{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-json\/19.2-163.04.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-text\/19.2-163.04.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-xml\/19.2-163.04.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-html\/19.2-163.04.html"}],"law_id":351329,"edition_id":2,"section_id":351329,"structure_id":50247,"section_number":"19.2-163.04","catch_line":"Public defender offices","history":"2004, cc. 884, 921; 2004, Sp. Sess. I, c. 4, cl. 2; 2005, c. 951; 2006, Sp. Sess. I, c. 2; 2016, cc. 164, 312; 2020, cc. 348, 376; 2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 341; 2024, c. 313.","full_text":"Public defender offices are established in:\n\na. The City of Virginia Beach;\n\nb. The City of Petersburg;\n\nc. The Cities of Buena Vista, Lexington, Staunton, and Waynesboro and the Counties of Augusta and Rockbridge;\n\nd. The City of Roanoke;\n\ne. The City of Portsmouth;\n\nf. The City of Richmond;\n\ng. The Counties of Clarke, Frederick, Page, Shenandoah, and Warren, and the City of Winchester;\n\nh. The City and County of Fairfax;\n\ni. The City of Alexandria;\n\nj. The City of Radford and the Counties of Bland, Pulaski, and Wythe;\n\nk. The Counties of Fauquier, Loudoun, and Rappahannock;\n\nl. The City of Suffolk;\n\nm. The City of Franklin and the Counties of Isle of Wight and Southampton;\n\nn. The County of Bedford;\n\no. The City of Danville;\n\np. The Counties of Halifax, Lunenburg, and Mecklenburg;\n\nq. The City of Fredericksburg and the Counties of King George, Stafford, and Spotsylvania;\n\nr. The City of Lynchburg;\n\ns. The City of Martinsville and the Counties of Henry and Patrick;\n\nt. The City of Charlottesville and the County of Albemarle;\n\nu. The City of Norfolk;\n\nv. The County of Arlington and the City of Falls Church;\n\nw. The City of Newport News;\n\nx. The City of Chesapeake;\n\ny. The City of Hampton;\n\nz. The Cities of Manassas and Manassas Park and the County of Prince William;\n\naa. The County of Chesterfield; and\n\nab. The City of Harrisonburg and the County of Rockingham.\n\n","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":1308291,"text":"Public defender offices are established in:","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"next_prefix":""},"1":{"id":1308292,"text":"a. The City of Virginia Beach;","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":""},"2":{"id":1308293,"text":"b. The City of Petersburg;","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":""},"3":{"id":1308294,"text":"c. The Cities of Buena Vista, Lexington, Staunton, and Waynesboro and the Counties of Augusta and Rockbridge;","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":""},"4":{"id":1308295,"text":"d. The City of Roanoke;","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":""},"5":{"id":1308296,"text":"e. The City of Portsmouth;","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":""},"6":{"id":1308297,"text":"f. The City of Richmond;","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":""},"7":{"id":1308298,"text":"g. The Counties of Clarke, Frederick, Page, Shenandoah, and Warren, and the City of Winchester;","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":""},"8":{"id":1308299,"text":"h. The City and County of Fairfax;","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":""},"9":{"id":1308300,"text":"i. The City of Alexandria;","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":""},"10":{"id":1308301,"text":"j. The City of Radford and the Counties of Bland, Pulaski, and Wythe;","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":""},"11":{"id":1308302,"text":"k. The Counties of Fauquier, Loudoun, and Rappahannock;","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":""},"12":{"id":1308303,"text":"l. The City of Suffolk;","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":""},"13":{"id":1308304,"text":"m. The City of Franklin and the Counties of Isle of Wight and Southampton;","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":""},"14":{"id":1308305,"text":"n. The County of Bedford;","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":""},"15":{"id":1308306,"text":"o. The City of Danville;","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":""},"16":{"id":1308307,"text":"p. The Counties of Halifax, Lunenburg, and Mecklenburg;","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":""},"17":{"id":1308308,"text":"q. The City of Fredericksburg and the Counties of King George, Stafford, and Spotsylvania;","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":""},"18":{"id":1308309,"text":"r. The City of Lynchburg;","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":""},"19":{"id":1308310,"text":"s. The City of Martinsville and the Counties of Henry and Patrick;","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":""},"20":{"id":1308311,"text":"t. The City of Charlottesville and the County of Albemarle;","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":""},"21":{"id":1308312,"text":"u. The City of Norfolk;","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":""},"22":{"id":1308313,"text":"v. The