{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-json\/55.1-2831.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-text\/55.1-2831.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-xml\/55.1-2831.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-html\/55.1-2831.html"}],"law_id":369819,"edition_id":2,"section_id":369819,"structure_id":52676,"section_number":"55.1-2831","catch_line":"Order of court","history":"Code 1950, \u00a7 8-897; 1977, c. 624, \u00a7 55-327; 1979, c. 486; 2019, c. 712.","full_text":"The court shall enter an order fixing the boundaries of any village or unincorporated community having within defined boundaries a population of 300 or more for the purpose of preventing domesticated livestock from running at large within such boundaries if (i) in the case of a contested petition, it appears from the evidence or from a report, if any is required pursuant to \u00a7 55.1-2830, that at least 300 persons reside within the boundaries referred to in a petition filed pursuant to \u00a7 55.1-2828 and that a majority of the landowners residing therein are in favor of prohibiting domesticated livestock from running at large or (ii) in the case of an uncontested petition, on the basis of the evidence presented in the petition itself.\n\n","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":1379723,"text":"The court shall enter an order fixing the boundaries of any village or unincorporated community having within defined boundaries a population of 300 or more for the purpose of preventing domesticated livestock from running at large within such boundaries if (i) in the case of a contested petition, it appears from the evidence or from a report, if any is required pursuant to \u00a7 55.1-2830, that at least 300 persons reside within the boundaries referred to in a petition filed pursuant to \u00a7 55.1-2828 and that a majority of the landowners residing therein are in favor of prohibiting domesticated livestock from running at large or (ii) in the case of an uncontested petition, on the basis of the evidence presented in the petition itself.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":52676,"edition_id":2,"name":"Special Provisions for Unincorporated Communities","identifier":"7","label":"article","depth":4,"order_by":7,"parent_id":52669,"metadata":{"child_laws":8,"child_structures":0},"date_created":"2026-08-02 03:02:56","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:35:33","permalink":{"id":1475311,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":52676,"identifier":"7","token":"55.1\/V\/28\/7","url":"\/55.1\/V\/28\/7\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":52669,"edition_id":2,"name":"Trespasses; Fences","identifier":"28","label":"chapter","depth":3,"order_by":5,"parent_id":52661,"metadata":{"child_laws":42,"child_structures":8},"date_created":"2026-08-02 03:02:53","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:35:33","permalink":{"id":1475189,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":52669,"identifier":"28","token":"55.1\/V\/28","url":"\/55.1\/V\/28\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":52661,"edition_id":2,"name":"Miscellaneous","identifier":"V","label":"subtitle","depth":2,"order_by":5,"parent_id":52600,"metadata":{"child_laws":165,"child_structures":20},"date_created":"2026-08-02 03:02:42","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:35:31","permalink":{"id":1474773,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":52661,"identifier":"V","token":"55.1\/V","url":"\/55.1\/V\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":52600,"edition_id":2,"name":"Property and Conveyances","identifier":"55.1","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":120,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{"child_laws":875,"child_structures":101},"date_created":"2026-08-02 03:01:36","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:35:20","permalink":{"id":1471771,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":52600,"identifier":"55.1","token":"55.1","url":"\/55.1\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":369815,"structure_id":52676,"section_number":"55.1-2827","catch_line":"Courts to fix boundaries of villages to prevent animals from running at large","url":"\/55.1-2827\/","token":"55.1\/V\/28\/7\/55.1-2827","metadata":false},{"id":369816,"structure_id":52676,"section_number":"55.1-2828","catch_line":"Petition for action to fix boundaries of village or unincorporated community","url":"\/55.1-2828\/","token":"55.1\/V\/28\/7\/55.1-2828","metadata":false},{"id":369817,"structure_id":52676,"section_number":"55.1-2829","catch_line":"Entry