{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-json\/10.1-212.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-text\/10.1-212.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-xml\/10.1-212.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-html\/10.1-212.html"}],"law_id":345867,"edition_id":2,"section_id":345867,"structure_id":49662,"section_number":"10.1-212","catch_line":"Virginia Natural Heritage Program","history":"1989, c. 553.","full_text":"A\n\nThe Virginia Natural Heritage Program is hereby established and shall be administered by the Department.\n\nB\n\nFor purposes of this Program the Department shall:\n\n1\n\nProduce an inventory of the Commonwealth’s natural heritage resources, including their location and ecological status.\n\n2\n\nMaintain a natural heritage data bank of inventory data and other relevant information for ecologically significant sites supporting natural heritage resources. Information from this data bank will be made available to public agencies and may be made available to private institutions or individuals for environmental assessment and land management purposes.\n\n3\n\nDevelop a Natural Heritage Plan which establishes priorities for the protection, acquisition and management of registered and dedicated natural areas and natural area preserves.\n\nC\n\nThe Program shall include other functions as may be assigned by the Director for the registration, dedication, protection and stewardship of natural areas and natural area preserves.\n\n","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":1289583,"text":"The Virginia Natural Heritage Program is hereby established and shall be administered by the Department.","type":"section","prefixes":["A"],"prefix":"A","entire_prefix":"A","prefix_anchor":"A","level":1,"next_prefix":"B"},"1":{"id":1289584,"text":"For purposes of this Program the Department shall:","type":"section","prefixes":["B"],"prefix":"B","entire_prefix":"B","prefix_anchor":"B","level":1,"prior_prefix":"A","next_prefix":"B1"},"2":{"id":1289585,"text":"Produce an inventory of the Commonwealth’s natural heritage resources, including their location and ecological status.","type":"section","prefixes":["B","1"],"prefix":"1","entire_prefix":"B1","prefix_anchor":"B1","level":2,"prior_prefix":"B","next_prefix":"B2"},"3":{"id":1289586,"text":"Maintain a natural heritage data bank of inventory data and other relevant information for ecologically significant sites supporting natural heritage resources. Information from this data bank will be made available to public agencies and may be made available to private institutions or individuals for environmental assessment and land management purposes.","type":"section","prefixes":["B","2"],"prefix":"2","entire_prefix":"B2","prefix_anchor":"B2","level":2,"prior_prefix":"B1","next_prefix":"B3"},"4":{"id":1289587,"text":"Develop a Natural Heritage Plan which establishes priorities for the protection, acquisition and management of registered and dedicated natural areas and natural area preserves.","type":"section","prefixes":["B","3"],"prefix":"3","entire_prefix":"B3","prefix_anchor":"B3","level":2,"prior_prefix":"B2","next_prefix":"C"},"5":{"id":1289588,"text":"The Program shall include other functions as may be assigned by the Director for the registration, dedication, protection and stewardship of natural areas and natural area preserves.","type":"section","prefixes":["C"],"prefix":"C","entire_prefix":"C","prefix_anchor":"C","level":1,"prior_prefix":"B3"}},"ancestry":[{"id":49662,"edition_id":2,"name":"Virginia Natural Area Preserves Act","identifier":"3","label":"article","depth":4,"order_by":4,"parent_id":49657,"metadata":{"child_laws":9,"child_structures":0},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:13:09","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:28:46","permalink":{"id":1370695,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":49662,"identifier":"3","token":"10.1\/I\/2\/3","url":"\/10.1\/I\/2\/3\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":49657,"edition_id":2,"name":"Parks and Recreation","identifier":"2","label":"chapter","depth":3,"order_by":2,"parent_id":49585,"metadata":{"child_laws":28,"child_structures":5},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:13:04","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:28:45","permalink":{"id":1370615,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":49657,"identifier":"2","token":"10.1\/I\/2","url":"\/10.1\/I\/2\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":49585,"edition_id":2,"name":"Activities Administered by the Department of Conservation and Recreation","identifier":"I","label":"subtitle","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":49584,"metadata":{"child_laws":357,"child_structures":44},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:11:52","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:28:44","permalink":{"id":1370317,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":49585,"identifier":"I","token":"10.1\/I","url":"\/10.1\/I\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":49584,"edition_id":2,"name":"Conservation","identifier":"10.1","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":38,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{"child_laws":886,"child_structures":125},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:11:52","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:28:44","permalink":{"id":1370315,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":49584,"identifier":"10.1","token":"10.1","url":"\/10.1\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":345853,"structure_id":49662,"section_number":"10.1-209","catch_line":"Definitions","url":"\/10.1-209\/","token":"10.1\/I\/2\/3\/10.1-209","metadata":false},{"id":345854,"structure_id":49662,"section_number":"10.1-210","catch_line":"Additional powers of the Department","url":"\/10.1-210\/","token":"10.1\/I\/2\/3\/10.1-210","metadata":false},{"id":345860,"structure_id":49662,"section_number":"10.1-211","catch_line":"Additional duties of the Department","url":"\/10.1-211\/","token":"10.1\/I\/2\/3\/10.1-211","metadata":false},{"id":345867,"structure_id":49662,"section_number":"10.1-212","catch_line":"Virginia Natural Heritage Program","url":"\/10.1-212\/","token":"10.1\/I\/2\/3\/10.1-212","metadata":false},{"id":345881,"structure_id":49662,"section_number":"10.1-213","catch_line":"Dedication of natural area preserves","url":"\/10.1-213\/","token":"10.1\/I\/2\/3\/10.1-213","metadata":false},{"id":345889,"structure_id":49662,"section_number":"10.1-214","catch_line":"Virginia natural area preserves system established","url":"\/10.1-214\/","token":"10.1\/I\/2\/3\/10.1-214","metadata":false},{"id":345890,"structure_id":49662,"section_number":"10.1-215","catch_line":"Natural Area Preservation Fund established","url":"\/10.1-215\/","token":"10.1\/I\/2\/3\/10.1-215","metadata":false},{"id":345891,"structure_id":49662,"section_number":"10.1-216","catch_line":"Natural area registry","url":"\/10.1-216\/","token":"10.1\/I\/2\/3\/10.1-216","metadata":false},{"id":345893,"structure_id":49662,"section_number":"10.1-217","catch_line":"Gifts, devises and bequests","url":"\/10.1-217\/","token":"10.1\/I\/2\/3\/10.1-217","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":345860,"structure_id":49662,"section_number":"10.1-211","catch_line":"Additional duties of the Department","url":"\/10.1-211\/","token":"10.1\/I\/2\/3\/10.1-211","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":345881,"structure_id":49662,"section_number":"10.1-213","catch_line":"Dedication of natural area preserves","url":"\/10.1-213\/","token":"10.1\/I\/2\/3\/10.1-213","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/10.1-212\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 1989. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 553 of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. Unfortunately, the 1989 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":1370709,"object_type":"law","relational_id":345867,"identifier":"10.1-212","token":"10.1\/I\/2\/3\/10.1-212","url":"\/10.1-212\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/10.1-212\/","token":"10.1\/I\/2\/3\/10.1-212","dublin_core":{"Title":"Virginia Natural Heritage Program","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 10.1-212","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

