HB317 • 2026

Damage or trespass to public services or utilities or critical infrastructure; penalties.

An Act to amend and reenact § 18.2-162 of the Code of Virginia, relating to damage or trespass to public services or utilities or critical infrastructure; penalties.

Crime Technology

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Pope Adams
Last action: 2026-04-06
Official status: Acts of Assembly Chapter
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill does not specify who will fund any additional costs related to enforcing these penalties.

Penalties for Damaging Public Services and Critical Infrastructure

This law makes it a crime to intentionally damage or destroy public services, utilities, or critical infrastructure and sets penalties for such actions.

What This Bill Does

Adds the intentional destruction of or damage to any fixture, equipment, or information technology system used to provide, process, transmit, or maintain public services, public utilities, cable television, broadband, or other critical infrastructure as defined in relevant law to the existing offense of damage or trespass to public services or utilities.
Sets penalties for damaging or destroying such items, including felony charges if radioactive materials could be released due to the destruction or damage.
Allows utility security personnel to detain trespassers on electric generating property marked with no-trespassing signs for up to one hour until police arrive.

Who It Names or Affects

People who intentionally damage public services, utilities, or critical infrastructure.
Utility companies and critical infrastructure providers.
Law enforcement agencies that deal with such crimes.

Terms To Know

Critical Infrastructure: Important systems and assets that are essential to the security, economy, health, and safety of a country.
Felony: A serious crime that can result in imprisonment for more than one year or even death penalty in some cases.

Limits and Unknowns

The exact financial impact on the state due to increased prison time cannot be determined.
This law does not specify who will fund any additional costs related to enforcing these penalties.

Bill History

2026-04-06 Governor
Approved by Governor-Chapter 105 (effective 7/1/2026)
2026-04-06 Governor
Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0105)
2026-03-10 House
Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 10, 2026
2026-03-10 Governor
Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026
2026-03-05 House
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB317)
2026-03-04 House
Signed by Speaker
2026-03-04 Senate
Signed by President
2026-03-04 House
Enrolled
2026-03-04 House
Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB317ER)
2026-03-02 Courts of Justice
Fiscal Impact statement From VCSC (3/2/2026 9:16 am)
2026-02-27 Senate
Read third time
2026-02-27 Senate
Passed Senate Block Vote (37-Y 0-N 0-A)
2026-02-26 Senate
Rules suspended
2026-02-26 Senate
Passed by for the day
2026-02-26 Senate
Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
2026-02-26 Senate
Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
2026-02-25 Finance and Appropriations
Reported from Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N)
2026-02-23 Courts of Justice
Reported from Courts of Justice and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations Block Vote (13-Y 0-N)
2026-02-18 Senate
Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)
2026-02-18 Courts of Justice
Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice
2026-02-17 House
Read third time and passed House Block Vote (97-Y 0-N 0-A)
2026-02-16 House
Read second time
2026-02-16 House
committee substitute agreed to
2026-02-16 Courts of Justice
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB317)
2026-02-16 House
Engrossed by House - committee substitute
2026-02-15 House
Read first time
2026-02-13 House
Incorporates HB769 (Herring)
2026-02-13 Courts of Justice
Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute (21-Y 0-N)
2026-02-13 Courts of Justice
Committee substitute printed 26107740D-H1
2026-02-11 Criminal
Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (10-Y 0-N)
2026-02-11 Criminal
House subcommittee offered
2026-02-10 Criminal
Assigned HCJ sub: Criminal
2026-01-15 House
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB317)
2026-01-12 House
Fiscal Impact statement From VCSC (1/12/2026 11:09 am)
2026-01-09 House
Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26104279D
2026-01-09 Courts of Justice
Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice

Official Summary Text

Damage or trespass to public services or utilities or critical infrastructure; penalties.
Adds the intentional destruction of or damage to any fixture, equipment, or information technology system that is used to provide, process, transmit, or maintain public services, public utilities, cable television, broadband, or other critical infrastructure, as defined in relevant law, to the existing offense of damage or trespass to public services or utilities. The bill contains technical amendments. This bill incorporates HB 769 and is identical to SB 743.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

An Act to amend and reenact §
18.2-162
of the Code of Virginia, relating to damage or trespass to public services or utilities or critical infrastructure; penalties.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That §
18.2-162
of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:
§
18.2-162
. Damage or trespass to public services or utilities or critical infrastructure; penalties.
Any person who
shall
intentionally
destroy
destroys
or
damage
damages
any facility
which
, fixture, equipment, or information technology system that
is used to
provide, process, transmit,
furnish
, or maintain
oil,
telegraph,
telephone, electric, gas, sewer, wastewater
, cable television, broadband,
or water service to the public
or other critical infrastructure, as defined in §
44-146.28:2
,
shall be
is
guilty of a Class 4 felony, provided that in the event that the destruction or damage may be remedied or repaired for less than $1,000 such act shall constitute a Class 3 misdemeanor. On electric generating property marked with no trespassing signs, the security personnel of a utility may detain a trespasser for a period not to exceed one hour pending arrival of a law-enforcement officer.
Notwithstanding any other provisions of this title, any person who
shall
intentionally
destroy
destroys
or
damage
damages
, or
attempt
attempts
to destroy or damage, any such facility
, fixture
, equipment
, information technology system,
or material connected therewith, the destruction or damage of which might, in any manner, threaten the release of radioactive materials or ionizing radiation beyond the areas in which they are normally used or contained,
shall be
is
guilty of a Class 4 felony, provided that in the event the destruction or damage results in the death of another due to exposure to radioactive materials or ionizing radiation, such person
shall be
is
guilty of a Class 2 felony; provided further, that in the event the destruction or damage results in injury to another, such person
shall be
is
guilty of a Class 3 felony.
2. That the provisions of this act may result in a net increase in periods of imprisonment or commitment. Pursuant to §
30-19.1:4
of the Code of Virginia, the estimated amount of the necessary appropriation cannot be determined for periods of imprisonment in state adult correctional facilities; therefore, Chapter 725 of the Acts of Assembly of 2025 requires the Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission to assign a minimum fiscal impact of $50,000. Pursuant to §
30-19.1:4
of the Code of Virginia, the estimated amount of the necessary appropriation cannot be determined for periods of commitment to the custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice.