HB1934: Police service; civil penalty when excessive number of calls from same property.
HOUSE BILL NO. 1934
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That the Code of Virginia is amended by adding a section numbered 15.2-900.1 as follows:
§ 15.2-900.1. Excessive calls for police service; civil penalty.
Any locality may by ordinance declare that when a property requires an excessive number of calls for police service within a specified time period, the owner of the property is subject to a civil penalty. The locality shall determine in its ordinance the number of calls that is excessive, but no owner shall be cited under such ordinance for fewer than five calls in a 12-month period.
The ordinance may establish a graduated schedule of civil penalties based on the types of police response and the number of excessive calls; however, a property owner shall not be subject to an initial civil penalty exceeding $200 and total civil penalties over a 12-month period shall not exceed $3,000. The ordinance shall (i) set forth an enforcement mechanism and state the disposition of any penalties collected, (ii) set forth a method of notice to the property owner to be given prior to the initial imposition of a civil penalty, and (iii) contain an exclusion for all calls related to domestic violence.