Disorderly Conduct
Va. Code 18.2-415 — conduct that tends to cause violence, and words are not it
In Virginia, disorderly conduct is, with intent to cause public inconvenience, annoyance or alarm, or recklessly creating that risk: conduct in a public place that has a direct tendency to cause acts of violence by the people it is aimed at; or willfully or while intoxicated disrupting a funeral, a memorial service, a meeting of a public body, a school or a place of worship, so as to prevent its orderly conduct or with a direct tendency to cause violence.
Speaking or displaying words is not disorderly conduct. The conduct the section prohibits does not include the utterance or display of any words, or conduct punished elsewhere in the title. A violation is a Class 1 misdemeanor.
The section does not apply to an elementary or secondary school student for conduct on school property, on a school bus, or at a school activity.
Sources for this section (1)
- Va. Code 18.2-415 — Disorderly conduct in public places
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Virginia attorney.