Terms Used In Virginia Code > Title 58.1 > Subtitle II > Chapter 26 > Article 1 - General Provisions.

• Adult: means a person 18 years of age or older. See Virginia Code 16.1-228
• Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
• affiliated group: has the meaning given in § Virginia Code 58.1-2600
• Allegation: something that someone says happened.
• 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.
• Attorney-at-law: A person who is legally qualified and licensed to practice law, and to represent and act for clients in legal proceedings.
• Bail: Security given for the release of a criminal defendant or witness from legal custody (usually in the form of money) to secure his/her appearance on the day and time appointed.
• 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
• Cogenerator: means a qualifying cogenerator or qualifying small power producer within the meaning of regulations adopted by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in implementation of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (P. See Virginia Code 58.1-2600
• Commission: means the State Corporation Commission which is hereby designated pursuant to Article X, § 2 of the Constitution of Virginia as the central state agency responsible for the assessment of the real and personal property of all public service corporations, except those public service corporations for which the Department of Taxation is so designated, upon which the Commonwealth levies a license tax measured by the gross receipts of such corporations. See Virginia Code 58.1-2600
• Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
• 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.
• Delinquent act: means (i) an act designated a crime under the law of the Commonwealth, or an ordinance of any city, county, town, or service district, or under federal law, (ii) a violation of § Virginia Code 16.1-228
• Department: means the Department of Taxation which is hereby designated pursuant to Article X, § 2 of the Constitution of Virginia as the central state agency to assess the real and personal property of railroads and pipeline transmission companies as defined herein. See Virginia Code 58.1-2600
• Department: means the Department of Juvenile Justice and "Director" means the administrative head in charge thereof or such of his assistants and subordinates as are designated by him to discharge the duties imposed upon him under this law. See Virginia Code 16.1-228
• Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. ^Source:
• Electric supplier: means any person owning or operating facilities for the generation, storage, transmission or distribution of electricity for sales, except any person owning or operating facilities with a designed generation or storage capacity of 25 megawatts or less. See Virginia Code 58.1-2600
• Energy storage system: means the same as that term is defined in § Virginia Code 58.1-2600
• 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.
• Family abuse: means any act involving violence, force, or threat that results in bodily injury or places one in reasonable apprehension of death, sexual assault, or bodily injury and that is committed by a person against such person's family or household member. See Virginia Code 16.1-228
• Grand jury: agreement providing that a lender will delay exercising its rights (in the case of a mortgage,
• Gross receipts: means the total of all revenue derived in the Commonwealth, including but not limited to income from the provision or performance of a service or the performance of incidental operations not necessarily associated with the particular service performed, without deductions for expenses or other adjustments. See Virginia Code 58.1-2600
• 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.
• Impeachment: (1) The process of calling something into question, as in "impeaching the testimony of a witness." (2) The constitutional process whereby the House of Representatives may "impeach" (accuse of misconduct) high officers of the federal government for trial in the Senate.
• 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
• Includes: means includes, but not limited to. See Virginia Code 1-218
• Indictment: The formal charge issued by a grand jury stating that there is enough evidence that the defendant committed the crime to justify having a trial; it is used primarily for felonies.
• Intake officer: means a juvenile probation officer appointed as such pursuant to the authority of this chapter. See Virginia Code 16.1-228
• judge: means the judge or the substitute judge of the juvenile and domestic relations district court of each county or city. See Virginia Code 16.1-228
• 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.
• law: means the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court Law embraced in this chapter. See Virginia Code 16.1-228
• Legal custody: means (i) a legal status created by court order which vests in a custodian the right to have physical custody of the child, to determine and redetermine where and with whom he shall live, the right and duty to protect, train and discipline him and to provide him with food, shelter, education and ordinary medical care, all subject to any residual parental rights and responsibilities or (ii) the legal status created by court order of joint custody as defined in § Virginia Code 16.1-228
• Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
• Locality: means a county, city, or town as the context may require. See Virginia Code 1-221
• minor: means a person who is (i) younger than 18 years of age or (ii) for purposes of the Fostering Futures program set forth in Article 2 (§ Virginia Code 16.1-228
• 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.
• Pipeline transmission company: means a corporation authorized to transmit natural gas, manufactured gas or crude petroleum and the products or by-products thereof in the public service by means of a pipeline or pipelines from one point to another when such gas or petroleum is not for sale to an ultimate consumer for purposes of furnishing heat or light. See Virginia Code 58.1-2600
• Preliminary hearing: A hearing where the judge decides whether there is enough evidence to make the defendant have a trial.
• Probable cause: A reasonable ground for belief that the offender violated a specific law.
• Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
• Process: includes subpoenas, the summons and complaint in a civil action, and process in statutory actions. See Virginia Code 1-237
• 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.
• Shelter care: means the temporary care of children in physically unrestricting facilities. See Virginia Code 16.1-228
• 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
• state agency: means the same as that term is defined in § Virginia Code 1-206
• Status offense: means an act prohibited by law which would not be an offense if committed by an adult. See Virginia Code 16.1-228
• Storage: means the storage of energy by an energy storage system. See Virginia Code 58.1-2600
• Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
• Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
• Supreme Court: means the Supreme Court of Virginia. See Virginia Code 1-249
• Tax Commissioner: means the chief executive officer of the Department of Taxation or his designee. See Virginia Code 58.1-2600
• Tax year: means the twelve-month period beginning on January 1 and ending on December 31 of the same calendar year, such year also being the tax assessment year or the year in which the tax levied under this chapter shall be paid. See Virginia Code 58.1-2600
• Taxable year: means the calendar year preceding the tax year, upon which the gross receipts are computed as a basis for the payment of the tax levied pursuant to this chapter. See Virginia Code 58.1-2600
• Telegraph company: means a corporation or person operating the apparatus necessary to communicate by telegraph. See Virginia Code 58.1-2600
• 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 1, 1971, 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 1-254
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• Violent juvenile felony: means any of the delinquent acts enumerated in subsection B or C of § Virginia Code 16.1-228