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Virginia statute

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-153 — Obstructing or injuring canal, railroad, power line, etc

Current through 2026 Regular Session

Part of Article 8: Offenses Relating to Railroads and Other Utilities, Code of Virginia.

Criminal charges under this statute

Full text of Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-153

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.

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-153Primary source, current through the 2026 Regular Session
If any person maliciously obstruct, remove or injure any part of a canal, railroad or urban, suburban or interurban electric railway, or any lines of any electric power company, or any bridge or fixture thereof, or maliciously obstruct, tamper with, injure or remove any machinery, engine, car, trolley, supply or return wires or any other work thereof, or maliciously open, close, displace, tamper with or injure any switch, switch point, switch lever, signal lever or signal of any such company, whereby the life of any person on such canal, railroad, urban, suburban or interurban electric railway, is put in peril, he shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony; and, in the event of the death of any such person resulting from such malicious act, the person so offending shall be deemed guilty of murder, the degree to be determined by the jury or the court trying the case without a jury. If any such act be committed unlawfully, but not maliciously, the person so offending shall be guilty of a Class 6 felony; and in the event of the death of any such person resulting from such unlawful act, the person so offending shall be deemed guilty of involuntary manslaughter.

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Legal terms used in this section

Questions this section answers

Is obstructing or injuring canal, railroad, power line, etc a felony or a misdemeanor in Virginia?

It depends on the circumstances: obstructing or injuring canal, railroad, power line, etc ranges from a class 6 felony to a class 4 felony in Virginia under Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-153.

Malicious obstruction/injury endangering life: class 4 felony (Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-153) · Unlawful but not malicious obstruction/injury: class 6 felony (Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-153)

Which Virginia statute covers obstructing or injuring canal, railroad, power line, etc?

Obstructing or injuring canal, railroad, power line, etc is governed by Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-153 (Obstructing or injuring canal, railroad, power line, etc).

This reference is informational and is not legal advice.