Weird Laws in Virginia: Which Are Still on the Books?

Virginia's entry on the weird-law lists is short, and each claim has a real law somewhere near it. We checked three claims from popular lists against the Code of Virginia and, for the one that names a city, the Richmond City Code, as of October 21, 2026. One describes a law that has since been repealed, one leaves out the element that makes the conduct a crime, and for one no law was found. For other states, see our guide to weird laws by state.

Weird laws in Virginia: the verdicts

Each claim below was checked against the Virginia code and, where it names a town, the local code. 3 claims checked.

Repealed

The claim: Hunting is banned on Sunday except raccoons until 2 a.m.

What the law says: Virginia once declared Sunday a rest day for wildlife and banned hunting then, except that raccoons could be hunted until 2:00 a.m. Sunday morning. Laws from 2014 on opened Sunday hunting in stages: the 2 a.m. raccoon limit was dropped in 2018, and the general Sunday ban was struck in 2022. Today § 29.1-521 forbids Sunday hunting only within 200 yards of a place of worship and deer or bear hunting with dogs on Sunday (Class 3 misdemeanor).

Va. Code § 29.1-521(A)(1)

“To hunt or kill on Sunday (i) any wild bird or wild animal, including any nuisance species, with a gun, firearm, or other weapon, within 200 yards of a place of worship or any accessory structure thereof or (ii) any deer or bear with a gun, firearm, or other weapon with the aid or assistance of dogs.”

Penalty: Class 3 misdemeanor (subsec. D)

Repealed in 2022 by 2022 Va. Acts ch. 98 (S.B. 8), approved Apr. 5, 2022 (struck the general Sunday hunting ban and its raccoon exception); the 2:00 a.m. raccoon limit had already been struck by 2018 Va. Acts ch. 113

Primary source · Checked October 21, 2026.

No state law found

The claim: Richmond bans throwing snowballs in the street.

What the law says: No Virginia statute and no provision in Richmond's current offenses or streets chapters bans throwing snowballs. Richmond does forbid throwing glass, nails or other substances 'likely to injure any person or animal or damage any vehicle' onto streets (City Code § 24-31), and state law punishes maliciously throwing a missile at an occupied vehicle in a way that may put the people inside in peril (Va. Code § 18.2-154).

No state law found in the Virginia code as of October 21, 2026.

How we searched

We searched the full text of the Code of Virginia for snowballs, read the state law on throwing missiles at occupied vehicles, and read the section titles of the Richmond City Code offenses chapter and its streets rules on throwing injurious materials.

Parts of the code read

• Richmond City Code Chapter 19 (Offenses and Miscellaneous Provisions), section titles
• Code of Virginia section 18.2-154 (shooting at or throwing missiles at a train, car, vessel or other vehicle)

The local code named in the claim was checked too.

Primary source · Checked October 21, 2026.

Real law, twisted claim

The claim: Using vulgar language over the phone or CB radio is illegal.

What the law says: Va. Code 18.2-427 makes it a Class 1 misdemeanor to use obscene, vulgar or indecent language over a telephone or citizens band radio, but only when done with intent to coerce, intimidate or harass someone. Swearing on a call is not itself a crime.

Va. Code § 18.2-427

“Any person who uses obscene, vulgar, profane, lewd, lascivious, or indecent language, or makes any suggestion or proposal of an obscene nature, or threatens any illegal or immoral act with the intent to coerce, intimidate, or harass any person, over any telephone or citizens band radio, in this Commonwealth, is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.”

Penalty: Class 1 misdemeanor

Last cited by a court: Commonwealth v. Rowe (2012)

Primary source · Checked October 21, 2026.

Checked October 21, 2026. This is legal history and information, not legal advice. Laws change; the linked official text is the authority.

Sunday, raccoons and 2 a.m.

The raccoon claim was accurate once. Virginia declared Sunday a rest day for wildlife and banned hunting that day, with one exception: raccoons could be hunted until 2:00 a.m. Sunday morning.

The legislature took the rule apart in stages, starting in 2014. The 2:00 a.m. raccoon limit was struck by 2018 Va. Acts ch. 113. The general Sunday ban, along with what remained of its raccoon exception, was struck by 2022 Va. Acts ch. 98 (Senate Bill 8), approved April 5, 2022.

Sunday is not quite like other days, though. Va. Code 29.1-521(A)(1) still makes it unlawful:

To hunt or kill on Sunday (i) any wild bird or wild animal, including any nuisance species, with a gun, firearm, or other weapon, within 200 yards of a place of worship or any accessory structure thereof or (ii) any deer or bear with a gun, firearm, or other weapon with the aid or assistance of dogs.

A violation is a Class 3 misdemeanor under subsection D.

Swearing on the phone takes more than swearing

The claim that vulgar language over a phone or CB radio is illegal drops the part of the statute that does the work. Va. Code 18.2-427 reads:

Any person who uses obscene, vulgar, profane, lewd, lascivious, or indecent language, or makes any suggestion or proposal of an obscene nature, or threatens any illegal or immoral act with the intent to coerce, intimidate, or harass any person, over any telephone or citizens band radio, in this Commonwealth, is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.

The intent to coerce, intimidate or harass is the element that makes the call a crime. Language alone, without that intent, does not meet the statute.

Snowballs in Richmond

No Virginia statute and no provision in Richmond's current offenses or streets chapters banning snowball throwing was found. We searched the full text of the Code of Virginia for snowballs, read the state law on throwing missiles at vehicles, and read the section titles of Richmond's offenses chapter (Chapter 19) and its streets rules on throwing injurious materials.

Two related rules do exist. Richmond City Code 24-31 forbids throwing glass, nails or other substances "likely to injure any person or animal or damage any vehicle" onto streets. At the state level, Va. Code 18.2-154 punishes maliciously throwing a missile at an occupied vehicle in a way that may put the people inside in peril. Neither names snowballs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Sunday hunting illegal in Virginia?

The general Sunday hunting ban was struck by 2022 Va. Acts ch. 98 (S.B. 8). Va. Code 29.1-521 still makes it unlawful to hunt or kill wild birds or wild animals with a weapon on Sunday within 200 yards of a place of worship or its accessory structures, and to hunt deer or bear with a weapon with the aid of dogs on Sunday. A violation is a Class 3 misdemeanor.

Could raccoons be hunted until 2 a.m. on Sunday in Virginia?

That was once the law. The old Sunday ban let raccoons be hunted until 2:00 a.m. Sunday morning. The 2:00 a.m. limit was struck by 2018 Va. Acts ch. 113, and the general ban and its raccoon exception were struck in 2022.

Is it illegal to curse on the phone in Virginia?

Va. Code 18.2-427 makes obscene, vulgar, profane or indecent language over a telephone or citizens band radio a Class 1 misdemeanor when it is used with the intent to coerce, intimidate or harass any person. The statute does not make swearing on a call a crime without that intent.

Is throwing snowballs illegal in Richmond, Virginia?

No Virginia statute and no provision in Richmond's offenses or streets chapters banning snowball throwing was found as of October 21, 2026. Richmond City Code 24-31 bars throwing glass, nails or other substances likely to injure a person or animal or damage a vehicle onto streets, and Va. Code 18.2-154 covers maliciously throwing missiles at occupied vehicles.

What are some weird laws in Virginia?

Two of the claims checked rest on real law: the Sunday raccoon-hunting rule, which was real until the legislature repealed it in stages ending in 2022, and the rule on vulgar language over the phone or CB radio, which is real but requires intent to coerce, intimidate or harass.