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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>370814</law_id><section_number>57-39.3</section_number><catch_line>Proceedings; determination of abandonment</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2026/" slug="2026" current="TRUE" last_updated="2026-08-02">2026</edition><referred_to_by><reference>57-39.4</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="123" identifier="57">Religious and Charitable Matters; Cemeteries</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="3" identifier="3">Cemeteries</unit><unit label="article" level="3" order_by="3" identifier="5">Acquisition of Abandoned Lots in Cities and Certain Towns</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>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 &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Reversion of unoccupied cemetery lots in cities and certain towns; rebuttable presumption" href="/57-39.2/">57-39.2</a>, may file a <span class="dictionary">petition</span> in the <span class="dictionary">circuit</span> <span class="dictionary">court</span> within whose <span class="dictionary">jurisdiction</span> the cemetery is situated, setting forth its ownership of the cemetery and <span class="dictionary">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 <span class="dictionary">order</span> adjudging any such lot to be abandoned. Upon the filing of such <span class="dictionary">petition</span>, the <span class="dictionary">court</span> upon proper <span class="dictionary">motion</span> shall set a date for a <span class="dictionary">hearing</span>.</p></section></text><history>1962, c. 264; 1964, c. 111; 1986, c. 118; 2020, c. 669.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
