36\/10.2\/36-156.4","metadata":false},{"id":360641,"structure_id":51585,"section_number":"36-156.5","catch_line":"Selection of CDFI; Program requirements; guidelines for management of the Fund","url":"\/36-156.5\/","token":"36\/10.2\/36-156.5","metadata":false},{"id":360642,"structure_id":51585,"section_number":"36-156.6","catch_line":"Annual reports","url":"\/36-156.6\/","token":"36\/10.2\/36-156.6","metadata":false}],"next_section":{"id":360640,"structure_id":51585,"section_number":"36-156.4","catch_line":"Virginia Food Access Investment Fund","url":"\/36-156.4\/","token":"36\/10.2\/36-156.4","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/36-156.3\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 2020. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapters 956<\/a> and 957<\/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":1435839,"object_type":"law","relational_id":360639,"identifier":"36-156.3","token":"36\/10.2\/36-156.3","url":"\/36-156.3\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/36-156.3\/","token":"36\/10.2\/36-156.3","dublin_core":{"Title":"Definitions","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 36-156.3","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

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

“CDFI<\/span>” means a community development financial institution that provides credit and financial services for underserved communities.<\/p>

“Department<\/span>” means the Department<\/span> of Agriculture and Consumer Services.<\/p>

“Fund<\/span>” means the Virginia Food Access Investment Fund<\/span>.<\/p>

“Funding<\/span>” means loans, forgivable loans, and grants made from the Fund<\/span>.<\/p>

“Grocery store<\/span>” means a for-profit or not-for-profit self-service retail establishment that primarily sells meat, seafood, fruits, vegetables, dairy products, dry groceries, household products, and sundries.<\/p>

“Innovative food retail project<\/span>” means an innovative project, including a mobile market or a delivery model, that addresses food access issues<\/span> in an underserved community<\/span>.<\/p>

“Program<\/span>” means the Virginia Food Access Investment Program<\/span>.<\/p>

“Small food retailer,” also referred to as a small-scale store, neighborhood store, small grocery, farmer’s market, or bodega, means a small retail outlet of under 2,500 square feet that sells a limited selection of foods and other products.<\/p>

“Underserved community<\/span>” means a census tract determined to be an area with low supermarket access either by the U.S. Department<\/span> of Agriculture (USDA), as identified in the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, or through a methodology that has been adopted for use by another governmental or philanthropic healthy food initiative.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nDEFINITIONS (\u00a7 36-156.3)\n\nAs used in this chapter, unless the context requires a different meaning:\n\n“CDFI” means a community development financial institution that\nprovides credit and financial services for underserved communities.\n\n“Department” means the Department of Agriculture and Consumer\nServices.\n\n“Fund” means the Virginia Food Access Investment Fund.\n\n“Funding” means loans, forgivable loans, and grants made from the\nFund.\n\n“Grocery store” means a for-profit or not-for-profit self-service\nretail establishment that primarily sells meat, seafood, fruits, vegetables,\ndairy products, dry groceries, household products, and sundries.\n\n“Innovative food retail project” means an innovative project,\nincluding a mobile market or a delivery model, that addresses food access issues\nin an underserved community.\n\n“Program” means the Virginia Food Access Investment Program.\n\n“Small food retailer,” also referred to as a small-scale store,\nneighborhood store, small grocery, farmer’s market, or bodega, means a\nsmall retail outlet of under 2,500 square feet that sells a limited selection of\nfoods and other products.\n\n“Underserved community” means a census tract determined to be an\narea with low supermarket access either by the U.S. Department of Agriculture\n(USDA), as identified in the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, or through a\nmethodology that has been adopted for use by another governmental or\nphilanthropic healthy food initiative.\n\nHISTORY: 2020, cc. 956, 957.","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"}}