Terms Used In Virginia Code > Title 15.2 > Subtitle II > Chapter 11 - Powers of Cities and Towns

• Agent: means any person who represents or acts for or on behalf of a developer in the disposition of any lot in a subdivision, but does not include an attorney whose representation of another person consists solely of rendering legal services. See Virginia Code 55.1-2300
• Agent: means the authorized agent designated by the purchaser or seller in a ratified real estate contract, listing agreement, or other writing designating such agent. See Virginia Code 55.1-2307
• Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
• Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• Association: means the joint underwriting association established pursuant to the provisions of this chapter. See Virginia Code 38.2-2800
• Association: means the joint underwriting association established pursuant to the provisions of this chapter. See Virginia Code 38.2-2900
• Association: means an association created pursuant to the Property Owners' Association Act (§ Virginia Code 55.1-2307
• Attorney-at-law: A person who is legally qualified and licensed to practice law, and to represent and act for clients in legal proceedings.
• Basic property insurance: means insurance against direct loss to any property caused by perils defined and limited in the standard fire policy prescribed in §§ Virginia Code 38.2-2701
• Beneficiary: A person who is entitled to receive the benefits or proceeds of a will, trust, insurance policy, retirement plan, annuity, or other contract. ^{Source: OCC}
• Beneficiary: means a person that (i) has a present or future, vested or contingent, beneficial interest in a trust; (ii) holds a power of appointment over trust property; or (iii) is an identified charitable organization that will or may receive distributions under the terms of the trust. See Virginia Code 64.2-701
• Blanket encumbrance: means a trust, deed, mortgage, judgment, or any other lien or encumbrance, securing or evidencing the payment of money and affecting the land comprising the subdivision to be offered and sold or leased or affecting more than 10 lots or parcels of such lands, or an agreement affecting more than 10 lots or parcels of such lands by which the developer holds such subdivision under option, contract, sale, or trust agreement. See Virginia Code 55.1-2300
• Board: means the board of directors or executive board, of an association, except that in the case of a horizontal property regime created pursuant to the Horizontal Property Act (§ Virginia Code 55.1-2307
• Charitable purpose: means the relief of poverty, the advancement of education or religion, the promotion of health, a municipal or other governmental purpose, or another purpose the achievement of which is beneficial to the community. See Virginia Code 64.2-701
• Charitable trust: means a trust, or portion of a trust, created for a charitable purpose described in § Virginia Code 64.2-701
• City: means an independent incorporated community which became a city as provided by law before noon on July 1, 1971, or which has within defined boundaries a population of 5,000 or more and which has become a city as provided by law. See Virginia Code 1-208
• Clerk of court: An officer appointed by the court to work with the chief judge in overseeing the court's administration, especially to assist in managing the flow of cases through the court and to maintain court records.
• Commercial liability insurance: means the commercial classes of insurance defined in §§ Virginia Code 38.2-2900
• Commission: means the State Corporation Commission. See Virginia Code 38.2-100
• Common interest community: means a condominium created pursuant to the Virginia Condominium Act (§ Virginia Code 55.1-2307
• Common law: The legal system that originated in England and is now in use in the United States. It is based on judicial decisions rather than legislative action.
• Company: means any association, aggregate of individuals, business, corporation, individual, joint-stock company, Lloyds type of organization, organization, partnership, receiver, reciprocal or interinsurance exchange, trustee or society. See Virginia Code 38.2-100
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Conservator: means a person appointed by the court to administer the estate of an adult individual. See Virginia Code 64.2-701
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• contract: means the contract to purchase the unit and any addenda to such contract. See Virginia Code 55.1-2307
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• Council: means the governing body of a city or town. See Virginia Code 15.2-102
• County: means any existing county or such unit hereafter created. See Virginia Code 15.2-102
• Court: means the court of the Commonwealth having jurisdiction in matters related to trusts. See Virginia Code 64.2-701
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Days: means calendar days. See Virginia Code 55.1-2307
• Decedent: A deceased person.
• Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• Developer: means any person who offers, directly or indirectly, for disposition, any lot in a subdivision, but does not include a trustee under a deed of trust securing an indebtedness or other obligation who sells lots within such subdivision under foreclosure proceedings, provided that the purpose in so doing is not to evade the provisions of this chapter. See Virginia Code 55.1-2300
• Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. ^{Source: U.S. Courts}
• Escheat: Reversion of real or personal property to the state when 1) a person dies without leaving a will and has no heirs, or 2) when the property (such as a bank account) has been inactive for a certain period of time. ^{Source: OCC}
• Escrow: Money given to a third party to be held for payment until certain conditions are met.
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Fair market value: The price at which an asset would change hands in a transaction between a willing, informed buyer and a willing, informed seller.
• Fee simple: Absolute title to property with no limitations or restrictions regarding the person who may inherit it.
• Financial update: means updated financial information for the unit, including information required by subdivisions A 4 and 5 of § 55. See Virginia Code 55.1-2307
• Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
• Foreclosure: A legal process in which property that is collateral or security for a loan may be sold to help repay the loan when the loan is in default. ^{Source: OCC}
• Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
• General power of appointment: means a power of appointment exercisable in favor of a powerholder, the powerholder's estate, a creditor of the powerholder, or a creditor of the powerholder's estate. See Virginia Code 64.2-701
• Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
• Governing body: means the board of supervisors of a county, council of a city, or council of a town, as the context may require. See Virginia Code 15.2-102
• Governing documents: means , to the extent applicable, the declaration, bylaws, organizing articles, and any other foundational documents of the association and all amendments to such documents. See Virginia Code 55.1-2307
• Grantor: The person who establishes a trust and places property into it.
• Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
• Guardian: means a person appointed by the court to make decisions regarding the support, care, education, health, and welfare of a minor or adult individual. See Virginia Code 64.2-701
• Guardian of the estate: means a person appointed by the court to administer the estate of a minor. See Virginia Code 64.2-701
• in writing: include any representation of words, letters, symbols, numbers, or figures, whether (i) printed or inscribed on a tangible medium or (ii) stored in an electronic or other medium and retrievable in a perceivable form and whether an electronic signature authorized by Virginia Code 1-257
• Incidental coverage: means any other type of liability insurance covering activities directly related to the continued and efficient delivery of health care that: (i) cannot be obtained in the voluntary market because medical malpractice insurance is being provided pursuant to this chapter; and (ii) cannot be obtained through other involuntary market mechanisms. See Virginia Code 38.2-2800
• Incidental coverage: means any other type of liability insurance covering activities directly related to the continued and efficient delivery of business and professional services that: (i) cannot be separately obtained in the voluntary market because commercial liability insurance is being provided pursuant this chapter; and (ii) cannot be separately obtained through other involuntary market mechanisms. See Virginia Code 38.2-2900
• Includes: means includes, but not limited to. See Virginia Code 1-218
• inhabitants: means with reference to any county, city, town, political subdivision of the Commonwealth or any combination thereof, the natural persons in such county, city, town, political subdivision or combination as shown by the unadjusted United States decennial census last preceding the time at which any provision dependent upon population is being applied or the time as of which it is being construed. See Virginia Code 1-235
• Inspection service: means any organization designated or approved by the Commission to determine the insurability and conditions of the properties for which basic property insurance is sought. See Virginia Code 38.2-2701
• Insurer: means an insurance company. See Virginia Code 38.2-100
• Intestate: Dying without leaving a will.
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Juror: A person who is on the jury.
• known: includes inspection of tax records and any other inquiry deemed to be reasonable. See Virginia Code 55.1-2400
• Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). ^{Source: OCC}
• Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
• Liability insurance: includes the classes of insurance defined in §§ Virginia Code 38.2-2800
• liability insurance: means the classes of insurance defined in §§ Virginia Code 38.2-2900
• Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
• Limited elements: means the limited common elements appurtenant to a condominium unit or cooperative unit or the limited common area appurtenant to a lot. See Virginia Code 55.1-2307
• local government: shall be construed to mean a county, city, or town as the context may require. See Virginia Code 15.2-102
• Locality: means a county, city, or town as the context may require. See Virginia Code 1-221
• Lot: means any unit, parcel, division, piece of land, or interest in land except utility easements if such interest carries with it the exclusive right to use a specific portion of property. See Virginia Code 55.1-2300
• Managing agent: means a licensee who performs management services as defined in § Virginia Code 55.1-2307
• Market assistance plan: means a voluntary association of insurers and insurance agents licensed to do business in the Commonwealth that is formed, pursuant to a plan of operation filed with and approved by the Commission, to assist with the individual placement of commercial liability insurance coverage that is not reasonably available on the voluntary market. See Virginia Code 38.2-2900
• Medical malpractice insurance: means insurance coverage against the legal liability of the insured and against loss, damage, or expense incident to a claim arising out of the death or injury of any person as the result of negligence in rendering or failing to render professional service by any provider of health care. See Virginia Code 38.2-2800
• Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
• Mortgagee: The person to whom property is mortgaged and who has loaned the money.
