Virginia Law

Article 4. Situs for Taxation.

A. The situs for the assessment and taxation of tangible personal property, merchants' capital and machinery and tools shall in all cases be the county, district, town or city in which such property may be physically located on the tax day. However, the situs for purposes of assessment of motor vehicles, travel trailers, boats and airplanes as personal property shall be the county, district, town or city where the vehicle is normally garaged, docked or parked; except, (i) the situs for vehicles with a weight of 10,000 pounds or less registered in Virginia but normally garaged, docked or parked in another state shall be the locality in Virginia where registered; and (ii) if the owner of a business files a return pursuant to § 58.1-3518 for any vehicle with a weight of 10,000 pounds or less registered in Virginia and used in the business with the locality from which the use of such vehicle is directed or controlled and in which the owner's business has a definite place of business, as defined in § 58.1-3700.1, the situs for such vehicles shall be such locality, provided such owner has sufficient evidence that he has paid the personal property tax on the business vehicles to such locality. Any person domiciled in another state, whose motor vehicle is principally garaged or parked in this Commonwealth during the tax year, shall not be subject to a personal property tax on such vehicle upon a showing of sufficient evidence that such person has paid a personal property tax on the vehicle in the state in which he is domiciled. In the event it cannot be determined where such personal property, described herein, is normally garaged, stored or parked, the situs shall be the domicile of the owner of such personal property. However, in the event that a motor vehicle is used by a full-time student attending an institution of higher education, and such use establishes that the motor vehicle is normally garaged at the location of the institution of higher education, the situs shall be the domicile of the owner of the motor vehicle, provided the owner presents sufficient evidence that he has paid a personal property tax on the motor vehicle in his domicile, upon request of the locality of the institution of higher education. Any person who shall pay a personal property tax on a motor vehicle to a county or city in this Commonwealth and a similar tax on the same vehicle in the state of his domicile, or in the state where such vehicle is normally garaged, docked, or parked, may apply to such county or city for a refund of such tax payment. Upon a showing of sufficient evidence that such person has paid the tax for the same year in the state in which he is domiciled, the county or city may refund the amount of such payment.

B. The assessment of motor vehicles, travel trailers, boats or airplanes operating over interstate routes, in the rendition of a common, contract or other private carrier service which are subject to property taxation in any other state on the basis of an apportioned assessment, shall be apportioned in the same percentage as the total number of miles traveled in the Commonwealth by such vehicle bears to the total number of miles traveled by such vehicle.

Code 1950, § 58-834; 1972, c. 185; 1974, c. 510; 1980, c. 105; 1981, c. 437; 1984, c. 675; 1985, c. 156; 1994, cc. 961, 962; 1995, c. 449; 1998, c. 894; 2003, cc. 34, 43; 2012, c. 651.

Vessels regularly engaged in interstate and foreign commerce, physically present in a county, city or town on the first day of the tax year for the purpose of taking on and discharging passengers and cargo, either or both, or for the purpose of repairs, or temporarily idle and laid up, and containers, boxes, cartons, crates, barges and similar receptacles used for the storage of cargo, merchandise or equipment to be transported by vessels to or from ports of the Commonwealth, temporarily located in a county, city or town, shall not thereby be deemed to have acquired or established situs for the purposes of assessment and taxation, under § 58.1-3511.

Code 1950, § 58-834.1; 1950, p. 224; 1976, c. 716; 1984, c. 675.

Goods imported in foreign commerce shall not acquire a situs for property taxation in the Commonwealth or any county, city or town thereof until they lose their status as imports. Such goods shall be deemed to lose their status as imports when the original package or container in which they were imported is broken, or if such goods are not packaged, when such property has reached its second place of rest or storage after being unloaded from the airplane, vehicle or vessel in which it was imported, after initial sale, or after such goods have been committed by the importer to current operational needs.

Code 1950, § 58-834.2; 1976, c. 716; 1984, c. 675.

Cargo, merchandise and equipment in transit which is stored, located or housed temporarily in a marine or airport terminal prior to being transported by vessels or aircraft to a point outside the Commonwealth, shall not acquire a situs for property taxation by the Commonwealth or any of its counties, cities or towns.

Code 1950, § 58-834.3; 1983, c. 225; 1984, c. 675.