{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-json\/56-412.1.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-text\/56-412.1.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-xml\/56-412.1.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-html\/56-412.1.html"}],"law_id":370373,"edition_id":2,"section_id":370373,"structure_id":52750,"section_number":"56-412.1","catch_line":"Railroad cars obstructing street or road; standing vehicle on railroad track","history":"1958, c. 242; 1976, c. 89.","full_text":"It shall be unlawful for any railroad company, or any receiver or trustee operating a railroad, to obstruct for a longer period than five minutes the free passage on any street or road by standing cars or trains across the same, except a passenger train while receiving or discharging passengers, but a passway shall be kept open to allow normal flow of traffic; nor shall it be lawful to stand any wagon or other vehicle on the track of any railroad which will hinder or endanger a moving train; provided that when a train has been uncoupled, so as to make a passway, the time necessarily required, not exceeding three minutes, to pump up the air after the train has been recoupled shall not be included in considering the time such cars or trains were standing across such street or road. Any such railroad company, receiver or trustee, violating any of the provisions of this section shall be fined not less than $100 nor more than $500; provided that the fine may be $100 for each minute beyond the permitted time but the total fine shall not exceed $500.\n\nThis section shall not apply when the train is stopped due to breakdown, mechanical failure or emergency.\n\n","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":1381565,"text":"It shall be unlawful for any railroad company, or any receiver or trustee operating a railroad, to obstruct for a longer period than five minutes the free passage on any street or road by standing cars or trains across the same, except a passenger train while receiving or discharging passengers, but a passway shall be kept open to allow normal flow of traffic; nor shall it be lawful to stand any wagon or other vehicle on the track of any railroad which will hinder or endanger a moving train; provided that when a train has been uncoupled, so as to make a passway, the time necessarily required, not exceeding three minutes, to pump up the air after the train has been recoupled shall not be included in considering the time such cars or trains were standing across such street or road. Any such railroad company, receiver or trustee, violating any of the provisions of this section shall be fined not less than $100 nor more than $500; provided that the fine may be $100 for each minute beyond the permitted time but the total fine shall not exceed $500.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"next_prefix":""},"1":{"id":1381566,"text":"This section shall not apply when the train is stopped due to breakdown, mechanical failure or emergency.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":""}},"ancestry":[{"id":52750,"edition_id":2,"name":"Highway Crossings","identifier":"6","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":6,"parent_id":52743,"metadata":{"child_laws":17,"child_structures":0},"date_created":"2026-08-02 03:04:05","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:35:42","permalink":{"id":1476609,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":52750,"identifier":"6","token":"56\/13\/6","url":"\/56\/13\/6\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":52743,"edition_id":2,"name":"Railroad Corporations","identifier":"13","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":27,"parent_id":52702,"metadata":{"child_laws":86,"child_structures":11},"date_created":"2026-08-02 03:03:58","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:35:41","permalink":{"id":1476441,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":52743,"identifier":"13","token":"56\/13","url":"\/56\/13\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":52702,"edition_id":2,"name":"Public Service Companies","identifier":"56","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":121,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{"child_laws":710,"child_structures":93},"date_created":"2026-08-02 03:03:25","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:35:34","permalink":{"id":1475475,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":52702,"identifier":"56","token":"56","url":"\/56\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":370363,"structure_id":52750,"section_number":"56-405","catch_line":"Railroad companies to maintain grade crossings of public highways and approaches; repair by Commissioner of Highways or public road authority; recovery of cost from railroad company","url":"\/56-405\/","token":"56\/13\/6\/56-405","metadata":false},{"id":370358,"structure_id":52750,"section_number":"56-405.01","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/56-405.01\/","token":"56\/13\/6\/56-405.01","metadata":false},{"id":370359,"structure_id":52750,"section_number":"56-405.02","catch_line":"Railroads to adjust certain public highways at grade crossings","url":"\/56-405.02\/","token":"56\/13\/6\/56-405.02","metadata":false},{"id":370360,"structure_id":52750,"section_number":"56-405.1","catch_line":"Agreements with Commissioner of Highways or public road authority representative for maintenance and repair of public grade crossings","url":"\/56-405.1\/","token":"56\/13\/6\/56-405.1","metadata":false},{"id":370361,"structure_id":52750,"section_number":"56-405.2","catch_line":"Construction and maintenance of crossbucks","url":"\/56-405.2\/","token":"56\/13\/6\/56-405.2","metadata":false},{"id":370362,"structure_id":52750,"section_number":"56-405.3","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/56-405.3\/","token":"56\/13\/6\/56-405.3","metadata":false},{"id":370366,"structure_id":52750,"section_number":"56-406","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/56-406\/","token":"56\/13\/6\/56-406","metadata":false},{"id":370364,"structure_id":52750,"section_number":"56-406.1","catch_line":"Proceedings