• Net direct premiums written: means gross direct premiums written in this Commonwealth on all policies of basic property insurance and the basic property insurance component of multi-peril policies less (i) all return premiums on those policies, (ii) dividends paid or credited to policyholders, and (iii) the unused or unabsorbed portions of premium deposits. See Virginia Code 38.2-2701
• Net direct premiums written: means gross direct premiums written in this Commonwealth on all policies of liability insurance less, (i) all return premiums on the policy, (ii) dividends paid or credited to policyholders, and (iii) the unused or unabsorbed portions of premium deposits on liability insurance. See Virginia Code 38.2-2800
• Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
• Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
• Person: means any association, aggregate of individuals, business, company, corporation, individual, joint-stock company, Lloyds type of organization, organization, partnership, receiver, reciprocal or interinsurance exchange, trustee or society. See Virginia Code 38.2-100
• Person: means any individual, corporation, government or governmental agency, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, unincorporated association, two or more of any of the foregoing having a joint or common interest, or any other legal or commercial entity. See Virginia Code 55.1-2300
• Person: means an individual; estate; business or nonprofit entity; government; governmental subdivision, agency, or instrumentality; public corporation; or other legal entity. See Virginia Code 64.2-701
• 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
• Personal property: All property that is not real property.
• Personal representative: includes the executor under a will or the administrator of the estate of a decedent, the administrator of such estate with the will annexed, the administrator of such estate unadministered by a former representative, whether there is a will or not, any person who is under the order of a circuit court to take into his possession the estate of a decedent for administration, and every other curator of a decedent's estate, for or against whom suits may be brought for causes of action that accrued to or against the decedent. See Virginia Code 64.2-100
• Pleadings: Written statements of the parties in a civil case of their positions. In the federal courts, the principal pleadings are the complaint and the answer.
• Power of appointment: means a power that enables a powerholder acting in a nonfiduciary capacity to designate a recipient of an ownership interest in or another power of appointment over the appointive property. See Virginia Code 64.2-701
• Power of attorney: A written instrument which authorizes one person to act as another's agent or attorney. The power of attorney may be for a definite, specific act, or it may be general in nature. The terms of the written power of attorney may specify when it will expire. If not, the power of attorney usually expires when the person granting it dies. ^{Source: OCC}
• Precedent: A court decision in an earlier case with facts and law similar to a dispute currently before a court. Precedent will ordinarily govern the decision of a later similar case, unless a party can show that it was wrongly decided or that it differed in some significant way.
