Virginia Marine Resources Commission Regulations

Marine Resources Commission Regulation Index

IMPORTANT: The following table contains links to the full text of the current regulations established by the VMRC. Copies of each regulation can be found by clicking on the regulation number (plain text version) or on the regulation title (scanned version with signature). The regulation texts provided below are not legal copies of the regulations. Please request certified copies from the VMRC if you need a copy of a regulation for legal purposes. If you would like to know more about the regulatory process or get to links leading to statutes related to the Commission, click here. The texts of our regulations have been provided for reference only; summaries of current restrictions have also been posted and are much easier to understand than the underlying regulations. The regulation summaries are available at the following links:

Saltwater Recreational Hook & Line Fishing
Saltwater Recreational Hook & Line Fishing Licensing Requirements
Recreational Crabbing & Non-hook & line Fishing
Spearfishing Restrictions
MRC Licenses
Commercial Permits

The Registrar of Regulations also maintains searchable databases of regulations and statutes. Click on links below to access key word search pages on the Registrar web page.

[Administrative Code of Virginia Regulation Search Database] [Code of Virginia Statute Search Database]

CATEGORY
All	REGULATION #	TITLE	EFFECTIVE
	4 VAC 20-60-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Display of License to Catch Finfish or Crabs	08/01/1995
	4 VAC 20-610-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Commercial Fishing and Mandatory Harvest Reporting	08/01/2015
	4 VAC 20-670-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Recreational Gear Licenses	07/05/2016
	4 VAC 20-730-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Nonresident Harvesters License Fee	12/01/2005
	4 VAC 20-754-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Importation of Fish, Shellfish or Crustacea	11/27/2002
	4 VAC 20-920-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Landing Licenses	12/01/2010
	4 VAC 20-1045-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Establishment of Restricted Areas	10/01/2004
	4 VAC 20-1050-10 ET SEQ.	Restricted area at Huntington Ingalls Industries/Newport News Shipbuilding Company	07/26/2011
	4 VAC 20-1060-10 ET SEQ.	Restricted area at Dominion Power/Nuclear Power Station	02/01/2011
	4 VAC 20-1065-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Establishment of Restricted Area - Plum Tree Island Wildlife Refuge Range	02/01/2005
	4 VAC 20-1090-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Licensing Requirements and License Fees	07/30/2016
effective date 12/01/2017		Pertaining to Licensing Requirements and License Fees	12/01/2017
	4 VAC 20-1150-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Charter Boat and Head Boat Fisheries	08/01/2008
	4 VAC 20-1170-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to requirements related to the purchase of fish, from the catcher	12/01/2008
	4 VAC20-1240-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Fisherman Identification Program	03/01/2012
	4 VAC20-1280-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Fishing License and Privilege Revocations	05/01/2015
	4 VAC20-1320-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Establishment of Restricted Area - Maritime Administration James River Reserve Fleet	06/30/2016
	Section § 28.2-232 of the Code of Virginia authorizes the Virginia Marine Resources Commission to revoke the licenses and fishing privileges of a person who has violated certain laws for a period of up to five years.	Guidelines on the Scope of License and Privilege Revocation orders made by the Commission	07/26/2016
		Sanction guidelines for the revocation of commercial fishing licenses for repeat offenses or egregious offenses	09/24/13
Clam	REGULATION #	TITLE	EFFECTIVE
	4 VAC 20-70-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to the Harvesting of Clams	07/01/2015
	4 VAC 20-100-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to the Taking of Clams on Seaside of Eastern Shore	08/01/1995
	4 VAC 20-230-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to the Harvesting of Surf Clams	12/01/2005
	4 VAC 20-560-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to the Shellfish Management Areas	08/01/2015
	4 VAC 20-561-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to the Hampton Flats Hard Clam Harvest Area	08/16/2001
	4 VAC 20-566-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to the Hampton Roads Shellfish Relay Area	08/01/2006
	4 VAC 20-590-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to the Taking of Hard Clams	04/14/1995
Crab	REGULATION #	TITLE	EFFECTIVE
Repealed	4 VAC 20-30-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to the Licensing of Crab Traps and Pounds	07/05/2016
Repealed	4 VAC 20-40-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Crab Catch Limits	04/30/2008
Repealed	4 VAC 20-90-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Dredging for Crabs	04/30/2008
	4 VAC 20-140-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to the Identification and Location of Crab Pots, Peeler Pots, Eel pots and Fish Pots	01/01/2016
	4 VAC 20-240-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Tangier Island Crab Scrape Sanctuary	05/01/1997
Emergency	VAC 20-270-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Crabbing	07/05/2017
