Virginia statute
Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-57 — Assault and battery; penalty
Current through 2026 Regular Session
Part of Article 4: Assaults and Bodily Woundings, Code of Virginia.
Criminal charges under this statute
Full text of Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-57
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. 1. Any person who commits a simple assault or assault and battery is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.
2. Any person who commits a simple assault or assault and battery against a person he intentionally selects because of his race, religious conviction, gender, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, color, or ethnic or national origin, is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor, and the penalty upon conviction shall include a term of confinement of at least six months.
B. However, if a person intentionally selects the person against whom an assault and battery resulting in bodily injury is committed because of his race, religious conviction, gender, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, color, or ethnic or national origin, the person is guilty of a Class 6 felony, and the penalty upon conviction shall include a term of confinement of at least six months.
C. In addition, if any person commits an assault or an assault and battery against another knowing or having reason to know that such other person is a judge, a magistrate, a law-enforcement officer as defined in subsection H, a correctional officer as defined in § 53.1-1 , a person directly involved in the care, treatment, or supervision of inmates in the custody of the Department of Corrections or an employee of a local or regional correctional facility directly involved in the care, treatment, or supervision of inmates in the custody of the facility, a person directly involved in the care, treatment, or supervision of persons in the custody of or under the supervision of the Department of Juvenile Justice, an employee or other individual who provides control, care, or treatment of sexually violent predators committed to the custody of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, a firefighter as defined in § 65.2-102 , or a volunteer firefighter or any emergency medical services personnel member who is employed by or is a volunteer of an emergency medical services agency or as a member of a bona fide volunteer fire department or volunteer emergency medical services agency, regardless of whether a resolution has been adopted by the governing body of a political subdivision recognizing such firefighters or emergency medical services personnel as employees, engaged in the performance of his public duties anywhere in the Commonwealth, such person is guilty of a Class 6 felony, and, upon conviction, the sentence of such person shall include a mandatory minimum term of confinement of six months.
Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to affect the right of any person charged with a violation of this section from asserting and presenting evidence in support of any defenses to the charge that may be available under common law.
D. In addition, if any person commits a battery against another knowing or having reason to know that such other person is a full-time or part-time employee of any public or private elementary or secondary school and is engaged in the performance of his duties as such, he is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor and the sentence of such person upon conviction shall include a sentence of 15 days in jail, two days of which shall be a mandatory minimum term of confinement. However, if the offense is committed by use of a firearm or other weapon prohibited on school property pursuant to § 18.2-308.1 , the person shall serve a mandatory minimum sentence of confinement of six months.
E. In addition, any person who commits a battery against another knowing or having reason to know that such individual is a health care provider as defined in § 8.01-581.1 who is engaged in the performance of his duties in a hospital or in an emergency room on the premises of any clinic or other facility rendering emergency medical care is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. The sentence of such person, upon conviction, shall include a term of confinement of 15 days in jail, two days of which shall be a mandatory minimum term of confinement.
F. In addition, any person who commits an assault or an assault and battery against another knowing or having reason to know that such individual is an operator of a vehicle operated by a public transportation service as defined in § 18.2-160.2 who is engaged in the performance of his duties is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. The sentence of such person, upon conviction, shall also prohibit such person from entering or riding in any vehicle operated by the public transportation service that employed such operator for a period of not less than six months as a term and condition of such sentence.
G. In addition, any person who commits a battery against another knowing or having reason to know that such individual is a sports official for an entity sponsoring an interscholastic or intercollegiate sports event or any person performing services as a sports official for a public entity or a private, nonprofit organization that sponsors an amateur sports event who (i) is engaged in the performance of his duties or (ii) is on the premises of such event prior to engaging in his duties or upon conclusion of his duties is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. The sentence of such person, upon conviction, may also prohibit such person from attending any such sports event operated by the entity or organization that employed such sports official for a period of not less than six months as a term and condition of such sentence.
H. As used in this section:
"Disability" means a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of a person's major life activities.
"Hospital" means a public or private institution licensed pursuant to Chapter 5 (§ 32.1-123 et seq.) of Title 32.1 or Article 2 (§ 37.2-403 et seq.) of Chapter 4 of Title 37.2.
