{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-json\/54.1-2600.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-text\/54.1-2600.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-xml\/54.1-2600.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-html\/54.1-2600.html"}],"law_id":368237,"edition_id":2,"section_id":368237,"structure_id":52486,"section_number":"54.1-2600","catch_line":"Definitions","history":"1972, c. 181, \u00a7 54-83.1:5; 1974, c. 534; 1988, c. 765; 1992, c. 706; 2014, c. 327; 2019, c. 288.","full_text":"As used in this chapter, unless the context requires a different meaning:\n\n\t\t“Audiologist” means any person who engages in the practice of audiology.\n\n\t\t“Board” means the Board of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology.\n\n\t\t“Practice of audiology” means the practice of conducting measurement, testing and evaluation relating to hearing and vestibular systems, including audiologic and electrophysiological measures, and conducting programs of identification, hearing conservation, habilitation, and rehabilitation for the purpose of identifying disorders of the hearing and vestibular systems and modifying communicative disorders related to hearing loss, including but not limited to vestibular evaluation, limited cerumen management, electrophysiological audiometry and cochlear implants. Any person offering services to the public under any descriptive name or title which would indicate that audiology services are being offered shall be deemed to be practicing audiology.\n\n\t\t“Practice of speech-language pathology” means the practice of facilitating development and maintenance of human communication through programs of screening, identifying, assessing and interpreting, diagnosing, habilitating and rehabilitating speech-language disorders, including but not limited to:\n\n1\n\nProviding alternative communication systems and instruction and training in the use thereof;\n\n2\n\nProviding aural habilitation, rehabilitation and counseling services to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families;\n\n3\n\nEnhancing speech-language proficiency and communication effectiveness; and\n\n4\n\nProviding audiologic screening.\n\t\t\tAny person offering services to the public under any descriptive name or title which would indicate that professional speech-language pathology services are being offered shall be deemed to be practicing speech-language pathology.\n\n\t\t\t“Speech-language disorders” means disorders in fluency, speech articulation, voice, receptive and expressive language (syntax, morphology, semantics, pragmatics), swallowing disorders, and cognitive communication functioning.\n\n\t\t\t“Speech-language pathologist” means any person who engages in the practice of speech-language pathology.\n\n","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":1370892,"text":"As used in this chapter, unless the context requires a different meaning:\t\t“Audiologist” means any person who engages in the practice of audiology.\t\t“Board” means the Board of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology.\t\t“Practice of audiology” means the practice of conducting measurement, testing and evaluation relating to hearing and vestibular systems, including audiologic and electrophysiological measures, and conducting programs of identification, hearing conservation, habilitation, and rehabilitation for the purpose of identifying disorders of the hearing and vestibular systems and modifying communicative disorders related to hearing loss, including but not limited to vestibular evaluation, limited cerumen management, electrophysiological audiometry and cochlear implants. Any person offering services to the public under any descriptive name or title which would indicate that audiology services are being offered shall be deemed to be practicing audiology.\t\t“Practice of speech-language pathology” means the practice of facilitating development and maintenance of human communication through programs of screening, identifying, assessing and interpreting, diagnosing, habilitating and rehabilitating speech-language disorders, including but not limited to:","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"next_prefix":"1"},"1":{"id":1370893,"text":"Providing alternative communication systems and instruction and training in the use thereof;","type":"section","prefixes":["1"],"prefix":"1","entire_prefix":"1","prefix_anchor":"1","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":"2"},"2":{"id":1370894,"text":"Providing aural habilitation, rehabilitation and counseling services to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families;","type":"section","prefixes":["2"],"prefix":"2","entire_prefix":"2","prefix_anchor":"2","level":1,"prior_prefix":"1","next_prefix":"3"},"3":{"id":1370895,"text":"Enhancing speech-language proficiency and communication effectiveness; and","type":"section","prefixes":["3"],"prefix":"3","entire_prefix":"3","prefix_anchor":"3","level":1,"prior_prefix":"2","next_prefix":"4"},"4":{"id":1370896,"text":"Providing audiologic screening.\n\t\t\tAny person offering services to the public under any descriptive name or title which would indicate that professional speech-language pathology services are being offered shall be deemed to be practicing speech-language pathology.