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Virginia statute

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-461 — Falsely summoning or giving false reports to law-enforcement officials

Current through 2026 Regular Session

Part of Article 6: Interference with Administration of Justice, Code of Virginia.

Criminal charges under this statute

Full text of Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-461

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. § 18.2-461Primary source, current through the 2026 Regular Session
It shall be unlawful for any person (i) to knowingly give a false report as to the commission of any crime to any law-enforcement official with intent to mislead; (ii) to knowingly, with the intent to mislead a law-enforcement agency, cause another to give a false report to any law-enforcement official by publicly simulating a violation of Chapter 4 (§ 18.2-30 et seq.) or Chapter 5 (§ 18.2-77 et seq.); or (iii) without just cause and with intent to interfere with the operations of any law-enforcement official, to call or summon any law-enforcement official by telephone or other means, including engagement or activation of an automatic emergency alarm. Violation of the provisions of this section shall be punishable as a Class 1 misdemeanor. However, if a person intentionally gives a false report as to the commission of any crime to any law-enforcement official, causes another to give a false report to any law-enforcement official, or calls or summons any law-enforcement official against another person because of his race, religious conviction, gender, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, color, or national origin, the person is guilty of a Class 6 felony.

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Legal terms used in this section

Questions this section answers

Is false emergency communication to emergency personnel a felony or a misdemeanor in Virginia?

It depends on the circumstances: false emergency communication to emergency personnel ranges from a class 1 misdemeanor to a class 5 felony in Virginia under Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-461.1.

False emergency communication resulting in emergency response: class 1 misdemeanor (Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-461.1B) · False emergency communication resulting in serious bodily injury: class 6 felony (Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-461.1C) · False emergency communication resulting in death: class 5 felony (Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-461.1D)

Is falsely summoning or giving false reports to law-enforcement officials a felony or a misdemeanor in Virginia?

It depends on the circumstances: falsely summoning or giving false reports to law-enforcement officials ranges from a class 1 misdemeanor to a class 6 felony in Virginia under Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-461.

Base offense - false report, causing false report, or improper summoning of law enforcement: class 1 misdemeanor (Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-461) · Bias-motivated false report or summoning: class 6 felony (Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-461)

Which Virginia statute covers falsely summoning or giving false reports to law-enforcement officials?

Falsely summoning or giving false reports to law-enforcement officials is governed by Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-461 (Falsely summoning or giving false reports to law-enforcement officials).

This reference is informational and is not legal advice.