"Judge" means any justice or judge of a court of record of the Commonwealth including a judge designated under § 17.1-105 , a judge under temporary recall under § 17.1-106 , or a judge pro tempore under § 17.1-109 , any member of the State Corporation Commission, or of the Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission, and any judge of a district court of the Commonwealth, including a judge under temporary recall under § 16.1-69.22:1 , or any substitute judge of such district court.
"Law-enforcement officer" means any full-time or part-time employee of a police department or sheriff's office that is part of or administered by the Commonwealth or any political subdivision thereof who is responsible for the prevention or detection of crime and the enforcement of the penal, traffic or highway laws of the Commonwealth, any conservation officer of the Department of Conservation and Recreation commissioned pursuant to § 10.1-115 , any special agent of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority, conservation police officers appointed pursuant to § 29.1-200 , full-time sworn members of the enforcement division of the Department of Motor Vehicles appointed pursuant to § 46.2-217 , and any employee with internal investigations authority designated by the Department of Corrections pursuant to subdivision 11 of § 53.1-10 , and such officer also includes jail officers in local and regional correctional facilities, all deputy sheriffs, whether assigned to law-enforcement duties, court services or local jail responsibilities, auxiliary police officers appointed or provided for pursuant to §§ 15.2-1731 and 15.2-1733 , auxiliary deputy sheriffs appointed pursuant to § 15.2-1603 , police officers of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority pursuant to § 5.1-158, and fire marshals appointed pursuant to § 27-30 when such fire marshals have police powers as set out in §§ 27-34.2 and 27-34.2:1 .
"School security officer" means the same as that term is defined in § 9.1-101 .
"Sports official" includes an umpire, referee, judge, scorekeeper, timekeeper, or other person who is a neutral participant in a sports event.
I. "Simple assault" or "assault and battery" shall not be construed to include the use of, by any school security officer or full-time or part-time employee of any public or private elementary or secondary school while acting in the course and scope of his official capacity, any of the following: (i) incidental, minor or reasonable physical contact or other actions designed to maintain order and control; (ii) reasonable and necessary force to quell a disturbance or remove a student from the scene of a disturbance that threatens physical injury to persons or damage to property; (iii) reasonable and necessary force to prevent a student from inflicting physical harm on himself; (iv) reasonable and necessary force for self-defense or the defense of others; or (v) reasonable and necessary force to obtain possession of weapons or other dangerous objects or controlled substances or associated paraphernalia that are upon the person of the student or within his control.
In determining whether a person was acting within the exceptions provided in this subsection, due deference shall be given to reasonable judgments that were made by a school security officer or full-time or part-time employee of any public or private elementary or secondary school at the time of the event.
Official sources
Legal terms used in this section
Questions this section answers
Is assault and battery against a family or household member a felony or a misdemeanor in Virginia?
It depends on the circumstances: assault and battery against a family or household member ranges from a class 1 misdemeanor to a class 6 felony in Virginia under Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-57.2.
Assault and battery against a family or household member — first or second offense: class 1 misdemeanor (Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-57.2A) · Assault and battery against a family or household member — third offense within 20 years: class 6 felony (Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-57.2B)
Is assault and battery a felony or a misdemeanor in Virginia?
It depends on the circumstances: assault and battery ranges from a class 1 misdemeanor to a class 6 felony in Virginia under Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-57.
Simple assault or assault and battery: class 1 misdemeanor (Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-57A) · Bias-motivated simple assault or assault and battery (no bodily injury): class 1 misdemeanor (Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-57A) · Bias-motivated assault and battery with bodily injury: class 6 felony (Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-57B) · Assault or assault and battery on judge, law-enforcement officer, correctional officer, firefighter, EMS, or similar protected official: class 6 felony (Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-57C) · Battery on school employee: class 1 misdemeanor (Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-57D) · Battery on health care provider: class 1 misdemeanor (Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-57E) · Assault or assault and battery on public transportation operator: class 1 misdemeanor (Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-57F) · Battery on sports official: class 1 misdemeanor (Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-57G)
Which Virginia statute covers assault and battery?
Assault and battery is governed by Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-57 (Assault and battery; penalty).
This reference is informational and is not legal advice.