\t\t\t“Speech-language disorders” means disorders in fluency, speech articulation, voice, receptive and expressive language (syntax, morphology, semantics, pragmatics), swallowing disorders, and cognitive communication functioning.\t\t\t“Speech-language pathologist” means any person who engages in the practice of speech-language pathology.","type":"section","prefixes":["4"],"prefix":"4","entire_prefix":"4","prefix_anchor":"4","level":1,"prior_prefix":"3"}},"ancestry":[{"id":52486,"edition_id":2,"name":"General Provisions","identifier":"1","label":"article","depth":4,"order_by":1,"parent_id":52485,"metadata":{"child_laws":6,"child_structures":0},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:59:33","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:35:02","permalink":{"id":1468425,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":52486,"identifier":"1","token":"54.1\/III\/26\/1","url":"\/54.1\/III\/26\/1\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":52485,"edition_id":2,"name":"Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology","identifier":"26","label":"chapter","depth":3,"order_by":5,"parent_id":52479,"metadata":{"child_laws":25,"child_structures":3},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:59:33","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:35:01","permalink":{"id":1468423,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":52485,"identifier":"26","token":"54.1\/III\/26","url":"\/54.1\/III\/26\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":52479,"edition_id":2,"name":"Professions and Occupations Regulated by Boards Within the Department of Health Professions","identifier":"III","label":"subtitle","depth":2,"order_by":3,"parent_id":52436,"metadata":{"child_laws":738,"child_structures":83},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:59:23","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:35:00","permalink":{"id":1468107,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":52479,"identifier":"III","token":"54.1\/III","url":"\/54.1\/III\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":52436,"edition_id":2,"name":"Professions and Occupations","identifier":"54.1","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":118,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{"child_laws":1282,"child_structures":163},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:58:52","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:34:51","permalink":{"id":1466315,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":52436,"identifier":"54.1","token":"54.1","url":"\/54.1\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":368237,"structure_id":52486,"section_number":"54.1-2600","catch_line":"Definitions","url":"\/54.1-2600\/","token":"54.1\/III\/26\/1\/54.1-2600","metadata":false},{"id":368238,"structure_id":52486,"section_number":"54.1-2601","catch_line":"Exemptions","url":"\/54.1-2601\/","token":"54.1\/III\/26\/1\/54.1-2601","metadata":false},{"id":368239,"structure_id":52486,"section_number":"54.1-2602","catch_line":"Board membership; officers; duties of Director of Department","url":"\/54.1-2602\/","token":"54.1\/III\/26\/1\/54.1-2602","metadata":false},{"id":368240,"structure_id":52486,"section_number":"54.1-2603","catch_line":"License required","url":"\/54.1-2603\/","token":"54.1\/III\/26\/1\/54.1-2603","metadata":false},{"id":368241,"structure_id":52486,"section_number":"54.1-2604","catch_line":"Provisional license in audiology or speech-language pathology","url":"\/54.1-2604\/","token":"54.1\/III\/26\/1\/54.1-2604","metadata":false},{"id":368242,"structure_id":52486,"section_number":"54.1-2605","catch_line":"(Repealed effective July 1, 2027) Practice of assistant speech-language pathologists.","url":"\/54.1-2605\/","token":"54.1\/III\/26\/1\/54.1-2605","metadata":false}],"next_section":{"id":368238,"structure_id":52486,"section_number":"54.1-2601","catch_line":"Exemptions","url":"\/54.1-2601\/","token":"54.1\/III\/26\/1\/54.1-2601","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/54.1-2600\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 1972. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 181 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 5 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 1974, chapter 534; in 1988, chapter 765; in 1992, chapter 706; in 2014, chapter 327<\/a>; in 2019, chapter 288<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":346448,"section_number":"13.1-1102","catch_line":"Definitions","order_by":null,"url":"\/13.1-1102\/"},{"id":346674,"section_number":"13.1-543","catch_line":"Definitions","order_by":null,"url":"\/13.1-543\/"},{"id":367974,"section_number":"54.1-1500","catch_line":"Definitions","order_by":null,"url":"\/54.1-1500\/"},{"id":368240,"section_number":"54.1-2603","catch_line":"License required","order_by":null,"url":"\/54.1-2603\/"}],"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":1468427,"object_type":"law","relational_id":368237,"identifier":"54.1-2600","token":"54.1\/III\/26\/1\/54.1-2600","url":"\/54.1-2600\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/54.1-2600\/","token":"54.1\/III\/26\/1\/54.1-2600","dublin_core":{"Title":"Definitions","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 54.1-2600","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

