Virginia statute
Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-143 — Pulling down fences or leaving open gates
Current through 2026 Regular Session
Part of Article 6: Damage to Realty and Personalty Thereon, Code of Virginia.
Criminal charges under this statute
Full text of Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-143
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.
If any person, without permission of the owner, pull down the fence of another and leave the same down, or, without permission, open and leave open the gate of another, or any gate across a public road established by order of court, or if any person other than the owner or owners of the lands through which a line of railroad runs open and leave open a gate at any public or private crossing of the right-of-way of a railroad, he shall be guilty of a Class 4 misdemeanor.
Official sources
Legal terms used in this section
Questions this section answers
Is pulling down fences or leaving open gates a felony or a misdemeanor in Virginia?
Pulling down fences or leaving open gates is a class 4 misdemeanor in Virginia under Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-143.
Which Virginia statute covers pulling down fences or leaving open gates?
Pulling down fences or leaving open gates is governed by Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-143 (Pulling down fences or leaving open gates).
This reference is informational and is not legal advice.