Va. Code » Title 10.1. Conservation » Subtitle I. Activities Administered by the Department of Conservation and Recreation » Chapter 1. General Provisions » Article 4. Conservation Officers
Virginia Code

Va. Code Ann. § 10.1-115 (2026)

Appointment of conservation officers; qualifications; oath

✓ current as of May 2026
Find cases: SyfertCases citing this section VA-LISlaw.lis.virginia.gov JustiaTitle on Justia CornellLII Search CasesGoogle Scholar

A. The Director, when he deems it necessary, may request the Governor to commission an individual designated by the Director to act as a conservation officer of the Commonwealth. Upon concurring with the Director's request, the Governor shall direct the Secretary of the Commonwealth to issue a conservation officer commission to the designated individual. The Secretary of the Commonwealth shall deliver a copy of the commission to the Director. Any individual so commissioned shall hold his commission during his term of employment with the Department, subject to the provisions of § 10.1-118.

B. The Director, upon the request of the Breaks Interstate Park Commission, may request the Governor to commission an individual who meets the requirements of § 10.1-120 and is designated by the Director to act as a conservation officer of the Commonwealth. Upon concurring with the Director's request, the Governor shall direct the Secretary of the Commonwealth to issue a conservation officer commission to the designated individual. The Secretary of the Commonwealth shall deliver a copy of the commission to the Director.

C. To be qualified to receive a conservation officer commission, a person shall (i) be at least 21 years of age and (ii) have graduated from high school or obtained an equivalent diploma.

D. Each conservation officer shall qualify before the clerk of the circuit court of the city or county in which he resides, or in which he first is assigned duty, by taking the oaths prescribed by law. An employee of the Breaks Interstate Park Commission shall qualify before the clerk of the circuit court of Dickenson County.

E. The Director may designate certain conservation officers to be special conservation officers. Special conservation officers shall have the same authority and power as sheriffs throughout the Commonwealth to enforce the laws of the Commonwealth.

1994, c. 205; 2015, cc. 64, 489.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 4 cases, 2005–2009 · leading case: South v. Commonwealth, 623 S.E.2d 419 (Va. Ct. App. 2005).
Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment
South v. Commonwealth, 623 S.E.2d 419 (Va. Ct. App. 2005). · cites it 6× “2-57(E) incorporates by reference various officers identified in other provisions of state law — such as conservation officers under Code § 10.1-115, game wardens under Code § 29.”
Cline v. Commonwealth, 675 S.E.2d 223 (Va. Ct. App. 2009). · cites it 3× “2-217 (vesting DMV officers with “the power of sheriffs for the purpose of enforcing the laws of the Commonwealth which the [DMV] Commissioner is required to enforce”) and to certain conservation officers under Code § 10.1-115 (vesting “special conservation officers [with] the…”
Javan Fox v. Commonwealth of Virginia (Va. Ct. App. 2009). “ployee of a police department or sheriff’s office which is part of or administered by the Commonwealth or any political subdivision thereof, who is responsible for the prevention or detection of crime and the enforcement of the penal, traffic or highway laws of this…”
Christopher James Guinyard v. Commonwealth (Va. Ct. App. 2007). “ee of a police department or sheriff's office which is part of or administered by the Commonwealth or any political subdivision thereof, who is responsible for the prevention or detection of crime and the enforcement of the penal, traffic or highway laws of this Commonwealth,…”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.