{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-json\/56-484.19.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-text\/56-484.19.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-xml\/56-484.19.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-html\/56-484.19.html"}],"law_id":370471,"edition_id":2,"section_id":370471,"structure_id":52766,"section_number":"56-484.19","catch_line":"Definitions","history":"2007, c. 427; 2008, c. 853; 2009, cc. 813, 840.","full_text":"As used in this article:\n\n\t\t“Alternative method of providing call location information” means a method of maintaining and operating a multiline telephone system that ensures that:\n\n1\n\nEmergency calls from a telephone station provide the PSAP with sufficient location identification information to ensure that emergency responders are dispatched to a location at the facility from which the emergency call was placed, from which location emergency responders will be able to ascertain the telephone station where the emergency call was placed (i) by being able to view all of the telephone stations in the area contiguous to the telephone station from which the emergency call was placed or (ii) by the activation of an alerting system at the facility, which activation is triggered by the placing of the emergency call, and which readily allows arriving emergency responders to determine the physical location of the telephone station from which the emergency call was placed. A light or alarm located near the telephone station is an example of such an alerting system;\n\n2\n\nEmergency calls from a telephone station, in addition to reaching a PSAP, connect to or otherwise notify a switchboard operator, attendant, or other designated on-site individual who is capable of giving the PSAP the location of the telephone station from which the emergency call was placed; or\n\n3\n\nCalls to the digits “9-1-1″ from a telephone station connect to a private emergency answering point.\n\t\t\tAn alternative method of providing call location information shall also be deemed to be provided, as a result of the imputed ability of emergency responders to readily locate all telephone stations from which the emergency call could have been placed, when emergency calls provide calling party information corresponding to a contiguous area containing the telephone from which the emergency call was placed, of fewer than 7,000 square feet, located on one or more floors.\n\n\t\t\t“Automatic location identification” or “ALI” means the automatic display at a PSAP of information defining the emergency call location, which information shall identify the floor name or number, room name or number, building name or number, cubicle name or number, and office name or number, as applicable, or imparts other information that is sufficiently specific to provide the emergency responders with the ability to locate the telephone station from which the emergency call was placed.\n\n\t\t\t“Automatic number identification” or “ANI” means the automatic display at a PSAP of a telephone number that a PSAP may use to call the telephone station from which the emergency call was placed.\n\n\t\t\t“Calling party information” means information that is delivered by the MLTS provider to the PSAP that is used to provide the ANI and ALI function.\n\n\t\t\t“Central office system” means a business telephone service offered by a provider of communications services that provides features similar to a private branch exchange by transmitting data over telecommunications equipment or cable lines.\n\n\t\t\t“Emergency call” means a telephone call that enables the user to reach a PSAP by dialing the digits “9-1-1″ and, if applicable, any additional digit or digits that must be dialed in order to permit the user to access the public switched telephone network.\n\n\t\t\t“Emergency call location” means the location of the telephone station on an MLTS from which an emergency call is placed and to which a PSAP may dispatch emergency responders based upon ALI provided via the emergency call.\n\n\t\t\t“Emergency responders” means fire services, law enforcement, emergency medical services, and other public services or agencies that may be dispatched by a PSAP in response to an emergency call.\n\n\t\t\t“Enhanced 9-1-1 service” means a service consisting of telephone network features and PSAPs that (i) enables users of telephone systems to reach a PSAP by making an emergency call; (ii) automatically directs emergency calls to the appropriate PSAPs by selective routing based on the geographical location from which the emergency call originated; and (iii) provides the capability for ANI and ALI features.\n\n\t\t\t“Facility” means real estate and improvements used principally for or as a (i) hotel as defined in § 35.1-1, (ii) dormitory at an institution of higher education, (iii) medical care facility as defined in § 32.1-3, (iv) group home or other residential facility licensed by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services or Department of Social Services, (v) assisted living facility as defined in § 63.2-100, (vi) apartment complex or condominium where shared tenant telephone service is provided, (vii) commercial or government office building, (viii) manufacturing, processing, assembly, warehouse, or distribution establishment, or (ix) retail establishment.\n\n\t\t\t“MLTS provider” means a person who operates a facility at which telephone service is provided, with or without compensation, through a multiline telephone system.