Virginia statute
Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-110.1 — Mail theft; penalty
Current through 2026 Regular Session
Part of Article 3: Larceny and Receiving Stolen Goods, Code of Virginia.
Criminal charges under this statute
Full text of Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-110.1
Statutory text current through the 2026 Regular Session. This publication reproduces the text of the Code of Virginia from the official Virginia Law Portal API published by the Virginia General Assembly's Division of Legislative Automated Systems; it is not the official Code of Virginia.
A. As used in this section:
"Delivery service" means the same as that term is defined in § 18.2-246.6 . "Delivery service" does not include the United States Postal Service.
"Mail" means any letter, postal card, parcel, package, bag, or other material, along with its contents, that (i) has postage affixed by the postal customer or a postal service, (ii) has been accepted for delivery by a postal service, (iii) the postal customer leaves for collection by a postal service, or (iv) a postal service delivers to the postal customer, which has not been retrieved from the mail receptacle.
"Mail receptacle" means a mailbox, post office box, rural box, letter box, lock drawer, or any place or area intended or used by postal customers or a postal service for the collection, deposit, or delivery of mail.
"Postal service" means the United States Postal Service or a delivery service.
B. Any person who (i) knowingly, willfully, and with the intent to deprive, injure, damage, or defraud another (a) takes, destroys, hides, or embezzles mail or (b) obtains any mail by fraud or deception; (ii) buys, receives, conceals, or possesses (a) mail and knows or reasonably should know that the mail was unlawfully taken or obtained; (b) any key he knows or reasonably should know is suited to any lock adopted by the United States Postal Service that provides access to any mail receptacle located in a cluster mailbox unit or other mailbox panel used for the purpose of centralized mail in any neighborhood, including any condominium or apartment complex; or (c) a counterfeit device or key designed to provide access to any lock described in clause (b); or (iii) knowingly, willfully, and with the intent to steal any mail inside damages, opens, removes, injures, vandalizes, or destroys any mail receptacle is guilty of a Class 6 felony.
Official sources
Legal terms used in this section
Questions this section answers
Is mail theft a felony or a misdemeanor in Virginia?
Mail theft is a class 6 felony in Virginia under Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-110.1.
Which Virginia statute covers mail theft?
Mail theft is governed by Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-110.1 (Mail theft; penalty).
This reference is informational and is not legal advice.