{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-json\/57-39.3.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-text\/57-39.3.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-xml\/57-39.3.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-html\/57-39.3.html"}],"law_id":370814,"edition_id":2,"section_id":370814,"structure_id":52810,"section_number":"57-39.3","catch_line":"Proceedings; determination of abandonment","history":"1962, c. 264; 1964, c. 111; 1986, c. 118; 2020, c. 669.","full_text":"Any city, town, corporation, association, or trustees having ownership and charge of a cemetery that is located in a city, or town in a county, as provided in \u00a7 57-39.2, may file a petition in the circuit court within whose jurisdiction the cemetery is situated, setting forth its ownership of the cemetery and facts relating to the continued failure by the owner of an unoccupied cemetery lot in such cemetery to maintain and care for such lot for at least 30 consecutive years immediately preceding, and requesting an order adjudging any such lot to be abandoned. Upon the filing of such petition, the court upon proper motion shall set a date for a hearing.\n\n","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":1383311,"text":"Any city, town, corporation, association, or trustees having ownership and charge of a cemetery that is located in a city, or town in a county, as provided in \u00a7 57-39.2, may file a petition in the circuit court within whose jurisdiction the cemetery is situated, setting forth its ownership of the cemetery and facts relating to the continued failure by the owner of an unoccupied cemetery lot in such cemetery to maintain and care for such lot for at least 30 consecutive years immediately preceding, and requesting an order adjudging any such lot to be abandoned. Upon the filing of such petition, the court upon proper motion shall set a date for a hearing.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":52810,"edition_id":2,"name":"Acquisition of Abandoned Lots in Cities and Certain Towns","identifier":"5","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":3,"parent_id":52801,"metadata":{"child_laws":6,"child_structures":0},"date_created":"2026-08-02 03:06:11","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:35:48","permalink":{"id":1478769,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":52810,"identifier":"5","token":"57\/3\/5","url":"\/57\/3\/5\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":52801,"edition_id":2,"name":"Cemeteries","identifier":"3","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":3,"parent_id":52796,"metadata":{"child_laws":46,"child_structures":10},"date_created":"2026-08-02 03:06:03","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:35:47","permalink":{"id":1478627,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":52801,"identifier":"3","token":"57\/3","url":"\/57\/3\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":52796,"edition_id":2,"name":"Religious and Charitable Matters; Cemeteries","identifier":"57","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":123,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{"child_laws":105,"child_structures":18},"date_created":"2026-08-02 03:05:57","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:35:46","permalink":{"id":1478503,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":52796,"identifier":"57","token":"57","url":"\/57\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":370807,"structure_id":52810,"section_number":"57-39.2","catch_line":"Reversion of unoccupied cemetery lots in cities and certain towns; rebuttable presumption","url":"\/57-39.2\/","token":"57\/3\/5\/57-39.2","metadata":false},{"id":370814,"structure_id":52810,"section_number":"57-39.3","catch_line":"Proceedings; determination of abandonment","url":"\/57-39.3\/","token":"57\/3\/5\/57-39.3","metadata":false},{"id":370815,"structure_id":52810,"section_number":"57-39.4","catch_line":"Notice to owner of record; publication","url":"\/57-39.4\/","token":"57\/3\/5\/57-39.4","metadata":false},{"id":370816,"structure_id":52810,"section_number":"57-39.5","catch_line":"Judicial determination; conveyance of title","url":"\/57-39.5\/","token":"57\/3\/5\/57-39.5","metadata":false},{"id":370817,"structure_id":52810,"section_number":"57-39.6","catch_line":"Sale of abandoned cemetery lot","url":"\/57-39.6\/","token":"57\/3\/5\/57-39.6","metadata":false},{"id":370818,"structure_id":52810,"section_number":"57-39.7","catch_line":"Applicability; abandonment determination limited in certain circumstances","url":"\/57-39.7\/","token":"57\/3\/5\/57-39.7","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":370807,"structure_id":52810,"section_number":"57-39.2","catch_line":"Reversion of unoccupied cemetery lots in cities and certain towns; rebuttable presumption","url":"\/57-39.2\/","token":"57\/3\/5\/57-39.2","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":370815,"structure_id":52810,"section_number":"57-39.4","catch_line":"Notice to owner of record; publication","url":"\/57-39.4\/","token":"57\/3\/5\/57-39.4","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/57-39.3\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 1962. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 264 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 1962 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online. It has been modified 3 times. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 1964, chapter 111; in 1986, chapter 118; in 2020, chapter 669<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":370815,"section_number":"57-39.4","catch_line":"Notice to owner of record; publication","order_by":null,"url":"\/57-39.4\/"}],"refers_to":[{"id":370807,"section_number":"57-39.2","catch_line":"Reversion of unoccupied cemetery lots in cities and certain towns; rebuttable presumption","order_by":null,"url":"\/57-39.2\/"}],"permalink":{"id":1478775,"object_type":"law","relational_id":370814,"identifier":"57-39.3","token":"57\/3\/5\/57-39.3","url":"\/57-39.3\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/57-39.3\/","token":"57\/3\/5\/57-39.3","dublin_core":{"Title":"Proceedings; determination of abandonment","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 57-39.3","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

Any city, town, corporation, association, or trustees having ownership and charge of a cemetery that is located in a city, or town in a county, as provided in \u00a7 57-39.2<\/a>, may file a petition<\/span> in the circuit<\/span> court<\/span> within whose jurisdiction<\/span> the cemetery is situated, setting forth its ownership of the cemetery and facts<\/span> relating to the continued failure by the owner of an unoccupied cemetery lot in such cemetery to maintain and care for such lot for at least 30 consecutive years immediately preceding, and requesting an order<\/span> adjudging any such lot to be abandoned. Upon the filing of such petition<\/span>, the court<\/span> upon proper motion<\/span> shall set a date for a hearing<\/span>.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nPROCEEDINGS; DETERMINATION OF ABANDONMENT (\u00a7 57-39.3)\n\nAny city, town, corporation, association, or trustees having ownership and\ncharge of a cemetery that is located in a city, or town in a county, as provided\nin \u00a7 57-39.2, may file a petition in the circuit court within whose\njurisdiction the cemetery is situated, setting forth its ownership of the\ncemetery and facts relating to the continued failure by the owner of an\nunoccupied cemetery lot in such cemetery to maintain and care for such lot for\nat least 30 consecutive years immediately preceding, and requesting an order\nadjudging any such lot to be abandoned. Upon the filing of such petition, the\ncourt upon proper motion shall set a date for a hearing.\n\nHISTORY: 1962, c. 264; 1964, c. 111; 1986, c. 118; 2020, c. 669.","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"}}