VA · rules
Va. Sup. Ct. R. 3A:4
Arrest Warrant or Summons
(a) Issuance. — More than one warrant or summons may issue on the same
complaint. A warrant may be issued by a judicial officer if the accused fails to appear in
response to a summons.
(b) Form of Summons. — A summons, whether issued by a magistrate or a law-enforcement officer, must command the accused to appear at a stated time and place
before a court of appropriate jurisdiction in the county, city or town in which the
summons is issued. It must (i) state the name of the accused or, if his name is unknown,
set forth a description by which he can be identified with reasonable certainty, (ii)
describe the offense charged and state whether the offense is a violation of state, county,
city or town law, and (iii) be signed by the magistrate or the law-enforcement office, as
the case may be.
(c) Execution and Return. — If a warrant has been issued but the officer does not
have the warrant in his possession at the time of the arrest, he must (i) inform the accused
of the offense charged and that a warrant has been issued, and (ii) deliver a copy of the
warrant to the accused as soon thereafter as practicable.
History
Last amended by Order dated November 23, 2020; effective March 1, 2021.
Provenance
- Source
- www.vacourts.gov
- Retrieved
- 2026-09-15
- Edition
- 2026-09-15
- Content hash
29d415f29d4de638ffa065ac40adb5da2063b245703d1c7b02f6151eabe4908a
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