of order if petition not contested","url":"\/55.1-2829\/","token":"55.1\/V\/28\/7\/55.1-2829","metadata":false},{"id":369818,"structure_id":52676,"section_number":"55.1-2830","catch_line":"Procedure in case of contest","url":"\/55.1-2830\/","token":"55.1\/V\/28\/7\/55.1-2830","metadata":false},{"id":369819,"structure_id":52676,"section_number":"55.1-2831","catch_line":"Order of court","url":"\/55.1-2831\/","token":"55.1\/V\/28\/7\/55.1-2831","metadata":false},{"id":369820,"structure_id":52676,"section_number":"55.1-2832","catch_line":"Animals shall not run at large after entry of order","url":"\/55.1-2832\/","token":"55.1\/V\/28\/7\/55.1-2832","metadata":false},{"id":369821,"structure_id":52676,"section_number":"55.1-2833","catch_line":"Costs","url":"\/55.1-2833\/","token":"55.1\/V\/28\/7\/55.1-2833","metadata":false},{"id":369822,"structure_id":52676,"section_number":"55.1-2834","catch_line":"Owner of domesticated livestock liable for trespasses","url":"\/55.1-2834\/","token":"55.1\/V\/28\/7\/55.1-2834","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":369818,"structure_id":52676,"section_number":"55.1-2830","catch_line":"Procedure in case of contest","url":"\/55.1-2830\/","token":"55.1\/V\/28\/7\/55.1-2830","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":369820,"structure_id":52676,"section_number":"55.1-2832","catch_line":"Animals shall not run at large after entry of order","url":"\/55.1-2832\/","token":"55.1\/V\/28\/7\/55.1-2832","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/55.1-2831\/","history_text":"

The record of this law\u2019s original creation isn\u2019t available online. It has been modified 3 times. 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. Those modifications are as follows: in 1977, chapter 624; in 1979, chapter 486; in 2019, chapter 712<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":369820,"section_number":"55.1-2832","catch_line":"Animals shall not run at large after entry of order","order_by":null,"url":"\/55.1-2832\/"}],"refers_to":[{"id":369816,"section_number":"55.1-2828","catch_line":"Petition for action to fix boundaries of village or unincorporated community","order_by":null,"url":"\/55.1-2828\/"},{"id":369818,"section_number":"55.1-2830","catch_line":"Procedure in case of contest","order_by":null,"url":"\/55.1-2830\/"}],"permalink":{"id":1475329,"object_type":"law","relational_id":369819,"identifier":"55.1-2831","token":"55.1\/V\/28\/7\/55.1-2831","url":"\/55.1-2831\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/55.1-2831\/","token":"55.1\/V\/28\/7\/55.1-2831","dublin_core":{"Title":"Order of court","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 55.1-2831","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

The court<\/span> shall enter an order<\/span> fixing the boundaries of any village or unincorporated community having within defined boundaries a population of 300 or more for the purpose of preventing domesticated livestock from running at large within such boundaries if (i) in the case of a contested petition<\/span>, it appears from the evidence<\/span> or from a report, if any is required pursuant to \u00a7 55.1-2830<\/a>, that at least 300 persons reside within the boundaries referred to in a petition<\/span> filed pursuant to \u00a7 55.1-2828<\/a> and that a majority of the landowners residing therein are in favor of prohibiting domesticated livestock from running at large or (ii) in the case of an uncontested petition<\/span>, on the basis of the evidence<\/span> presented in the petition<\/span> itself.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nORDER OF COURT (\u00a7 55.1-2831)\n\nThe court shall enter an order fixing the boundaries of any village or\nunincorporated community having within defined boundaries a population of 300 or\nmore for the purpose of preventing domesticated livestock from running at large\nwithin such boundaries if (i) in the case of a contested petition, it appears\nfrom the evidence or from a report, if any is required pursuant to \u00a7 55.1-2830,\nthat at least 300 persons reside within the boundaries referred to in a petition\nfiled pursuant to \u00a7 55.1-2828 and that a majority of the landowners residing\ntherein are in favor of prohibiting domesticated livestock from running at large\nor (ii) in the case of an uncontested petition, on the basis of the evidence\npresented in the petition itself.\n\nHISTORY: Code 1950, \u00a7 8-897; 1977, c. 624, \u00a7 55-327; 1979, c. 486; 2019, c.\n712.","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"}}