for installation and maintenance of automatically operated gates, signals and other automatic crossing warning devices","url":"\/56-406.1\/","token":"56\/13\/6\/56-406.1","metadata":false},{"id":370365,"structure_id":52750,"section_number":"56-406.2","catch_line":"Proceeding for fixing cost of maintaining such warning devices at public grade crossings","url":"\/56-406.2\/","token":"56\/13\/6\/56-406.2","metadata":false},{"id":370367,"structure_id":52750,"section_number":"56-407","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/56-407\/","token":"56\/13\/6\/56-407","metadata":false},{"id":370368,"structure_id":52750,"section_number":"56-408","catch_line":"Signs similar to crossing signs prohibited","url":"\/56-408\/","token":"56\/13\/6\/56-408","metadata":false},{"id":370369,"structure_id":52750,"section_number":"56-409","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/56-409\/","token":"56\/13\/6\/56-409","metadata":false},{"id":370372,"structure_id":52750,"section_number":"56-411","catch_line":"Removal of brush and trees from right-of-way","url":"\/56-411\/","token":"56\/13\/6\/56-411","metadata":false},{"id":370376,"structure_id":52750,"section_number":"56-412","catch_line":"When trains shall be stopped before getting to railroad crossing","url":"\/56-412\/","token":"56\/13\/6\/56-412","metadata":false},{"id":370373,"structure_id":52750,"section_number":"56-412.1","catch_line":"Railroad cars obstructing street or road; standing vehicle on railroad track","url":"\/56-412.1\/","token":"56\/13\/6\/56-412.1","metadata":false},{"id":370374,"structure_id":52750,"section_number":"56-412.2","catch_line":"Ordinances conflicting with \u00a7 56-412.1","url":"\/56-412.2\/","token":"56\/13\/6\/56-412.2","metadata":false},{"id":370375,"structure_id":52750,"section_number":"56-412.3","catch_line":"Maintenance of certain roadways by Buchanan County","url":"\/56-412.3\/","token":"56\/13\/6\/56-412.3","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":370376,"structure_id":52750,"section_number":"56-412","catch_line":"When trains shall be stopped before getting to railroad crossing","url":"\/56-412\/","token":"56\/13\/6\/56-412","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":370374,"structure_id":52750,"section_number":"56-412.2","catch_line":"Ordinances conflicting with \u00a7 56-412.1","url":"\/56-412.2\/","token":"56\/13\/6\/56-412.2","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/56-412.1\/","history_text":"<p>This law was first created in 1958. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 242 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 1958 \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 1976, chapter 89.<\/p>","references":[{"id":370374,"section_number":"56-412.2","catch_line":"Ordinances conflicting with \u00a7 56-412.1","order_by":null,"url":"\/56-412.2\/"}],"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":1476667,"object_type":"law","relational_id":370373,"identifier":"56-412.1","token":"56\/13\/6\/56-412.1","url":"\/56-412.1\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/56-412.1\/","token":"56\/13\/6\/56-412.1","dublin_core":{"Title":"Railroad cars obstructing street or road; standing vehicle on railroad track","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 56-412.1","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section><p>It shall be unlawful for any <span class=\"dictionary\">railroad company<\/span>, or any receiver or trustee operating a railroad, to obstruct for a longer period than five minutes the free passage on any street or road by standing cars or trains across the same, except a passenger train while receiving or discharging passengers, but a passway shall be kept open to allow normal flow of traffic; nor shall it be lawful to stand any wagon or other vehicle on the track of any railroad which will hinder or endanger a moving train; provided that when a train has been uncoupled, so as to make a passway, the time necessarily required, not exceeding three minutes, to pump up the air after the train has been recoupled shall not be included in considering the time such cars or trains were standing across such street or road. Any such <span class=\"dictionary\">railroad company<\/span>, receiver or trustee, violating any of the provisions of this section shall be fined not less than $100 nor more than $500; provided that the fine may be $100 for each minute beyond the permitted time but the total fine shall not exceed $500.<\/p><p>This section shall not apply when the train is stopped due to breakdown, mechanical failure or emergency.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":"                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nRAILROAD CARS OBSTRUCTING STREET OR ROAD; STANDING VEHICLE ON RAILROAD TRACK (\u00a7\n56-412.1)\n\nIt shall be unlawful for any railroad company, or any receiver or trustee\noperating a railroad, to obstruct for a longer period than five minutes the free\npassage on any street or road by standing cars or trains across the same, except\na passenger train while receiving or discharging passengers, but a passway shall\nbe kept open to allow normal flow of traffic; nor shall it be lawful to stand\nany wagon or other vehicle on the track of any railroad which will hinder or\nendanger a moving train; provided that when a train has been uncoupled, so as to\nmake a passway, the time necessarily required, not exceeding three minutes, to\npump up the air after the train has been recoupled shall not be included in\nconsidering the time such cars or trains were standing across such street or\nroad. Any such railroad company, receiver or trustee, violating any of the\nprovisions of this section shall be fined not less than $100 nor more than $500;\nprovided that the fine may be $100 for each minute beyond the permitted time but\nthe total fine shall not exceed $500.\n\nThis section shall not apply when the train is stopped due to breakdown,\nmechanical failure or emergency.\n\nHISTORY: 1958, c. 242; 1976, c. 89.","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"}}