To avoid violations of Commonwealth alcohol statutes student should be familiar with these laws and policies. You should also be familiar with the town of Blacksburg noise ordinance.

Penalties for Violation | Reporting Illegal Activities | Long-Term Consequences | Noise Violations

Penalties for Violations of Virginia Alcohol Statutes

Violation	Penalty
Drinking in Public, Public Intoxication, and Drinking While Operating a Motor Vehicle.	Up to $250 fine.
Selling Alcohol Without a License.	Up to $2,500 fine and/or 12 months in jail.
Selling/Providing Alcohol to an Intoxicated or Underage Person.	Up to $2,500 fine and/or 12 months in jail.
Drinking and Driving.	Up to $2,500 fine and/or 12 months in jail and/or loss of driving privileges and/or alcohol education program.
Underage Possession or Consumption.	Up to $2,500 fine and/or 12 months in jail and/or alcohol education.
Possession of False Driver’s License.	Up to $1000 fine and/or one year in jail and/or loss of driving privileges.
Use of False Identification to Purchase Alcohol.	Up to $2,500 fine and/or 12 months in jail and/or alcohol education.
Underage Drinking and Driving.	BAC > .02. Up to $2,500 fine and/or 12 months in jail and/or loss of driving privileges and/or alcohol education.
Maintaining a Common Nuisance.	Repeated unlawful use of alcohol at a location. Up to $2,500 fine and/or 12 months in jail.
Providing false information on keg registration.	Up to $2,500 fine and/or 12 months in jail.

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Report Illegal Alcohol-Related Activities:

Virginia ABC (1-540-562-3535)

For an Immediate Response call
Blacksburg Police (951-1150) or Virginia Tech Police (231-6411)

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A Few Pointers on Long-Term Consequences of Class 1 Misdemeanors
A Class 1 Misdemeanor and punishable by a $2,500 fine, 12 months in jail, and up to 100 hrs. of community service. In addition, it will give you a permanent criminal record that can effect future job prospects, your right to purchase a gun, and your ability to obtain liscenses and bonding often necessary when opening your own business.

The following are all Class 1 Misdemeanors:

• Provide false information on keg registration.
• Charging for alcohol without an ABC license. Think you won't be arrested? Arrests in Blacksburg for this offense are up by 300% in the last year and will continue to rise.
• Serving or purchasing alcohol for those who are not of legal drinking age (21 in Virginia).
• Using a Fake ID to establish a false identity (i.e., using someone elses ID to purchase alcohol).

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Noise Violations:
Excerpts from Chapter 13:"Noise" of the Blacksburg Town Code

Section 13-101. Definitions
The following words, when used in this chapter, shall have the following respective meanings, unless the context clearly indicates a different meaning:

Mass outdoor social gathering means a social event conducted outside or in a partially enclosed structure, on public or private land in the town, to which 200 or more people are invited or expected to attend, as licensees, invitees, or trespassers, or as people who happen to show up, or at which 200 or more people are actually in attendance. This term may also be referred to as "the event."

Section 13-102. Noise Disturbance - prohibited generally
Any person violating any of the provisions of this chapter shall be deemed guilty of a Class 4 misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not less than $100 and not exceeding $250. Each day the violation is committed or permitted to continue shall constitute a separate offense and shall be punishable as such hereunder.

Section 13-103. Same - specific prohibitions
Subject to the exceptions provided in §13-105, any of the following acts, or the causing or permitting thereof, among others, is declared to be a noise disturbance constituting a Class 4 misdemeanor and a public nuisance, but such enumeration shall not be deemed to be exclusive:

(a) Large party public nuisance. A gathering of ten or more people where the gathering is not contained within a structure, but spills outdoors into balconies, yards, common areas, parking lots, or other outdoor spaces, which creates noise disturbance.

Section 13-105. Sound amplifying equipment - registration.
(a) Except as provided in §§13-104 and 13-106 of this chapter, no person shall use or cause to be used sound amplifying equipment in or over the town, unless such equipment is first registered with the town. Application for such registration shall be filed with the town manager at least 48 hours in advance of the use, and shall state the following, unless the element would not be applicable:

(b) The proposed hours of operation, which shall not begin before 10:30 a.m. or extend past 8:00 p.m. of any day.

Section 13-106. Same- permit for use of mass outdoor social gathering.
(a) No person shall operate, cause to be operated, or permit the operation on any land of which that person is an owner or an any land of which that person is in control, of any sound amplifying equipment in the town in connection with a mass outdoor social gathering; and no person shall sponsor a mass outdoor social gathering at which sound amplifying equipment is proposed to be used, or is used, unless a permit has first been obtained from the town for such use of sound amplifying equipment as provided in this section.

(b) Persons applying for a permit under this section at least 30 days prior to the event shall file with the town manager an application, in writing, giving the information required in section 105(a) of this chapter, in addition to the following information, hereby ordained as substantive requirements of this chapter:

(c) The date and beginning and ending times for the use of amplified sound, and the beginning and ending times of the event, which in both cases shall not precede 10:30 a.m. or exceed 10:00 p.m. of any day.

For more information go to Town of Blacksburg website

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