As used in this chapter, unless the context requires a different meaning:

\t\t“Audiologist<\/span>” means any person who engages in the practice of audiology<\/span>.

\t\t“Board<\/span>” means the Board<\/span> of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology.

\t\t“Practice of audiology<\/span>” means the practice of conducting measurement, testing and evaluation relating to hearing<\/span> and vestibular systems, including audiologic and electrophysiological measures, and conducting programs of identification, hearing<\/span> conservation, habilitation, and rehabilitation for the purpose of identifying disorders of the hearing<\/span> and vestibular systems and modifying communicative disorders related to hearing<\/span> loss, including but not limited to vestibular evaluation, limited cerumen management, electrophysiological audiometry and cochlear implants. Any person offering services to the public under any descriptive name or title which would indicate that audiology services are being offered shall be deemed to be practicing audiology.

\t\t“Practice of speech-language pathology<\/span>” means the practice of facilitating development and maintenance of human communication through programs of screening, identifying, assessing and interpreting, diagnosing, habilitating and rehabilitating speech-language disorders<\/span>, including but not limited to:<\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

1.<\/span> Providing alternative communication systems and instruction and training in the use thereof; <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

2.<\/span> Providing aural habilitation, rehabilitation and counseling services to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing<\/span> and their families; <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

3.<\/span> Enhancing speech-language proficiency and communication effectiveness; and <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

4.<\/span> Providing audiologic screening.\n\t\t\tAny person offering services to the public under any descriptive name or title which would indicate that professional speech-language pathology services are being offered shall be deemed to be practicing speech-language pathology.

\t\t\t“Speech-language disorders<\/span>” means disorders in fluency, speech articulation, voice, receptive and expressive language (syntax, morphology, semantics, pragmatics), swallowing disorders, and cognitive communication functioning.

\t\t\t“Speech-language pathologist<\/span>” means any person who engages in the practice of speech-language pathology<\/span>. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nDEFINITIONS (\u00a7 54.1-2600)\n\nAs used in this chapter, unless the context requires a different\nmeaning:\t\t“Audiologist” means any person who engages in the practice\nof audiology.\t\t“Board” means the Board of Audiology and\nSpeech-Language Pathology.\t\t“Practice of audiology” means the\npractice of conducting measurement, testing and evaluation relating to hearing\nand vestibular systems, including audiologic and electrophysiological measures,\nand conducting programs of identification, hearing conservation, habilitation,\nand rehabilitation for the purpose of identifying disorders of the hearing and\nvestibular systems and modifying communicative disorders related to hearing\nloss, including but not limited to vestibular evaluation, limited cerumen\nmanagement, electrophysiological audiometry and cochlear implants. Any person\noffering services to the public under any descriptive name or title which would\nindicate that audiology services are being offered shall be deemed to be\npracticing audiology.\t\t“Practice of speech-language pathology” means\nthe practice of facilitating development and maintenance of human communication\nthrough programs of screening, identifying, assessing and interpreting,\ndiagnosing, habilitating and rehabilitating speech-language disorders, including\nbut not limited to:\n\n1. Providing alternative communication systems and instruction and training in\nthe use thereof;\n\n2. Providing aural habilitation, rehabilitation and counseling services to\nindividuals who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families;\n\n3. Enhancing speech-language proficiency and communication effectiveness; and\n\n4. Providing audiologic screening.\n\t\t\tAny person offering services to the public under any descriptive name or\ntitle which would indicate that professional speech-language pathology services\nare being offered shall be deemed to be practicing speech-language\npathology.\t\t\t“Speech-language disorders” means disorders in fluency,\nspeech articulation, voice, receptive and expressive language (syntax,\nmorphology, semantics, pragmatics), swallowing disorders, and cognitive\ncommunication functioning.\t\t\t“Speech-language pathologist” means any\nperson who engages in the practice of speech-language pathology.\n\nHISTORY: 1972, c. 181, \u00a7 54-83.1:5; 1974, c. 534; 1988, c. 765; 1992, c. 706;\n2014, c. 327; 2019, c. 288.","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"}}