\n\n\t\t\t“MLTS service provider” means a person offering or operating third party services that combine communications services, private branch exchange or central office systems, and multiline telephone systems where such services are provided to an MLTS provider on a fee-for-service basis.\n\n\t\t\t“Multiline telephone system” or “MLTS” means a telephone system, including network-based or premises-based systems, whether owned or leased by a public or private entity, operated in the Commonwealth, that serves a facility, has more than one telephone station, and is comprised of common control units, telephones, and control hardware and software that share a common interface to the public switched telephone network, whether by a private branch exchange or central office system, without regard to whether the system utilizes VoIP technology.\n\n\t\t\t“Person” includes any individual, corporation, partnership, association, cooperative, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, government, political subdivision, or any other legal or commercial entity and any successor, representative, agent, agency, or instrumentality thereof.\n\n\t\t\t“Portable VoIP services” includes any MLTS utilizing a VoIP service and providing an end user with the capability to use the service at a location independent of the original physical location of telephone stations on the MLTS.\n\n\t\t\t“Private emergency answering point” means an answering point that is equipped and staffed during all hours that the facility is occupied to provide adequate means of responding to calls to the digits “9-1-1″ from telephones on a multiline telephone system by reporting incidents to a PSAP in a manner that identifies the emergency response location from which the call to the answering point was placed.\n\n\t\t\t“Public safety answering point” or “PSAP” means a communications operation operated by or on behalf of a governmental entity that is equipped and staffed on a 24-hour basis to receive and process telephone calls for emergency assistance from an individual by dialing, in addition to any digits required to obtain an outside line, the digits “9-1-1.”\n\n\t\t\t“Public switched telephone network” means the worldwide, interconnected networks of equipment, lines, and controls assembled to establish circuit-switched voice communication paths between calling and called parties.\n\n\t\t\t“Retail establishment” means any establishment selling goods or services to the ultimate user or consumer of those goods or services, not for the purpose of resale, but for that user’s or consumer’s personal rather than business use.\n\n\t\t\t“Telephone call” means the use of a telephone to initiate an ordinary voice transmission placed through the public switched telephone network.\n\n\t\t\t“Telephone station” means a telephone on a multiline telephone system, from which a call may be placed to a PSAP by dialing, in addition to any digits required to access the public switched telephone network, the digits “9-1-1.” However, in any medical care facility or licensed assisted living facility, “telephone station” includes any telephone on a multiline telephone system located in an administrative office, nursing station, lobby, waiting area, or other area accessible to the general public but does not include a telephone located in the room of a patient or resident.\n\n\t\t\t“VoIP service” has the same meaning ascribed to it in § 56-484.12.\n\n","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":1381832,"text":"As used in this article:\t\t“Alternative method of providing call location information” means a method of maintaining and operating a multiline telephone system that ensures that:","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"next_prefix":"1"},"1":{"id":1381833,"text":"Emergency calls from a telephone station provide the PSAP with sufficient location identification information to ensure that emergency responders are dispatched to a location at the facility from which the emergency call was placed, from which location emergency responders will be able to ascertain the telephone station where the emergency call was placed (i) by being able to view all of the telephone stations in the area contiguous to the telephone station from which the emergency call was placed or (ii) by the activation of an alerting system at the facility, which activation is triggered by the placing of the emergency call, and which readily allows arriving emergency responders to determine the physical location of the telephone station from which the emergency call was placed. A light or alarm located near the telephone station is an example of such an alerting system;","type":"section","prefixes":["1"],"prefix":"1","entire_prefix":"1","prefix_anchor":"1","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":"2"},"2":{"id":1381834,"text":"Emergency calls from a telephone station, in addition to reaching a PSAP, connect to or otherwise notify a switchboard operator, attendant, or other designated on-site individual who is capable of giving the PSAP the location of the telephone station from which the emergency call was placed; or","type":"section","prefixes":["2"],"prefix":"2","entire_prefix":"2","prefix_anchor":"2","level":1,"prior_prefix":"1","next_prefix":"3"},"3":{"id":1381835,"text":"Calls to the digits “9-1-1″ from a telephone station connect to a private emergency answering point.\n\t\t\tAn alternative method of providing call location information shall also be deemed to be provided, as a result of the imputed ability of emergency responders to readily locate all telephone stations from which the emergency call could have been placed, when emergency calls provide calling party information corresponding to a contiguous area containing the telephone from which the emergency call was placed, of fewer than 7,000 square feet, located on one or more floors.