• Probate: Proving a will
• Process: includes subpoenas, the summons and complaint in a civil action, and process in statutory actions. See Virginia Code 1-237
• Property: means anything that may be the subject of ownership, whether real or personal, legal or equitable, or any interest therein. See Virginia Code 64.2-701
• Provider of health care: means any of the following deemed by the Commission to be necessary for the delivery of health care: (i) a physician and any other individual licensed or certified pursuant to Chapter 29 of Virginia Code 38.2-2800
• Public facilities: means (i) airports, landing fields, and air navigation facilities; (ii) educational facilities; (iii) flood control, bank and shore protection, watershed protection, and dams; (iv) hospital facilities; (v) judicial and court facilities; (vi) correctional facilities, including jails and penitentiaries; (vii) library facilities; (viii) military installations; (ix) parks so designated by the Commonwealth or by the locality in its comprehensive plan; (x) properties of historical significance so designated by the Commonwealth; (xi) law enforcement, fire, emergency medical, and rescue facilities; (xii) sanitary sewer, water or stormwater facilities; (xiii) transportation facilities including highways, roads, streets, and bridges, traffic signals, related easements and rights-of-way, mass transit, ports, and any components of federal, state, or local transportation facilities; (xiv) waste management facilities for hazardous, radioactive, or other waste; (xv) office facilities occupied by a public corporation; and (xvi) such other facilities that are necessary to the construction, maintenance, or operation of a public facility as listed in clauses (i) through (xv) and directly related thereto. See Virginia Code 1-219.1
• Purchaser: means a person who acquires or attempts to acquire any lot in a subdivision. See Virginia Code 55.1-2300
• Purchaser: means the person or entity acquiring the unit. See Virginia Code 55.1-2307
• Qualified property: means all real property and all tangible personal property at a fixed location in this Commonwealth, whether or not the property is subject to exposure from an external hazard located on property that is neither owned nor controlled by the prospective insured, and whether or not the property is subject to exposure from riot hazard, where the property:

  1. See Virginia Code 38.2-2701

• Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
• rates: means any rate of premium, policy fee, membership fee or any other charge made by an insurer for or in connection with a contract or policy of insurance. See Virginia Code 38.2-100
• real estate: includes lands, tenements and hereditaments, and all rights and appurtenances thereto and interests therein, other than a chattel interest. See Virginia Code 1-219
• Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
• Record: means information that is inscribed on a tangible medium or that is stored in an electronic or other medium and is retrievable in perceivable form. See Virginia Code 64.2-701
• Recourse: An arrangement in which a bank retains, in form or in substance, any credit risk directly or indirectly associated with an asset it has sold (in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles) that exceeds a pro rata share of the bank's claim on the asset. If a bank has no claim on an asset it has sold, then the retention of any credit risk is recourse. ^{Source: FDIC}
• Resale certificate: means the information listed in § 55. See Virginia Code 55.1-2307
• Residual market facility: means any organization approved by the Commission to equitably distribute the responsibility to provide basic property insurance on qualified property among insurers licensed to write basic property insurance or other insurance containing a basic property insurance component. See Virginia Code 38.2-2701
• Rules and regulations: means restrictions or limitations adopted by the board or authorized committee addressing the use, operation, appearance, or design of a portion of the common interest community. See Virginia Code 55.1-2307
• sale: means any lease, assignment, or exchange, or any interest in any lot that is a part of or included in a subdivision. See Virginia Code 55.1-2300
• Seller: means the person or entity selling the unit. See Virginia Code 55.1-2307
• Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
• Settlement agent: means the same as that term is defined in § Virginia Code 55.1-2307
• Settlor: except as otherwise provided in § Virginia Code 64.2-701
• State: means any commonwealth, state, territory, district or insular possession of the United States. See Virginia Code 38.2-100
• State: when applied to a part of the United States, includes any of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands. See Virginia Code 1-245
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Subdivision: means :

  1. See Virginia Code 55.1-2300

• Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
• Supreme Court: means the Supreme Court of Virginia. See Virginia Code 1-249
• sworn: means "affirm" or "affirmed. See Virginia Code 1-250
• Testate: To die leaving a will.
• Testify: Answer questions in court.
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• Town: means any existing town or an incorporated community within one or more counties which became a town before noon, July one, nineteen hundred seventy-one, as provided by law or which has within defined boundaries a population of 1,000 or more and which has become a town as provided by law. See Virginia Code 15.2-102
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• Trust account: A general term that covers all types of accounts in a trust department, such as estates, guardianships, and agencies. ^{Source: OCC}
• Trust instrument: means a record executed by the settlor to create a trust or by any person to create a second trust that contains some or all of the terms of the trust, including any amendments. See Virginia Code 64.2-701
• Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
• Trustee: includes an original, additional, and successor trustee and a cotrustee. See Virginia Code 64.2-701
• Unit: means a condominium unit in a condominium, a cooperative unit in a real estate cooperative, or a lot in a community governed by an association. See Virginia Code 55.1-2307
• United States: includes the 50 states, the District of Columbia the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the United States Virgin Islands. See Virginia Code 1-255
• Updated resale certificate: means an update of the resale certificate referenced in § 55. See Virginia Code 55.1-2307
• User fees: Fees charged to users of goods or services provided by the government. In levying or authorizing these fees, the legislature determines whether the revenue should go into the treasury or should be available to the agency providing the goods or services.
• Verdict: The decision of a petit jury or a judge.