County of Arlington and the City of Falls Church;","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":""},"23":{"id":1308314,"text":"w. The City of Newport News;","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":""},"24":{"id":1308315,"text":"x. The City of Chesapeake;","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":""},"25":{"id":1308316,"text":"y. The City of Hampton;","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":""},"26":{"id":1308317,"text":"z. The Cities of Manassas and Manassas Park and the County of Prince William;","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":""},"27":{"id":1308318,"text":"aa. The County of Chesterfield; and","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":""},"28":{"id":1308319,"text":"ab. The City of Harrisonburg and the County of Rockingham.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":""}},"ancestry":[{"id":50247,"edition_id":2,"name":"Indigent Defense","identifier":"3.1","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":2,"parent_id":50243,"metadata":{"child_laws":5,"child_structures":0},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:25:20","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:30:39","permalink":{"id":1395381,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":50247,"identifier":"3.1","token":"19.2\/10\/3.1","url":"\/19.2\/10\/3.1\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":50243,"edition_id":2,"name":"Disability of Judge or Attorney for Commonwealth; Court- Appointed Counsel; Interpreters; Transcripts","identifier":"10","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":13,"parent_id":50226,"metadata":{"child_laws":30,"child_structures":8},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:25:19","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:30:38","permalink":{"id":1395321,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":50243,"identifier":"10","token":"19.2\/10","url":"\/19.2\/10\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":50226,"edition_id":2,"name":"Criminal Procedure","identifier":"19.2","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":54,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{"child_laws":771,"child_structures":99},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:25:04","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:30:30","permalink":{"id":1395171,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":50226,"identifier":"19.2","token":"19.2","url":"\/19.2\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":351325,"structure_id":50247,"section_number":"19.2-163.01","catch_line":"Virginia Indigent Defense Commission established; powers and duties","url":"\/19.2-163.01\/","token":"19.2\/10\/3.1\/19.2-163.01","metadata":false},{"id":351326,"structure_id":50247,"section_number":"19.2-163.01:1","catch_line":"Supplementing compensation of public defender","url":"\/19.2-163.01_1\/","token":"19.2\/10\/3.1\/19.2-163.01_1","metadata":false},{"id":351327,"structure_id":50247,"section_number":"19.2-163.02","catch_line":"Membership of Indigent Defense Commission; expenses","url":"\/19.2-163.02\/","token":"19.2\/10\/3.1\/19.2-163.02","metadata":false},{"id":351328,"structure_id":50247,"section_number":"19.2-163.03","catch_line":"Qualifications for court-appointed counsel","url":"\/19.2-163.03\/","token":"19.2\/10\/3.1\/19.2-163.03","metadata":false},{"id":351329,"structure_id":50247,"section_number":"19.2-163.04","catch_line":"Public defender offices","url":"\/19.2-163.04\/","token":"19.2\/10\/3.1\/19.2-163.04","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":351328,"structure_id":50247,"section_number":"19.2-163.03","catch_line":"Qualifications for court-appointed counsel","url":"\/19.2-163.03\/","token":"19.2\/10\/3.1\/19.2-163.03","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/19.2-163.04\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 2004. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapters 884<\/a> and 921<\/a> 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. It has been modified 4 times. 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. Those modifications are as follows: in 2005, chapter 951<\/a>; in 2016, chapters 164<\/a> and 312<\/a>; in 2020, chapters 348<\/a> and 376<\/a>; in 2024, chapter 313<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":351331,"section_number":"19.2-163.3","catch_line":"Duties of public defenders","order_by":null,"url":"\/19.2-163.3\/"},{"id":351332,"section_number":"19.2-163.4","catch_line":"Inapplicability of \u00a7\u00a7 17.1-606 and 19.2-163 where public defender offices established; exception","order_by":null,"url":"\/19.2-163.4\/"}],"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":1395399,"object_type":"law","relational_id":351329,"identifier":"19.2-163.04","token":"19.2\/10\/3.1\/19.2-163.04","url":"\/19.2-163.04\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/19.2-163.04\/","token":"19.2\/10\/3.1\/19.2-163.04","dublin_core":{"Title":"Public defender offices","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 19.2-163.04","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

