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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>350193</law_id><section_number>17.1-617</section_number><catch_line>Number of witnesses paid fees in criminal cases</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2026/" slug="2026" current="TRUE" last_updated="2026-08-02">2026</edition><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="50" identifier="17.1">Courts of Record</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="6" identifier="6">Costs Generally</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>Not more than the maximum number of witnesses provided for herein shall be paid out of the state treasury in criminal cases.</p><p>The maximum number that may be (i) caused to be summoned by an attorney for the Commonwealth in any one case to go before a <span class="dictionary">grand jury</span> &#x2014; five; (ii) used before a <span class="dictionary">court</span> not of record in the <span class="dictionary">trial</span> of any criminal case &#x2014; five; and (iii) caused to be summoned by an attorney for the Commonwealth for the <span class="dictionary">trial</span> of any criminal case &#x2014; ten.</p><p>Nothing herein shall be construed to limit (i) the number of witnesses that may be authorized by any <span class="dictionary">court</span> or the <span class="dictionary">judge</span> thereof to be used when the necessity for additional witnesses appears to the <span class="dictionary">court</span> or <span class="dictionary">judge</span> and the consent of the <span class="dictionary">court</span> or <span class="dictionary">judge</span> is first obtained or (ii) the number of witnesses that a <span class="dictionary">grand jury</span> may of its own <span class="dictionary">motion</span> summon.</p></section></text><history>Code 1950, &#xA7; 14-192; 1964, c. 386, &#xA7; 14.1-195; 1998, c. 872.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
