Skip to main content
US Criminal Defense.org
Menu

Virginia statute

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-56 — Hazing unlawful; civil and criminal liability; duty of school, etc., officials; 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. § 18.2-56

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. § 18.2-56Primary source, current through the 2026 Regular Session
It shall be unlawful to haze so as to cause bodily injury, any student at any school or institution of higher education. Any person found guilty thereof shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. Any person receiving bodily injury by hazing shall have a right to sue, civilly, the person or persons guilty thereof, whether adults or infants. The president or other presiding official of any school or institution of higher education receiving appropriations from the state treasury shall, upon satisfactory proof of the guilt of any student hazing another student, sanction and discipline such student in accordance with the institution's policies and procedures. The institution's policies and procedures shall provide for expulsions or other appropriate discipline based on the facts and circumstances of each case and shall be consistent with the model policies established by the Department of Education or the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, as applicable. The president or other presiding official of any school or institution of higher education receiving appropriations from the state treasury shall report hazing which causes bodily injury to the attorney for the Commonwealth of the county or city in which such school or institution of higher education is, who shall take such action as he deems appropriate. For the purposes of this section, "hazing" means to recklessly or intentionally endanger the health or safety of a student or students or to inflict bodily injury on a student or students in connection with or for the purpose of initiation, admission into or affiliation with or as a condition for continued membership in a club, organization, association, fraternity, sorority, or student body regardless of whether the student or students so endangered or injured participated voluntarily in the relevant activity.

Official sources

Legal terms used in this section

Questions this section answers

Is hazing unlawful a felony or a misdemeanor in Virginia?

Hazing unlawful is a class 1 misdemeanor in Virginia under Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-56.

Which Virginia statute covers hazing unlawful?

Hazing unlawful is governed by Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-56 (Hazing unlawful; civil and criminal liability; duty of school, etc., officials; penalty).

Is reckless handling of firearms a felony or a misdemeanor in Virginia?

It depends on the circumstances: reckless handling of firearms ranges from a class 1 misdemeanor to a class 6 felony in Virginia under Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-56.1.

Reckless handling of firearms: class 1 misdemeanor (Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-56.1A) · Reckless handling causing serious bodily injury: class 6 felony (Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-56.1A) · Hunting or trapping while firearm privileges revoked: class 1 misdemeanor (Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-56.1D)

This reference is informational and is not legal advice.