\t\t\t“Automatic location identification” or “ALI” means the automatic display at a PSAP of information defining the emergency call location, which information shall identify the floor name or number, room name or number, building name or number, cubicle name or number, and office name or number, as applicable, or imparts other information that is sufficiently specific to provide the emergency responders with the ability to locate the telephone station from which the emergency call was placed.\t\t\t“Automatic number identification” or “ANI” means the automatic display at a PSAP of a telephone number that a PSAP may use to call the telephone station from which the emergency call was placed.\t\t\t“Calling party information” means information that is delivered by the MLTS provider to the PSAP that is used to provide the ANI and ALI function.\t\t\t“Central office system” means a business telephone service offered by a provider of communications services that provides features similar to a private branch exchange by transmitting data over telecommunications equipment or cable lines.\t\t\t“Emergency call” means a telephone call that enables the user to reach a PSAP by dialing the digits “9-1-1″ and, if applicable, any additional digit or digits that must be dialed in order to permit the user to access the public switched telephone network.\t\t\t“Emergency call location” means the location of the telephone station on an MLTS from which an emergency call is placed and to which a PSAP may dispatch emergency responders based upon ALI provided via the emergency call.\t\t\t“Emergency responders” means fire services, law enforcement, emergency medical services, and other public services or agencies that may be dispatched by a PSAP in response to an emergency call.\t\t\t“Enhanced 9-1-1 service” means a service consisting of telephone network features and PSAPs that (i) enables users of telephone systems to reach a PSAP by making an emergency call; (ii) automatically directs emergency calls to the appropriate PSAPs by selective routing based on the geographical location from which the emergency call originated; and (iii) provides the capability for ANI and ALI features.\t\t\t“Facility” means real estate and improvements used principally for or as a (i) hotel as defined in § 35.1-1, (ii) dormitory at an institution of higher education, (iii) medical care facility as defined in § 32.1-3, (iv) group home or other residential facility licensed by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services or Department of Social Services, (v) assisted living facility as defined in § 63.2-100, (vi) apartment complex or condominium where shared tenant telephone service is provided, (vii) commercial or government office building, (viii) manufacturing, processing, assembly, warehouse, or distribution establishment, or (ix) retail establishment.\t\t\t“MLTS provider” means a person who operates a facility at which telephone service is provided, with or without compensation, through a multiline telephone system.\t\t\t“MLTS service provider” means a person offering or operating third party services that combine communications services, private branch exchange or central office systems, and multiline telephone systems where such services are provided to an MLTS provider on a fee-for-service basis.\t\t\t“Multiline telephone system” or “MLTS” means a telephone system, including network-based or premises-based systems, whether owned or leased by a public or private entity, operated in the Commonwealth, that serves a facility, has more than one telephone station, and is comprised of common control units, telephones, and control hardware and software that share a common interface to the public switched telephone network, whether by a private branch exchange or central office system, without regard to whether the system utilizes VoIP technology.\t\t\t“Person” includes any individual, corporation, partnership, association, cooperative, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, government, political subdivision, or any other legal or commercial entity and any successor, representative, agent, agency, or instrumentality thereof.\t\t\t“Portable VoIP services” includes any MLTS utilizing a VoIP service and providing an end user with the capability to use the service at a location independent of the original physical location of telephone stations on the MLTS.\t\t\t“Private emergency answering point” means an answering point that is equipped and staffed during all hours that the facility is occupied to provide adequate means of responding to calls to the digits “9-1-1″ from telephones on a multiline telephone system by reporting incidents to a PSAP in a manner that identifies the emergency response location from which the call to the answering point was placed.\t\t\t“Public safety answering point” or “PSAP” means a communications operation operated by or on behalf of a governmental entity that is equipped and staffed on a 24-hour basis to receive and process telephone calls for emergency assistance from an individual by dialing, in addition to any digits required to obtain an outside line, the digits “9-1-1.”\t\t\t“Public switched telephone network” means the worldwide, interconnected networks of equipment, lines, and controls assembled to establish circuit-switched voice communication paths between calling and called parties.\t\t\t“Retail establishment” means any establishment selling goods or services to the ultimate user or consumer of those goods or services, not for the purpose of resale, but for that user’s or consumer’s personal rather than business use.