Reading A Search Warrant
Va. Code 19.2-56 — no no-knock warrants, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at a home, and 15 days to execute
In Virginia, a search warrant is issued only on a sworn affidavit reasonably describing the place, thing or person to be searched and what is to be searched for, and the facts that make up probable cause. The warrant commands that the place be searched and the things described be seized if found, and shows the date and time it was issued.
No no-knock warrant, and daytime entry into a home. No officer may seek or execute a no-knock warrant. At a home, the officer is recognizable as a uniformed officer and gives audible notice of authority and purpose before executing it, and the first entry is between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. unless a judge or magistrate authorizes another time for good cause. Evidence obtained in violation of these rules is not admitted for the Commonwealth.
After entering and securing the place and before searching, the officer gives a copy of the warrant and affidavit to the person searched, the owner, or an adult occupant, or leaves it in a conspicuous place if no adult is there, unless the affidavit is sealed. A warrant not executed within 15 days is returned and voided.
The officer prepares an inventory of what is seized under oath, and files the warrant, inventory and affidavit with the circuit court clerk within three days after the search, not counting weekends and holidays.
Sources for this section (3)
- Va. Code 19.2-56 — To whom search warrant directed; what it shall command; warrants not executed within 15 days
- Va. Code 19.2-54 — Affidavit preliminary to issuance of search warrant; general search warrant prohibited
- Va. Code 19.2-57 — Execution and return of warrant; list of property seized
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Virginia attorney.