Public defender<\/span> offices are established in:<\/p>

a. The City of Virginia Beach;<\/p>

b. The City of Petersburg;<\/p>

c. The Cities of Buena Vista, Lexington, Staunton, and Waynesboro and the Counties of Augusta and Rockbridge;<\/p>

d. The City of Roanoke;<\/p>

e. The City of Portsmouth;<\/p>

f. The City of Richmond;<\/p>

g. The Counties of Clarke, Frederick, Page, Shenandoah, and Warren, and the City of Winchester;<\/p>

h. The City and County of Fairfax;<\/p>

i. The City of Alexandria;<\/p>

j. The City of Radford and the Counties of Bland, Pulaski, and Wythe;<\/p>

k. The Counties of Fauquier, Loudoun, and Rappahannock;<\/p>

l. The City of Suffolk;<\/p>

m. The City of Franklin and the Counties of Isle of Wight and Southampton;<\/p>

n. The County of Bedford;<\/p>

o. The City of Danville;<\/p>

p. The Counties of Halifax, Lunenburg, and Mecklenburg;<\/p>

q. The City of Fredericksburg and the Counties of King George, Stafford, and Spotsylvania;<\/p>

r. The City of Lynchburg;<\/p>

s. The City of Martinsville and the Counties of Henry and Patrick;<\/p>

t. The City of Charlottesville and the County of Albemarle;<\/p>

u. The City of Norfolk;<\/p>

v. The County of Arlington and the City of Falls Church;<\/p>

w. The City of Newport News;<\/p>

x. The City of Chesapeake;<\/p>

y. The City of Hampton;<\/p>

z. The Cities of Manassas and Manassas Park and the County of Prince William;<\/p>

aa. The County of Chesterfield; and<\/p>

ab. The City of Harrisonburg and the County of Rockingham.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nPUBLIC DEFENDER OFFICES (\u00a7 19.2-163.04)\n\nPublic defender offices are established in:\n\na. The City of Virginia Beach;\n\nb. The City of Petersburg;\n\nc. The Cities of Buena Vista, Lexington, Staunton, and Waynesboro and the\nCounties of Augusta and Rockbridge;\n\nd. The City of Roanoke;\n\ne. The City of Portsmouth;\n\nf. The City of Richmond;\n\ng. The Counties of Clarke, Frederick, Page, Shenandoah, and Warren, and the City\nof Winchester;\n\nh. The City and County of Fairfax;\n\ni. The City of Alexandria;\n\nj. The City of Radford and the Counties of Bland, Pulaski, and Wythe;\n\nk. The Counties of Fauquier, Loudoun, and Rappahannock;\n\nl. The City of Suffolk;\n\nm. The City of Franklin and the Counties of Isle of Wight and Southampton;\n\nn. The County of Bedford;\n\no. The City of Danville;\n\np. The Counties of Halifax, Lunenburg, and Mecklenburg;\n\nq. The City of Fredericksburg and the Counties of King George, Stafford, and\nSpotsylvania;\n\nr. The City of Lynchburg;\n\ns. The City of Martinsville and the Counties of Henry and Patrick;\n\nt. The City of Charlottesville and the County of Albemarle;\n\nu. The City of Norfolk;\n\nv. The County of Arlington and the City of Falls Church;\n\nw. The City of Newport News;\n\nx. The City of Chesapeake;\n\ny. The City of Hampton;\n\nz. The Cities of Manassas and Manassas Park and the County of Prince William;\n\naa. The County of Chesterfield; and\n\nab. The City of Harrisonburg and the County of Rockingham.\n\nHISTORY: 2004, cc. 884, 921; 2004, Sp. Sess. I, c. 4, cl. 2; 2005, c. 951; 2006,\nSp. Sess. I, c. 2; 2016, cc. 164, 312; 2020, cc. 348, 376; 2021, Sp. Sess. I, c.\n341; 2024, c. 313.","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"}}