{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-json\/16.1-69.36.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-text\/16.1-69.36.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-xml\/16.1-69.36.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-html\/16.1-69.36.html"}],"law_id":349832,"edition_id":2,"section_id":349832,"structure_id":50098,"section_number":"16.1-69.36","catch_line":"Where process returnable and trials held in certain cases","history":"1972, c. 708; 1973, c. 546.","full_text":"All process, civil and criminal, returnable before a district court of a county shall, if the defendants or any of them reside in a city or town in which the court is held, be made returnable at the courtroom or place the court is held in such city or town, but if none of the defendants reside therein it shall be made returnable to the county seat, or to one of the other places where the court is held, whichever shall be nearer or more accessible to such defendant or defendants. If the process is made returnable to some other place than the county seat the place to which it is returnable shall be designated therein. For all jurisdictional requirements hereunder the county seat and each and all of the places designated for the holding of the court shall be deemed to be a part of each and every magisterial district in the county.\n\n","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":1304005,"text":"All process, civil and criminal, returnable before a district court of a county shall, if the defendants or any of them reside in a city or town in which the court is held, be made returnable at the courtroom or place the court is held in such city or town, but if none of the defendants reside therein it shall be made returnable to the county seat, or to one of the other places where the court is held, whichever shall be nearer or more accessible to such defendant or defendants. If the process is made returnable to some other place than the county seat the place to which it is returnable shall be designated therein. For all jurisdictional requirements hereunder the county seat and each and all of the places designated for the holding of the court shall be deemed to be a part of each and every magisterial district in the county.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":50098,"edition_id":2,"name":"Administration and Supervision of the District Courts","identifier":"3","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":3,"parent_id":50095,"metadata":{"child_laws":12,"child_structures":0},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:22:04","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:29:58","permalink":{"id":1389161,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":50098,"identifier":"3","token":"16.1\/4.1\/3","url":"\/16.1\/4.1\/3\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":50095,"edition_id":2,"name":"District Courts","identifier":"4.1","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":5,"parent_id":50057,"metadata":{"child_laws":89,"child_structures":6},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:21:58","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:29:58","permalink":{"id":1388995,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":50095,"identifier":"4.1","token":"16.1\/4.1","url":"\/16.1\/4.1\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":50057,"edition_id":2,"name":"Courts Not of Record","identifier":"16.1","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":48,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{"child_laws":446,"child_structures":47},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:21:14","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:29:57","permalink":{"id":1387921,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":50057,"identifier":"16.1","token":"16.1","url":"\/16.1\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":349821,"structure_id":50098,"section_number":"16.1-69.30","catch_line":"District system within unified court system","url":"\/16.1-69.30\/","token":"16.1\/4.1\/3\/16.1-69.30","metadata":false},{"id":349822,"structure_id":50098,"section_number":"16.1-69.31","catch_line":"The duties of the Judicial Council","url":"\/16.1-69.31\/","token":"16.1\/4.1\/3\/16.1-69.31","metadata":false},{"id":349823,"structure_id":50098,"section_number":"16.1-69.32","catch_line":"Rules","url":"\/16.1-69.32\/","token":"16.1\/4.1\/3\/16.1-69.32","metadata":false},{"id":349824,"structure_id":50098,"section_number":"16.1-69.32:1","catch_line":"Substitution of counsel","url":"\/16.1-69.32_1\/","token":"16.1\/4.1\/3\/16.1-69.32_1","metadata":false},{"id":349825,"structure_id":50098,"section_number":"16.1-69.33","catch_line":"Committee on District Courts","url":"\/16.1-69.33\/","token":"16.1\/4.1\/3\/16.1-69.33","metadata":{"court_decisions":{"0":{"name":"Hutchins v. Carrillo","case_number":"2241974","citation":"500 S.E.2d 277","date":"1998-06-16","url":"https:\/\/www.courtlistener.com\/opinion\/1066816\/hutchins-v-carrillo\/","abstract":" .