CODE OF VIRGINIA

DAMAGES FOR TRESPASS BY ANIMALS; PUNITIVE AND DOUBLE DAMAGES (§ 55-306)

If any livestock domesticated by man shall enter into any grounds enclosed by a
lawful fence, as defined in §§ 55-299 through 55-303, the owner or manager of
any such animal shall be liable for the actual damages sustained.When punitive
damages are awarded, the same shall not exceed twenty dollars in any case.For
every succeeding trespass the owner or manager of such animal shall be liable
for double damages, both actual and punitive.

HISTORY: Code 1950, §§ 8-874 through 8-876; 1977, c. 624; 1979, c. 486.