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Virginia statute

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-146 — Breaking, injuring, defacing, destroying, or preventing the operation of vehicle, aircraft, boat, or vessel; penalties

Current through 2026 Regular Session

Part of Article 7: Damage to and Tampering with Property, Code of Virginia.

Criminal charges under this statute

Full text of Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-146

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. § 18.2-146Primary source, current through the 2026 Regular Session
Any person who shall individually or in association with one or more others willfully break, injure, tamper with, or remove any part or parts of any vehicle, aircraft, boat, or vessel for the purpose of injuring, defacing, or destroying said vehicle, aircraft, boat, or vessel, or temporarily or permanently preventing its useful operation, or for any purpose against the will or without the consent of the owner of such vehicle, aircraft, boat, or vessel, or who shall in any other manner willfully or maliciously interfere with or prevent the running or operation of such vehicle, aircraft, boat, or vessel, is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor, unless such violation of this section involves the breaking, injuring, tampering with, or removal of a catalytic converter or the parts thereof, then he is guilty of a Class 6 felony. A prosecution or proceeding for a felony under this section is a bar to a prosecution or proceeding under § 18.2-137 for the same act. A judge or jury may make a permissive inference that a person who is in possession of a catalytic converter that has been removed from a motor vehicle to have obtained the catalytic converter in violation of this section unless the person is (i) an authorized agent or employee acting in the performance of his official duties for a motor vehicle dealer, motor vehicle garage or repair shop, or salvage yard that is licensed or registered by the Commonwealth; (ii) a scrap metal purchaser that has adhered to the compliance provisions of subdivisions B 1 or 2 of § 59.1-136.3 ; or (iii) a person who possesses vehicle registration documentation indicating that the catalytic converter in the person's possession is the result of a replacement of a catalytic converter from a vehicle registered in that person's name.

Official sources

Legal terms used in this section

Questions this section answers

Is breaking, injuring, defacing, destroying, or preventing the operation of vehicle, aircraft, boat, or vessel a felony or a misdemeanor in Virginia?

It depends on the circumstances: breaking, injuring, defacing, destroying, or preventing the operation of vehicle, aircraft, boat, or vessel ranges from a class 1 misdemeanor to a class 6 felony in Virginia under Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-146.

General breaking, injuring, defacing, destroying, or preventing operation of vehicle/aircraft/boat/vessel: class 1 misdemeanor (Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-146) · Offense involving catalytic converter: class 6 felony (Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-146)

Which Virginia statute covers breaking, injuring, defacing, destroying, or preventing the operation of vehicle, aircraft, boat, or vessel?

Breaking, injuring, defacing, destroying, or preventing the operation of vehicle, aircraft, boat, or vessel is governed by Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-146 (Breaking, injuring, defacing, destroying, or preventing the operation of vehicle, aircraft, boat, or vessel; penalties).

This reference is informational and is not legal advice.