Repealed	4 VAC 20-300-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Crab Catch Limits	11/27/2012
	4 VAC 20-370-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to the Culling of Crabs	06/01/2015
	4 VAC 20-460-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to the Use of Crab Traps and Pounds	07/05/2016
	4 VAC 20-700-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Crab Pots	03/01/2009
Repealed	4 VAC 20-750-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Crab Dredge License Sales	04/30/2008
	4 VAC 20-752-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Blue Crab Sanctuaries	06/01/2015
	4 VAC 20-880-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Hard Crab Pot Limits	06/01/2009
	4 VAC 20-1040-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Crabbing Licenses	10/01/2011
Emergency	4 VAC 20-1140-10 ET SEQ.	Prohibition of Crab Dredging in Virginia Waters	07/05/2017
Repealed	4 VAC 20-1210-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to a Blue Crab Sanctuary	11/30/2012
	4 VAC 20-1310-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Jonah Crab	06/01/2016
Finfish	REGULATION #	TITLE	EFFECTIVE
	4 VAC 20-10-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Fishing in Broad & Linkhorn Bays	08/01/1995
	4 VAC 20-20-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to the Licensing of Fixed Fishing Devices	04/01/2015
	4 VAC 20-25-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Pound Net Siting Public Interest Review	12/01/2004
	4 VAC 20-80-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to the Setting of Fishing Devices Proximate to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel	07/29/2005
	4 VAC 20-170-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to the Removal of Nets	05/01/2005
	4 VAC 20-190-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Measuring Mesh Size of Menhaden Nets	08/01/1995
	4 VAC 20-220-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to the Taking of Finfish by Gill Nets	07/01/1995
	4 VAC 20-252-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to the Taking of Striped Bass	04/01/2017
	4 VAC 20-280-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Speckled Trout and Red Drum	09/01/2015
	4 VAC 20-320-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to the Taking of Black Drum	06/01/2009
	4 VAC 20-350-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Prohibiting the Sale of Billfish	07/01/1995
	4 VAC 20-380-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Grey Trout (Weakfish)	05/01/2010
	4 VAC 20-420-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to the Use of Trawls in the Territorial Sea	04/13/1995
	4 VAC 20-430-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to the Marking and Minimum Mesh Size of Gill Nets	01/01/2012
	4 VAC 20-450-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to the Taking of Bluefish	05/01/2017
	4 VAC 20-470-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Hampton Roads Management Area	07/01/1995
	4 VAC 20-480-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Eastern Shore Bayside Management Areas	07/01/1995
Emergency	4 VAC 20-490-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Sharks	07/01/2017
	4 VAC 20-500-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to the Catching of Eels	01/01/2015
	4 VAC 20-510-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Amberjack and Cobia	04/01/2017
	4 VAC 20-530-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to American Shad	03/01/2013
	4 VAC 20-540-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Spanish and King Mackerel	06/01/2012
	4 VAC 20-550-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to the Removal of Gill Nets and Other Non-Fixed Finfishing Gear	07/01/1995
	4 VAC 20-570-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to the Use of Firearms to Take Fish	07/01/1995
	4 VAC 20-580-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to the Alteration of Finfish	07/01/1995
	4 VAC 20-600-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Pound Net License Sales	06/26/1997
	4 VAC 20-620-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Summer Flounder	02/28/2017
	4 VAC 20-680-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Gill Nets	04/14/1995
	4 VAC 20-740-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to the Snagging of Fish	04/12/1995
	4 VAC 20-751-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to the Setting and Mesh Size of Gill Nets	09/26/2014
	4 VAC 20-755-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Artificial Reefs	09/01/2007
	4 VAC 20-910-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Scup (Porgy)	05/24/2017
	4 VAC 20-950-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Black Sea Bass	06/01/2017
	4 VAC 20-960-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Tautog	01/01/2013
	4 VAC 20-970-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Spadefish	01/01/2002
	4 VAC 20-995-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Commercial Hook-and-Line Fishing	12/01/2010
	4 VAC 20-1070-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Haul Seines	08/28/2009
	4 VAC 20-1080-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Monkfish (Goosefish)	05/01/2005
	4 VAC 20-1110-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Sheepshead	05/01/2007
	4 VAC 20-1120-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Tilefish and Groupers	04/01/2017
	4 VAC 20-1180-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Fishing Guides	12/01/2009
