Legal Question in Criminal Law in Virginia

Re: Wiretapping

A wiretap, which involves the installation of a device to intercept and record the telephone conversations of an individual targeted by law enforcement authorities as part of a criminal investigation, may only be carried out by such authorities after a judge has given them permission to engage in such activity against a particular individual for a limited period of time.

In the Commonwealth of Virginia, one individual may record a conversation with another without that person's knowledge or permission using a standard recording device which is not wiretapping.