The jury may, in any civil case, at the request of either party, be taken to view the premises or place in question, or any property, matter or thing relating to the controversy between the parties, when it shall appear to the court that such view is necessary to a just decision; provided that the expenses of the jury and the officers who attend them in taking the view shall be afterwards taxed like other legal costs.
§ 8.01-376.Views by juries.
Chapter 13. Certain Incidents of Trial · Last amended 1978 · Last verified July 16, 2026
In one sentenceIn any Virginia civil case, either party may ask the court to send the jury to view the property, premises, or other physical subject of the dispute when the court finds the view necessary to a just decision, with the resulting costs of the jury’s and attending officers’ trip taxed as ordinary legal costs.
Full Text of § 8.01-376
Plain-English Summary
Some disputes are hard to picture from a witness chair. A boundary line, a defective staircase, a stretch of road where a crash happened — sometimes the clearest evidence is standing on the spot itself. Section 8.01-376 lets a Virginia jury go look.
Either side can request the view, but it is not automatic: the court has to be convinced that seeing the property, premises, or object in question is necessary to reach a just decision, not just convenient. If the judge agrees, the jury is taken to the location along with the officers who attend them, and what they observe becomes part of the evidence they weigh alongside the trial testimony.
The section also settles who pays for the trip. Whatever it costs to transport and supervise the jury during the view gets taxed afterward like any other legal cost in the case, so the expense follows the same allocation rules as the rest of the litigation rather than falling on one party by default.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can request that a jury view the property involved in a case?
Either party may request it.
Will the court always grant a request for a jury view?
No. The court must first find that the view is necessary to a just decision before sending the jury to see the premises, property, or matter in question.
What can the jury be taken to view?
The premises or place in question, or any property, matter, or thing relating to the controversy between the parties.
Who pays for the cost of taking the jury to view the site?
The expenses of the jury and the officers who attend them during the view are taxed afterward like other legal costs in the case.
Does this section apply to criminal cases?
The text addresses civil cases specifically, authorizing a jury view at either party’s request in any civil case.
Amendment History
Code 1950, § 8-216; 1977, c. 617; 1978, c. 367.
Source & verification. Section text and amendment history are
reproduced verbatim from the Code of Virginia, published by the
Code of Virginia, Virginia Division of Legislative Automated Systems. Last verified July 16, 2026.
· Official source
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