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 Prince George County
 Code of Ordinances
 Chapter 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS

  § 1-2. Definitions and rules of construction.  

Latest version.

  • In the construction of this Code and of all other ordinances of the county, the following rules shall be observed, unless such construction would be inconsistent with the manifest intent of the board of supervisors or the context clearly requires otherwise:

    Board of supervisors; appointments. Wherever the term "board of supervisors" or "the board" is used, such term shall be construed to mean the board of supervisors of the County of Prince George, Virginia. Wherever appointments are made by such board, the reference to appointments shall be construed as if followed by the words "or as designated by the board."

    Code and this Code. Whenever the terms "Code" and "this Code" are referred to, without further qualification, they shall mean The Code of the County of Prince George, Virginia, as designated in section 1-1.

    Code of Virginia. The term "Code of Virginia" shall mean the Code of Virginia of 1950, as amended.

    Computation of time. Whenever a notice is required to be given, or any other act to be done, a certain length of time before any proceeding shall be had, the day on which such notice is given, or such act is done, shall be counted in computing the time, but the day on which such proceeding is to be had shall not be counted.

    County. The term "county" shall be construed as if the phrase "of Prince George, Virginia" followed it.

    Gender. A word importing the masculine gender only shall extend and be applied to females and to firms, partnerships and corporations, as well as to males.

    Health officer. The term "health officer" shall mean the county health director or his duly authorized representatives.

    Highway. The term "highway" shall be construed to embrace streets, avenues, boulevards, roads, alleys, lanes, viaducts, publicly maintained parking lots and all other public ways in the county.

    Joint authority. Words purporting to give authority to three or more public officers or other persons shall be construed as giving such authority to a majority of such officers or other persons.

    May. The term "may" is permissive.

    Number. A word importing the singular number only may extend and be applied to several persons or things, as well as to one person or thing; a word importing the plural number only may extend and be applied to one person or thing, as well as to several persons or things.

    Oath. The term "oath" shall be construed to include an affirmation in all cases in which by law an affirmation may be substituted for an oath.

    Officers, departments, boards, etc. Whenever reference is made to a particular officer, employee, department, board, commission or other agency, such reference shall be construed as if followed by the phrase "of the County of Prince George, Virginia." A reference to a particular officer shall also be construed as if followed by the words "or his duly authorized representative, deputy or assistant," subject, however, to the provisions of Code of Virginia, § 15.2-1502.

    Or, and. The term "or" may be read "and," and the term "and" may be read "or," if the sense requires it.

    Owner. The term "owner," applied to a building or land, shall include any part owner, joint owner, tenant in common, tenant in partnership, joint tenant or tenant by the entirety of the whole or a part of such building or land.

    Person. The term "person" may extend and be applied to associations, firms, trusts, partnerships, companies, societies and bodies politic and corporate, as well as to individuals.

    Preceding, following. The terms "preceding" and "following" mean next before and next after, respectively.

    Public works, utilities. The term "department of public works" shall be interchangeable with the term "department of utilities." The term "director of public works" shall be interchangeable with the term "director of utilities."

    Shall. The term "shall" is mandatory.

    Signature, subscription. The term "signature" or "subscription" includes a mark when a person cannot write.

    State. The term "the state," "this state," "the commonwealth" or "this commonwealth" shall mean the Commonwealth of Virginia.

    Swear, sworn. The term "swear" or "sworn" shall be equivalent to the term "affirm" or "affirmed" in all cases in which by law an affirmation may be substituted for an oath.

    Tense. Words used in the past or present tense include the future, as well as the past and present.

    Written, writing, writings, in writing. The terms "written," "writing," "writings," and "in writing" shall include any representation of words, letters, symbols, numbers, or figures, whether (i) printed or inscribed on a tangible medium or (ii) stored in an electronic or other medium and retrievable in a perceivable form and whether an electronic signature authorized by Code of Virginia, § 59.1-479 et seq., is or is not affixed.

    State Law reference— Similar provisions, Code of Virginia, § 1-13.32.

    (Code 1988, § 1-2)

    State Law reference— Common law, statutes and rules of construction, Code of Virginia, § 1-1 et seq.; when affirmation may be made, Code of Virginia, § 49-9.

(Code 1988, § 1-2)

State law reference

Common law, statutes and rules of construction, Code of Virginia, § 1-1 et seq.; when affirmation may be made, Code of Virginia, § 49-9.