A.<\/span> The Virginia Natural Heritage Program<\/span> is hereby established and shall be administered by the Department<\/span>. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

B.<\/span> For purposes of this Program<\/span> the Department<\/span> shall: <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

1.<\/span> Produce an inventory of the Commonwealth’s natural heritage resources<\/span>, including their location and ecological status. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

2.<\/span> Maintain a natural heritage data bank of inventory data and other relevant information for ecologically significant sites supporting natural heritage resources<\/span>. Information from this data bank will be made available to public agencies and may be made available to private institutions or individuals for environmental assessment and land management purposes. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

3.<\/span> Develop a Natural Heritage Plan which establishes priorities for the protection, acquisition and management of registered and dedicated natural areas<\/span> and natural area preserves<\/span>. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

C.<\/span> The Program<\/span> shall include other functions as may be assigned by the Director<\/span> for the registration, dedication<\/span>, protection and stewardship of natural areas<\/span> and natural area preserves<\/span>. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nVIRGINIA NATURAL HERITAGE PROGRAM (\u00a7 10.1-212)\n\nA. The Virginia Natural Heritage Program is hereby established and shall be\nadministered by the Department.\n\nB. For purposes of this Program the Department shall:\n\n 1. Produce an inventory of the Commonwealth’s natural heritage\n resources, including their location and ecological status.\n\n 2. Maintain a natural heritage data bank of inventory data and other relevant\n information for ecologically significant sites supporting natural heritage\n resources. Information from this data bank will be made available to public\n agencies and may be made available to private institutions or individuals for\n environmental assessment and land management purposes.\n\n 3. Develop a Natural Heritage Plan which establishes priorities for the\n protection, acquisition and management of registered and dedicated natural\n areas and natural area preserves.\n\nC. The Program shall include other functions as may be assigned by the Director\nfor the registration, dedication, protection and stewardship of natural areas\nand natural area preserves.\n\nHISTORY: 1989, c. 553.","edition":{"id":2,"name":"2026","slug":"2026","date_created":"2026-07-16 18:40:23","date_modified":"2026-08-02 15:14:36","current":1,"order_by":2,"last_import":"2026-08-02 12:37:30"}}