Does your Virginia menu or price list add a fee at the end?
Quick answer
Do you add a service charge or surcharge to prices in Virginia? Since July 1, 2025 the price you show on menus, boards, websites and ads has to include every fee you always add. Taxes and shipping can stay separate. Automatic tips are fine if you show the percentage. Willful breaks can cost up to $2,500 per violation, and customers can sue for $500 or more. Law: Va. Code §§59.1-607 to 59.1-610.
Last verified October 15, 2026 against the official LIS text. Not legal advice.
If you run a Virginia restaurant, cafe, bar, hotel, event venue, salon, spa or retail shop, Chapter 58 has been in force since July 1, 2025 (2025 Acts cc. 685, 686). The typical problem: a menu price that looks lower because a fee is added at the register, an ad that shows a base price only, or a website that never mentions the automatic gratuity percentage.
This kit turns those duties into a one-afternoon fix: the law quoted word for word, a fee audit, and ready-to-print wording for menus, registers, ads, online pages and variable-price lists.
- ✓Plain-English checklist with Va. Code §§ 59.1-607–610 quoted word for word
- ✓Excel fee audit: must-pay test under § 59.1-607, with action column
- ✓Price-touchpoint tracker (menu, board, website, Google, social, ads, apps, quotes, phone) and change log
- ✓All-in menu and register lines
- ✓Restaurant / hotel automatic-gratuity % disclosure lines (§ 59.1-608(C))
- ✓Ads, website / online-ordering banner, and variable-price (salon / venue) wording (§ 59.1-608(D))
- ✓Phone script and staff rules
- ✓Official LIS URLs and the verified $2,500 / $500 VCPA penalty wording
Blank templates from the public law. Not legal advice, and it does not decide whether a specific fee of yours is mandatory. Covers Va. Code Title 59.1 Chapter 58 (§§ 59.1-607–610), in force July 1, 2025. English only.
- ✓Instant download after payment
- ✓Official sources listed in the kit
- ✓12-month re-download access
- ✓Secure checkout by Stripe
Frequently asked questions
When did Virginia’s mandatory fees law take effect?
2025 Acts cc. 685, 686 (identical SB1212 and HB2515) added Title 59.1 Chapter 58, §§ 59.1-607 through 59.1-610. The LIS bill page lists Governor approval of Chapter 686 effective 07/01/25.
What must my advertised or displayed price include?
Under § 59.1-608(A), no supplier shall, in connection with a consumer transaction, advertise or display a price for goods or services without clearly and conspicuously displaying the total price, which shall include all mandatory fees or surcharges. A supplier that provides both a good and a service may display the total price of the good separately from the total price or rate for the service.
What counts as a mandatory fee or surcharge?
§ 59.1-607: “Mandatory fees or surcharges” includes any additional fee or surcharge that must be paid in order to purchase the good or service being advertised. It does not include (i) government taxes or fees (and certain government-approved assessment fees) or (ii) reasonable postage or shipping fees.
Do restaurants and hotels have to put automatic gratuities in the menu price?
Not necessarily inside each item price, but the percentage must be disclosed. § 59.1-608(C): a restaurant or hotel is compliant if, in every offer or advertisement that includes pricing information, it includes a clear and conspicuous disclosure of the percentage of any automatic and mandatory gratuities charged.
What if my salon or venue price varies by time or selections?
§ 59.1-608(D): a price-variable supplier is compliant if it clearly and conspicuously discloses (i) the factors determining the final price, (ii) any mandatory fees or surcharges, and (iii) that the total cost of services may vary.
What is the penalty for a violation?
§ 59.1-610 makes a Chapter 58 violation a prohibited practice under § 59.1-200, subject to the Virginia Consumer Protection Act. § 59.1-206(A): willful civil penalty of not more than $2,500 per violation. § 59.1-204(A): private action for actual damages or $500 (willful: up to 3× actual damages or $1,000). This kit does not decide whether a particular practice is a violation.
Are there industry exclusions or safe harbors?
§ 59.1-609 excludes certain motor-vehicle dealer fees, electric/natural gas/telecom utility fees, settlement-service costs (not broker commissions), air carriers, and express federal preemption. § 59.1-608(E)–(I) provides safe harbors for certain broadband, cable, DBS, live-event ticket and food-delivery providers that meet named rules.
Is this legal advice?
No. This page and the kit are general information and blank templates built from the public law. They are not legal advice, are not tailored to your business, and buying a kit does not create a lawyer-client relationship. For your own situation, ask a Virginia licensed attorney.
Official sources
- Va. Code Title 59.1 Chapter 58 — Mandatory Fees or Surcharges (§§ 59.1-607–610)
- § 59.1-607 — Definitions
- § 59.1-608 — Mandatory fees or surcharges; disclosure required
- § 59.1-609 — Limitations; exclusions
- § 59.1-610 — Enforcement; penalties
- SB1212 / 2025 Acts cc. 685, 686 — effective July 1, 2025
- § 59.1-206 — Civil penalties (willful: not more than $2,500 per violation)
- § 59.1-204 — Individual action for damages or penalty
Law text checked against the official sources above on October 15, 2026. General information, not legal advice; laws change, so check the current official text before you rely on it.
Who wrote this and how it was checked
Written and maintained by Astor Ventures. We publish template kits built from public law; we are not a law firm, and no attorney has reviewed this page.
- Last verified: , against Va. Code §§ 59.1-607 through 59.1-610, § 59.1-204 and § 59.1-206 on law.lis.virginia.gov, and the SB1212 effective date on LIS.
- Next scheduled check: quarterly, or sooner if Chapter 58 or the VCPA penalty sections are amended.
- Found an error? Email [email protected] and we will correct the page and the kit.