\t\t\t“Telephone call” means the use of a telephone to initiate an ordinary voice transmission placed through the public switched telephone network.\t\t\t“Telephone station” means a telephone on a multiline telephone system, from which a call may be placed to a PSAP by dialing, in addition to any digits required to access the public switched telephone network, the digits “9-1-1.” However, in any medical care facility or licensed assisted living facility, “telephone station” includes any telephone on a multiline telephone system located in an administrative office, nursing station, lobby, waiting area, or other area accessible to the general public but does not include a telephone located in the room of a patient or resident.\t\t\t“VoIP service” has the same meaning ascribed to it in § 56-484.12.","type":"section","prefixes":["3"],"prefix":"3","entire_prefix":"3","prefix_anchor":"3","level":1,"prior_prefix":"2"}},"ancestry":[{"id":52766,"edition_id":2,"name":"Emergency Calls on Multiline Telephone Systems","identifier":"8","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":9,"parent_id":52759,"metadata":{"child_laws":7,"child_structures":0},"date_created":"2026-08-02 03:04:17","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:35:44","permalink":{"id":1477067,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":52766,"identifier":"8","token":"56\/15\/8","url":"\/56\/15\/8\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":52759,"edition_id":2,"name":"Telegraph and Telephone Companies","identifier":"15","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":30,"parent_id":52702,"metadata":{"child_laws":62,"child_structures":9},"date_created":"2026-08-02 03:04:11","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:35:43","permalink":{"id":1476829,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":52759,"identifier":"15","token":"56\/15","url":"\/56\/15\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":52702,"edition_id":2,"name":"Public Service Companies","identifier":"56","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":121,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{"child_laws":710,"child_structures":93},"date_created":"2026-08-02 03:03:25","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:35:34","permalink":{"id":1475475,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":52702,"identifier":"56","token":"56","url":"\/56\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":370471,"structure_id":52766,"section_number":"56-484.19","catch_line":"Definitions","url":"\/56-484.19\/","token":"56\/15\/8\/56-484.19","metadata":{"court_decisions":""}},{"id":370473,"structure_id":52766,"section_number":"56-484.20","catch_line":"Charges for emergency calls","url":"\/56-484.20\/","token":"56\/15\/8\/56-484.20","metadata":false},{"id":370474,"structure_id":52766,"section_number":"56-484.21","catch_line":"Instructions for emergency calling","url":"\/56-484.21\/","token":"56\/15\/8\/56-484.21","metadata":false},{"id":370475,"structure_id":52766,"section_number":"56-484.22","catch_line":"Access to PSAPs from telephone stations on MLTS","url":"\/56-484.22\/","token":"56\/15\/8\/56-484.22","metadata":false},{"id":370476,"structure_id":52766,"section_number":"56-484.23","catch_line":"Provision of emergency call information","url":"\/56-484.23\/","token":"56\/15\/8\/56-484.23","metadata":false},{"id":370477,"structure_id":52766,"section_number":"56-484.24","catch_line":"Liability","url":"\/56-484.24\/","token":"56\/15\/8\/56-484.24","metadata":false},{"id":370478,"structure_id":52766,"section_number":"56-484.25","catch_line":"Exemption for certain counties","url":"\/56-484.25\/","token":"56\/15\/8\/56-484.25","metadata":false}],"next_section":{"id":370473,"structure_id":52766,"section_number":"56-484.20","catch_line":"Charges for emergency calls","url":"\/56-484.20\/","token":"56\/15\/8\/56-484.20","metadata":false},"metadata":{"court_decisions":""},"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/56-484.19\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 2007. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 427<\/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. It has been modified 2 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 2008, chapter 853<\/a>; in 2009, chapters 813<\/a> and 840<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":360930,"section_number":"37.2-311.6","catch_line":"Liability for emergency calls to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline","order_by":null,"url":"\/37.2-311.6\/"},{"id":370464,"section_number":"56-484.14","catch_line":"Powers and duties of the 9-1-1 Services Board","order_by":null,"url":"\/56-484.14\/"}],"refers_to":[{"id":359459,"section_number":"32.1-3","catch_line":"Definitions","order_by":null,"url":"\/32.1-3\/"},{"id":360525,"section_number":"35.1-1","catch_line":"Definitions","order_by":null,"url":"\/35.1-1\/"},{"id":370461,"section_number":"56-484.12","catch_line":"Definitions","order_by":null,"url":"\/56-484.12\/"},{"id":375269,"section_number":"63.2-100","catch_line":"Definitions","order_by":null,"url":"\/63.2-100\/"}],"permalink":{"id":1477069,"object_type":"law","relational_id":370471,"identifier":"56-484.19","token":"56\/15\/8\/56-484.19","url":"\/56-484.19\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/56-484.19\/","token":"56\/15\/8\/56-484.19","dublin_core":{"Title":"Definitions","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 56-484.19","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

