Any person who intentionally defaces, damages, knocks down, without authorization interferes with the effective operation of, or removes any (i) traffic control device, (ii) temporary sign approved by the Department of Transportation warning motorists that work is in progress on or adjacent to the highway or that certain vehicles may be entering the highway, or (iii) street address sign posted to assist in address identification in connection with enhanced 9-1-1 service as defined in § 56-484.12 is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.

Attorney's Note

Under the Virginia Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
Class 1 misdemeanorup to 12 monthsup to $2,500
For details, see Va. Code § 18.2-11

Terms Used In Virginia Code 46.2-832

  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • Person: includes any individual, corporation, partnership, association, cooperative, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, government, political subdivision, or any other legal or commercial entity and any successor, representative, agent, agency, or instrumentality thereof. See Virginia Code 1-230
  • Traffic control device: means a sign, signal, marking, or other device used to regulate, warn, or guide traffic placed on, over, or adjacent to a street, highway, private road open to public travel, pedestrian facility, or shared-use path by authority of a public agency or official having jurisdiction, or in the case of a private road open to public travel, by authority of the private owner or private official having jurisdiction. See Virginia Code 46.2-100

Code 1950, § 46-188; 1958, c. 541, § 46.1-175; 1989, c. 727; 2003, c. 134; 2004, c. 291; 2013, cc. 128, 400; 2023, c. 472.