CHAPTER 172
An Act to amend and reenact § 46.1-180 of the Code of Virginia, author-

izing the governing bodies of counties, cities and towns to provide,
by ordinance, for certain regulations for the operation of vehicles on
the highways thereof, and providing certain limitations upon such

authorization.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That § 46.1-180 of the Code of Virginia be amended and reenacted
as follows:

§ 46.1-180. (a) In counties, cities and towns the governing body
may adopt ordinances to regulate the operation of vehicles on the high-
ways of such counties, cities and towns not in conflict with the provisions
of this title and may repeal, amend or modify such ordinances and may
erect appropriate signs or markers on the highway showing the general
regulations applicable to the operation of vehicles on such highways. No
governing body of any county, city or town may:

(1) Increase or decrease the speed limit within their boundaries
unless such increase or decrease in speed shall be based upon an engineer-
ing and traffic investigation by such county, city or town and unless such
speed area or zone is clearly indicated by markers or signs; provided,
however, that the governing body of any city or town, by ordinance, may
authorize the city or town manager or such officer thereof as it may desig-
nate, to reduce for a temporary period not to exceed sixty days, without
such engineering and traffic investigation, the speed limit on any portion
of any highway of the city or town on which men are working or where
the highway is under construction or repair.

(2) Enact ordinances requiring vehicles to come to a full stop or
yield the right of way at a street intersection if one or more of such inter-
secting streets has been designated as a part of the State highway system
in a town which has a population of less than thirty-five hundred people.

(b) No such ordinance shall be deemed violated if at the time of the
alleged violation the sign or marker placed in conformity with this section
is missing or is substantially defaced so that an ordinarily observant per-
gon under the same circumstances would not be aware of the existence of
the ordinance.

(c) No governing body of a county, city or town may provide penal-
ties for violating a provision of an ordinance adopted pursuant to this
section which is greater than the penalty imposed for a similar offense
under the provisions of this title.