As used in this article:

\t\t“Alternative method of providing call location information<\/span>” means a method of maintaining and operating a multiline telephone system<\/span> that ensures that:<\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

1.<\/span> Emergency calls<\/span> from a telephone station<\/span> provide the PSAP<\/span> with sufficient location identification information to ensure that emergency responders<\/span> are dispatched to a location at the facility<\/span> from which the emergency call<\/span> was placed, from which location emergency responders<\/span> will be able to ascertain the telephone station<\/span> where the emergency call<\/span> was placed (i) by being able to view all of the telephone stations<\/span> in the area contiguous to the telephone station<\/span> from which the emergency call<\/span> was placed or (ii) by the activation of an alerting system at the facility<\/span>, which activation is triggered by the placing of the emergency call<\/span>, and which readily allows arriving emergency responders<\/span> to determine the physical location of the telephone station<\/span> from which the emergency call<\/span> was placed. A light or alarm located near the telephone station<\/span> is an example of such an alerting system; <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

2.<\/span> Emergency calls<\/span> from a telephone station<\/span>, in addition to reaching a PSAP<\/span>, connect to or otherwise notify a switchboard operator, attendant, or other designated on-site individual who is capable of giving the PSAP<\/span> the location of the telephone station<\/span> from which the emergency call<\/span> was placed; or <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

3.<\/span> Calls to the digits “9-1-1″ from a telephone station<\/span> connect to a private emergency answering point<\/span>.\n\t\t\tAn alternative method of providing call location information<\/span> shall also be deemed to be provided, as a result of the imputed ability of emergency responders<\/span> to readily locate all telephone stations<\/span> from which the emergency call could have been placed, when emergency calls<\/span> provide calling party information<\/span> corresponding to a contiguous area containing the telephone from which the emergency call was placed, of fewer than 7,000 square feet, located on one or more floors.

\t\t\t“Automatic location identification<\/span>” or “ALI<\/span>” means the automatic display at a PSAP<\/span> of information defining the emergency call location<\/span>, which information shall identify the floor name or number, room name or number, building name or number, cubicle name or number, and office name or number, as applicable, or imparts other information that is sufficiently specific to provide the emergency responders<\/span> with the ability to locate the telephone station<\/span> from which the emergency call was placed.

\t\t\t“Automatic number identification<\/span>” or “ANI<\/span>” means the automatic display at a PSAP<\/span> of a telephone number that a PSAP<\/span> may use to call the telephone station<\/span> from which the emergency call was placed.

\t\t\t“Calling party information<\/span>” means information that is delivered by the MLTS provider<\/span> to the PSAP<\/span> that is used to provide the ANI<\/span> and ALI<\/span> function.

\t\t\t“Central office system<\/span>” means a business telephone service offered by a provider of communications services that provides features similar to a private branch exchange by transmitting data over telecommunications equipment or cable lines.

