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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>371919</law_id><section_number>58.1-3617</section_number><catch_line>Churches and religious bodies</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="125" identifier="58.1">Taxation</unit><unit label="subtitle" level="2" order_by="4" identifier="III">Local Taxes</unit><unit label="chapter" level="3" order_by="7" identifier="36">Tax Exempt Property</unit><unit label="article" level="4" order_by="2" identifier="3">Property Exempted by Classification on and After July 1, 1971</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>Any church, religious association or religious denomination operated exclusively on a nonprofit basis for charitable, religious or educational purposes is hereby classified as a religious and charitable organization. Notwithstanding &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Post-1971 property exempt from taxation by classification" href="/58.1-3609/">58.1-3609</a>, only property of such association or denomination used exclusively for charitable, religious or educational purposes shall be so exempt from taxation.</p><p>Motor vehicles owned or leased by churches and used predominantly for church purposes, are hereby classified as property used by its owner for religious purposes.</p><p>For purposes of this section, property of a church, religious association or religious denomination, or religious body owned or leased in the name of an incorporated church or religious body or corporation mentioned in &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Property of unincorporated church held by corporation" href="/57-16.1/">57-16.1</a>, a duly designated ecclesiastical officer, or a trustee of an unincorporated church or religious body shall be deemed to be owned by such church, association or denomination or religious body.</p></section></text><history>Code 1950, &#xA7;&#xA7; 58-12.24, 58-12.86; 1974, c. 469; 1978, c. 216; 1984, c. 675; 1987, c. 533; 2000, c. 329; 2005, c. 928.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
