Hunters and fishers; persons going on land, etc., without consent of landowner, Class 1 misdemeanor.

Plain English Breakdown

The candidate explanation includes claims about requirements for obtaining permission and specifying guilt which are not supported by the official source material.

Hunters and Fishers Trespassing Law

This law changes the penalty for hunters, fishers, or trappers who enter private land without permission to a Class 1 misdemeanor.

What This Bill Does

• Changes the trespassing penalty for hunters, fishers, or trappers from a Class 3 misdemeanor to a Class 1 misdemeanor.

Who It Names or Affects

• Hunters and fishers who enter private lands without permission
• Landowners whose properties are entered by hunters or fishers without their consent

Terms To Know

Class 1 misdemeanor

A less serious type of crime that has a lower punishment than other types of crimes.

Landowner

The person who owns the land and has control over it.

Limits and Unknowns

• Does not specify what happens if someone accidentally enters private property while hunting.
• Does not explain how to get permission from a landowner before entering their property.
• Does not address other types of trespassing that are unrelated to hunting or fishing.

Official Summary Text

Board of Wildlife Resources; early special deer muzzleloading season; hunting with dogs.
Directs the Board of Wildlife Resources to prescribe an early muzzleloading season to hunt deer that is no less than three weeks in duration and provides that no person shall hunt any game or nuisance species with dogs during the three-week period following such early muzzleloading season.

Current Bill Text

SENATE BILL NO. 770

AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE

(Proposed by the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources

on February 10, 2026)

(Patron Prior to Substitute--Senator Reeves)

A BILL to amend and reenact §
18.2-132
of the Code of Virginia, relating to trespass by hunters and fishers; penalty.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That §
18.2-132
of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§
18.2-132
. Trespass by hunters and fishers.

Any person who goes on the lands, waters, ponds, boats
,
or blinds of another to hunt, fish
,
or trap without the consent of the landowner or his agent
shall be deemed
is
guilty of a Class
3
1
misdemeanor.