\t\t\t“Emergency call” means a telephone call<\/span> that enables the user to reach a PSAP<\/span> by dialing the digits “9-1-1″ and, if applicable, any additional digit or digits that must be dialed in order<\/span> to permit the user to access the public switched telephone network<\/span>.

\t\t\t“Emergency call location<\/span>” means the location of the telephone station<\/span> on an MLTS from which an emergency call is placed and to which a PSAP<\/span> may dispatch emergency responders<\/span> based upon ALI<\/span> provided via the emergency call.

\t\t\t“Emergency responders<\/span>” means fire services, law<\/span> enforcement, emergency medical services, and other public services or agencies that may be dispatched by a PSAP<\/span> in response to an emergency call.

\t\t\t“Enhanced 9-1-1 service” means a service consisting of telephone network features and PSAPs<\/span> that (i) enables users of telephone systems to reach a PSAP<\/span> by making an emergency call; (ii) automatically directs emergency calls<\/span> to the appropriate PSAPs<\/span> by selective routing based on the geographical location from which the emergency call originated; and (iii) provides the capability for ANI<\/span> and ALI<\/span> features.

\t\t\t“Facility<\/span>” means real estate and improvements used principally for or as a (i) hotel as defined in § 35.1-1<\/a>, (ii) dormitory at an institution of higher education, (iii) medical care facility<\/span> as defined in § 32.1-3<\/a>, (iv) group home or other residential facility<\/span> licensed by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services or Department of Social Services, (v) assisted living facility<\/span> as defined in § 63.2-100<\/a>, (vi) apartment complex or condominium where shared tenant telephone service is provided, (vii) commercial or government office building, (viii) manufacturing, processing, assembly, warehouse, or distribution establishment, or (ix) retail establishment<\/span>.

\t\t\t“MLTS provider<\/span>” means a person<\/span> who operates a facility<\/span> at which telephone service is provided, with or without compensation, through a multiline telephone system<\/span>.

\t\t\t“MLTS service provider<\/span>” means a person<\/span> offering or operating third party services that combine communications services, private branch exchange or central office systems<\/span>, and multiline telephone systems<\/span> where such services are provided to an MLTS provider<\/span> on a fee-for-service basis.

\t\t\t“Multiline telephone system<\/span>” or “MLTS” means a telephone system, including network-based or premises-based systems, whether owned or leased by a public or private entity, operated in the Commonwealth, that serves a facility<\/span>, has more than one telephone station<\/span>, and is comprised of common control units, telephones, and control hardware and software that share a common interface to the public switched telephone network<\/span>, whether by a private branch exchange or central office system<\/span>, without regard to whether the system utilizes VoIP technology.

\t\t\t“Person<\/span>” includes any individual, corporation<\/span>, partnership, association, cooperative, limited liability company<\/span>, trust, joint venture, government, political subdivision, or any other legal or commercial entity and any successor, representative, agent, agency, or instrumentality thereof.

\t\t\t“Portable VoIP services<\/span>” includes any MLTS utilizing a VoIP service<\/span> and providing an end user with the capability to use the service at a location independent of the original physical location of telephone stations<\/span> on the MLTS.

\t\t\t“Private emergency answering point<\/span>” means an answering point that is equipped and staffed during all hours that the facility<\/span> is occupied to provide adequate means of responding to calls to the digits “9-1-1″ from telephones on a multiline telephone system<\/span> by reporting incidents to a PSAP<\/span> in a manner that identifies the emergency response location from which the call to the answering point was placed.

\t\t\t“Public safety answering point<\/span>” or “PSAP<\/span>” means a communications operation operated by or on behalf of a governmental entity that is equipped and staffed on a 24-hour basis to receive and process telephone calls<\/span> for emergency assistance from an individual by dialing, in addition to any digits required to obtain an outside line, the digits “9-1-1.”

\t\t\t“Public switched telephone network<\/span>” means the worldwide, interconnected networks of equipment, lines, and controls assembled to establish circuit<\/span>-switched voice communication paths between calling and called parties.