	4 VAC 20-1190-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Gill Net Control Date, Limited Entry, and Transfers	01/01/2010
	4 VAC 20-1220-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to the Separation Between Nets	09/01/2009
	4 VAC 20-1260-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to River Herring	03/29/2012
	4 VAC 20-1270-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Atlantic Menhaden	07/01/2015
Habitat	REGULATION #	TITLE	EFFECTIVE
		Wetlands Guidelines	09/01/1993
	4 VAC 20-120-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to the Promulgation of a Public Notice on Applications to Encroach In, On, or Over Subaqueous Lands of the Commonwealth	03/01/1983
	4 VAC 20-333-10 ET SEQ.	General Permit VGP #1 for Projects undertaken by the Virginia Department of Transportation In, On or Over State-Owned Subaqueous Lands Anywhere Within the Commonwealth.	07/06/1999
		General Permit VGP #2 for groin projects designed to control shoreline erosion, which conforms to certain criteria and are undertaken by riparian owners in, on or over state-owned bottom.	1985
	4 VAC 20-335-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to On-Bottom Shellfish Aquaculture Activities	01/01/2016
	4 VAC 20-336-10 ET SEQ.	General Permit VGP #3 for Noncommercial Riparian Shellfish Growing (I.E. "Gardening") Activities	01/01/1998
	4 VAC 20-337-10 ET SEQ	Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV) Transplantation Guidelines	11/01/2000
	4 VAC 20-345-10 ET SEQ.	VGP #4 General Wetlands Permit for Emergency Situations	03/01/1998
	4 VAC 20-360-10 ET SEQ.	Criteria for the Siting of Marinas or Community Facilities for Boat Mooring	06/07/1988
	4 VAC 20-390-10 ET SEQ.	Wetlands Mitigation-Compensation Policy	07/01/2005
		Guidelines for the Establishment, Use and Operation of Tidal Wetland Mitigation Banks in Virginia	01/01/1998
	4 VAC 20-395-10 ET SEQ.	GENERAL PERMIT #6 FOR Emergency Situations and Water Quality Improvement Projects in non-tidal waterways.	06/30/2009
	4 VAC 20-398-10 ET SEQ.	Ballast Water Discharge Reporting	11/01/2001
	4 VAC 20-400-10 ET SEQ.	Criteria for the Placement of Sandy Dredged Material along Beaches in the Commonwealth	08/02/1989
	4 VAC 20-440-10 ET SEQ.	Coastal Primary Sand Dune / Reaches Guidelines: Barrier Island Policy	10/24/1990
		Coastal Primary Sand Dunes Beaches Guidelines	09/01/1993
	4 VAC 20-1030-10 ET SEQ.	Management Plan for the Ungranted State Lands in Accomack and Northampton Counties	03/15/1999
	4 VAC 20-1300-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Living Shoreline Group 1 General Permit for Certain Living Shoreline Treatments Involving Tidal Wetlands	09/01/2015
		Subaqueous Guidelines	11/2005
	RESCINDED JULY 6, 2006	Private Pier Guidance Criteria	11/2005
		Rent and Royalty Schedule	12/01/2005
		Guidance for Civil Charge Assessments Pursant §28.2-1213 Code of Virginia	03/27/2012
Oyster	REGULATION #	TITLE	EFFECTIVE
Repealed	4 VAC 20-200-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to the Requirements for Reporting Oyster Transactions and Payment of Taxes	07/01/2013
	4 VAC 20-260-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Designation of Seed Areas and Clean Cull Areas	09/01/2016
	4 VAC 20-290-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Marking of Leased Oyster Planting Ground	01/01/2016
	4 VAC 20-650-10 ET SEQ.	Establishment of Oyster Sanctuary Areas	10/01/2016
	4 VAC 20-720-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Restrictions on Oyster Harvest	05/24/2017
	4 VAC 20-1200-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to the Special Relay Season in the Rappahannock River	04/01/2009
Shellfish Mix	REGULATION #	TITLE	EFFECTIVE
	4 VAC 20-110-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Lobsters	10/01/2015
	4 VAC 20-130-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Prohibited Areas for the Use of Patent Tongs	08/01/1995
	4 VAC 20-150-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to the Dredging of Conchs (Also known as Whelks)	01/01/2008
	4 VAC 20-310-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to the Relaying of Shellfish	03/01/2007
	4 VAC 20-330-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to the Taking of Shellfish from Condemned Areas	07/01/1995
	4 VAC 20-410-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to the Use of Patent Tongs	07/01/1995
	4 VAC 20-520-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to the Use of Patent Tongs	07/01/1995
	4 VAC 20-890-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Channeled Whelk	07/01/2007
	4 VAC 20-900-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Horseshoe Crab	05/01/2016
	4 VAC 20-980-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to On-Shore Loading and Unloading of Shellfish from Condemned Areas	05/30/1997
	4 VAC 20-1010-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Dredging in Submerged Aquatic Vegetation	01/30/1998
	4 VAC 20-1020-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Bay Scallops	02/01/1999
	4 VAC 20-1100-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Shellfish Handling	07/01/2006
	4 VAC 20-1130-10 ET SEQ.	General Permit #4 for Temporary Protective Enclosures for Shellfish	12/01/2007
	4 VAC 20-1230-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Restrictions on Shellfish	10/01/2014
	4 VAC 20-1250-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to the Tagging of Shellfish	05/31/2012
	4 VAC 20-1290-10 ET SEQ.	Pertaining to Restrictions on the Harvest of Shellfish in Condemned Shellfish Areas	06/01/2015