\u202f.\u202f. 500 S.E.2d 277 (1998) .\u202f.\u202f. ","court_html":"COA<\/abbr>"}}}},{"id":349826,"structure_id":50098,"section_number":"16.1-69.34","catch_line":"Reserved","url":"\/16.1-69.34\/","token":"16.1\/4.1\/3\/16.1-69.34","metadata":false},{"id":349827,"structure_id":50098,"section_number":"16.1-69.35","catch_line":"Administrative duties of chief district judge","url":"\/16.1-69.35\/","token":"16.1\/4.1\/3\/16.1-69.35","metadata":false},{"id":349828,"structure_id":50098,"section_number":"16.1-69.35:01","catch_line":"Location of district courts for Albemarle County","url":"\/16.1-69.35_01\/","token":"16.1\/4.1\/3\/16.1-69.35_01","metadata":false},{"id":349829,"structure_id":50098,"section_number":"16.1-69.35:1","catch_line":"Location of district courts for Carroll County","url":"\/16.1-69.35_1\/","token":"16.1\/4.1\/3\/16.1-69.35_1","metadata":false},{"id":349830,"structure_id":50098,"section_number":"16.1-69.35:2","catch_line":"Recording of proceedings in district courts","url":"\/16.1-69.35_2\/","token":"16.1\/4.1\/3\/16.1-69.35_2","metadata":false},{"id":349831,"structure_id":50098,"section_number":"16.1-69.35:3","catch_line":"(Expires pursuant to Acts 2025, c. 292, cl. 2) Twelfth Judicial District; chief judges; designation of cases to be heard in Colonial Heights.","url":"\/16.1-69.35_3\/","token":"16.1\/4.1\/3\/16.1-69.35_3","metadata":false},{"id":349832,"structure_id":50098,"section_number":"16.1-69.36","catch_line":"Where process returnable and trials held in certain cases","url":"\/16.1-69.36\/","token":"16.1\/4.1\/3\/16.1-69.36","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":349831,"structure_id":50098,"section_number":"16.1-69.35:3","catch_line":"(Expires pursuant to Acts 2025, c. 292, cl. 2) Twelfth Judicial District; chief judges; designation of cases to be heard in Colonial Heights.","url":"\/16.1-69.35_3\/","token":"16.1\/4.1\/3\/16.1-69.35_3","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/16.1-69.36\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 1972. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 708 of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. Unfortunately, the 1972 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online. It has been modified 1 time. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. That modification is as follows: in 1973, chapter 546.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":1389207,"object_type":"law","relational_id":349832,"identifier":"16.1-69.36","token":"16.1\/4.1\/3\/16.1-69.36","url":"\/16.1-69.36\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/16.1-69.36\/","token":"16.1\/4.1\/3\/16.1-69.36","dublin_core":{"Title":"Where process returnable and trials held in certain cases","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 16.1-69.36","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

All process, civil and criminal, returnable before a district court<\/span> of a county shall, if the defendants<\/span> or any of them reside in a city or town in which the court<\/span> is held, be made returnable at the courtroom or place the court<\/span> is held in such city or town, but if none of the defendants<\/span> reside therein it shall be made returnable to the county seat, or to one of the other places where the court<\/span> is held, whichever shall be nearer or more accessible to such defendant<\/span> or defendants<\/span>. If the process is made returnable to some other place than the county seat the place to which it is returnable shall be designated therein. For all jurisdictional requirements hereunder the county seat and each and all of the places designated for the holding of the court<\/span> shall be deemed to be a part of each and every magisterial district in the county.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nWHERE PROCESS RETURNABLE AND TRIALS HELD IN CERTAIN CASES (\u00a7 16.1-69.36)\n\nAll process, civil and criminal, returnable before a district court of a county\nshall, if the defendants or any of them reside in a city or town in which the\ncourt is held, be made returnable at the courtroom or place the court is held in\nsuch city or town, but if none of the defendants reside therein it shall be made\nreturnable to the county seat, or to one of the other places where the court is\nheld, whichever shall be nearer or more accessible to such defendant or\ndefendants. If the process is made returnable to some other place than the\ncounty seat the place to which it is returnable shall be designated therein. For\nall jurisdictional requirements hereunder the county seat and each and all of\nthe places designated for the holding of the court shall be deemed to be a part\nof each and every magisterial district in the county.\n\nHISTORY: 1972, c. 708; 1973, c. 546.","edition":{"id":2,"name":"2026","slug":"2026","date_created":"2026-07-16 18:40:23","date_modified":"2026-08-02 15:14:36","current":1,"order_by":2,"last_import":"2026-08-02 12:37:30"}}