\t\t\t“Retail establishment<\/span>” means any establishment selling goods or services to the ultimate user or consumer of those goods or services, not for the purpose of resale, but for that user’s or consumer’s personal rather than business use.

\t\t\t“Telephone call<\/span>” means the use of a telephone to initiate an ordinary voice transmission placed through the public switched telephone network<\/span>.

\t\t\t“Telephone station<\/span>” means a telephone on a multiline telephone system<\/span>, from which a call may be placed to a PSAP<\/span> by dialing, in addition to any digits required to access the public switched telephone network<\/span>, the digits “9-1-1.” However, in any medical care facility<\/span> or licensed assisted living facility<\/span>, “telephone station<\/span>” includes any telephone on a multiline telephone system<\/span> located in an administrative office, nursing station, lobby, waiting area, or other area accessible to the general public but does not include a telephone located in the room of a patient or resident.

\t\t\t“VoIP service<\/span>” has the same meaning ascribed to it in § 56-484.12<\/a>. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nDEFINITIONS (\u00a7 56-484.19)\n\nAs used in this article:\t\t“Alternative method of providing call location\ninformation” means a method of maintaining and operating a multiline\ntelephone system that ensures that:\n\n1. Emergency calls from a telephone station provide the PSAP with sufficient\nlocation identification information to ensure that emergency responders are\ndispatched to a location at the facility from which the emergency call was\nplaced, from which location emergency responders will be able to ascertain the\ntelephone station where the emergency call was placed (i) by being able to view\nall of the telephone stations in the area contiguous to the telephone station\nfrom which the emergency call was placed or (ii) by the activation of an\nalerting system at the facility, which activation is triggered by the placing of\nthe emergency call, and which readily allows arriving emergency responders to\ndetermine the physical location of the telephone station from which the\nemergency call was placed. A light or alarm located near the telephone station\nis an example of such an alerting system;\n\n2. Emergency calls from a telephone station, in addition to reaching a PSAP,\nconnect to or otherwise notify a switchboard operator, attendant, or other\ndesignated on-site individual who is capable of giving the PSAP the location of\nthe telephone station from which the emergency call was placed; or\n\n3. Calls to the digits “9-1-1″ from a telephone station connect to a\nprivate emergency answering point.\n\t\t\tAn alternative method of providing call location information shall also be\ndeemed to be provided, as a result of the imputed ability of emergency\nresponders to readily locate all telephone stations from which the emergency\ncall could have been placed, when emergency calls provide calling party\ninformation corresponding to a contiguous area containing the telephone from\nwhich the emergency call was placed, of fewer than 7,000 square feet, located on\none or more floors.\t\t\t“Automatic location identification” or\n“ALI” means the automatic display at a PSAP of information defining\nthe emergency call location, which information shall identify the floor name or\nnumber, room name or number, building name or number, cubicle name or number,\nand office name or number, as applicable, or imparts other information that is\nsufficiently specific to provide the emergency responders with the ability to\nlocate the telephone station from which the emergency call was\nplaced.\t\t\t“Automatic number identification” or “ANI”\nmeans the automatic display at a PSAP of a telephone number that a PSAP may use\nto call the telephone station from which the emergency call was\nplaced.\t\t\t“Calling party information” means information that is\ndelivered by the MLTS provider to the PSAP that is used to provide the ANI and\nALI function.\t\t\t“Central office system” means a business telephone\nservice offered by a provider of communications services that provides features\nsimilar to a private branch exchange by transmitting data over\ntelecommunications equipment or cable lines.\t\t\t“Emergency call”\nmeans a telephone call that enables the user to reach a PSAP by dialing the\ndigits “9-1-1″ and, if applicable, any additional digit or digits\nthat must be dialed in order to permit the user to access the public switched\ntelephone network.\t\t\t“Emergency call location” means the location of\nthe telephone station on an MLTS from which an emergency call is placed and to\nwhich a PSAP may dispatch emergency responders based upon ALI provided via the\nemergency call.\t\t\t“Emergency responders” means fire services, law\nenforcement, emergency medical services, and other public services or agencies\nthat may be dispatched by a PSAP in response to an emergency\ncall.\t\t\t“Enhanced 9-1-1 service” means a service consisting of\ntelephone network features and PSAPs that (i) enables users of telephone systems\nto reach a PSAP by making an emergency call; (ii) automatically directs\nemergency calls to the appropriate PSAPs by selective routing based on the\ngeographical location from which the emergency call originated; and (iii)\nprovides the capability for ANI and ALI features.\t\t\t“Facility” means\nreal estate and improvements used principally for or as a (i) hotel as defined\nin § 35.1-1, (ii) dormitory at an institution of higher education, (iii)\nmedical care facility as defined in § 32.1-3, (iv) group home or other\nresidential facility licensed by the Department of Behavioral Health and\nDevelopmental Services or Department of Social Services, (v) assisted living\nfacility as defined in § 63.2-100, (vi) apartment complex or condominium\nwhere shared tenant telephone service is provided, (vii) commercial or\ngovernment office building, (viii) manufacturing, processing, assembly,\nwarehouse, or distribution establishment, or (ix) retail\nestablishment.\t\t\t“MLTS provider” means a person who operates a\nfacility at which telephone service is provided, with or without compensation,\nthrough a multiline telephone system.\t\t\t“MLTS service provider”\nmeans a person offering or operating third party services that combine\ncommunications services, private branch exchange or central office systems, and\nmultiline telephone systems where such services are provided to an MLTS provider\non a fee-for-service basis.\t\t\t“Multiline telephone system” or\n“MLTS” means a telephone system, including network-based or\npremises-based systems, whether owned or leased by a public or private entity,\noperated in the Commonwealth, that serves a facility, has more than one\ntelephone station, and is comprised of common control units, telephones, and\ncontrol hardware and software that share a common interface to the public\nswitched telephone network, whether by a private branch exchange or central\noffice system, without regard to whether the system utilizes VoIP\ntechnology.\t\t\t“Person” includes any individual, corporation,\npartnership, association, cooperative, limited liability company, trust, joint\nventure, government, political subdivision, or any other legal or commercial\nentity and any successor, representative, agent, agency, or instrumentality\nthereof.\t\t\t“Portable VoIP services” includes any MLTS utilizing a\nVoIP service and providing an end user with the capability to use the service at\na location independent of the original physical location of telephone stations\non the MLTS.\t\t\t“Private emergency answering point” means an\nanswering point that is equipped and staffed during all hours that the facility\nis occupied to provide adequate means of responding to calls to the digits\n“9-1-1″ from telephones on a multiline telephone system by reporting\nincidents to a PSAP in a manner that identifies the emergency response location\nfrom which the call to the answering point was placed.\t\t\t“Public safety\nanswering point” or “PSAP” means a communications operation\noperated by or on behalf of a governmental entity that is equipped and staffed\non a 24-hour basis to receive and process telephone calls for emergency\nassistance from an individual by dialing, in addition to any digits required to\nobtain an outside line, the digits “9-1-1.”\t\t\t“Public switched\ntelephone network” means the worldwide, interconnected networks of\nequipment, lines, and controls assembled to establish circuit-switched voice\ncommunication paths between calling and called parties.\t\t\t“Retail\nestablishment” means any establishment selling goods or services to the\nultimate user or consumer of those goods or services, not for the purpose of\nresale, but for that user’s or consumer’s personal rather than\nbusiness use.\t\t\t“Telephone call” means the use of a telephone to\ninitiate an ordinary voice transmission placed through the public switched\ntelephone network.\t\t\t“Telephone station” means a telephone on a\nmultiline telephone system, from which a call may be placed to a PSAP by\ndialing, in addition to any digits required to access the public switched\ntelephone network, the digits “9-1-1.” However, in any medical care\nfacility or licensed assisted living facility, “telephone station”\nincludes any telephone on a multiline telephone system located in an\nadministrative office, nursing station, lobby, waiting area, or other area\naccessible to the general public but does not include a telephone located in the\nroom of a patient or resident.\t\t\t“VoIP service” has the same meaning\nascribed to it in § 56-484.12.\n\nHISTORY: 2007, c. 427; 2008, c. 853; 2009, cc. 813, 840.","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"}}