{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/10.1-1009.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/10.1-1009.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/10.1-1009.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/10.1-1009.html"}],"law_id":64435,"edition_id":1,"section_id":64435,"structure_id":14905,"section_number":"10.1-1009","catch_line":"Definitions","history":"1988, cc. 720, 891.","full_text":"As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires:\n\t\t“Conservation easement” means a nonpossessory interest of a holder in real property, whether easement appurtenant or in gross, acquired through gift, purchase, devise, or bequest imposing limitations or affirmative obligations, the purposes of which include retaining or protecting natural or open-space values of real property, assuring its availability for agricultural, forestal, recreational, or open-space use, protecting natural resources, maintaining or enhancing air or water quality, or preserving the historical, architectural or archaeological aspects of real property.\n\t\t“Holder” means a charitable corporation, charitable association, or charitable trust which has been declared exempt from taxation pursuant to 26 U.S.C. \u00a7 501(c)(3) and the primary purposes or powers of which include: (i) retaining or protecting the natural or open-space values of real property; (ii) assuring the availability of real property for agricultural, forestal, recreational, or open-space use; (iii) protecting natural resources; (iv) maintaining or enhancing air or water quality; or (v) preserving the historic, architectural or archaeological aspects of real property.\n\t\t“Public body” means any entity defined in \u00a7 10.1-1700.\n\t\t“Third party right of enforcement” means a right provided in a conservation easement to enforce any of its terms granted to a governmental body, charitable corporation, charitable association or charitable trust which, although eligible to be a holder, is not a holder.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":234479,"text":"As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires:\n\t\t“Conservation easement” means a nonpossessory interest of a holder in real property, whether easement appurtenant or in gross, acquired through gift, purchase, devise, or bequest imposing limitations or affirmative obligations, the purposes of which include retaining or protecting natural or open-space values of real property, assuring its availability for agricultural, forestal, recreational, or open-space use, protecting natural resources, maintaining or enhancing air or water quality, or preserving the historical, architectural or archaeological aspects of real property.\n\t\t“Holder” means a charitable corporation, charitable association, or charitable trust which has been declared exempt from taxation pursuant to 26 U.S.C. \u00a7 501(c)(3) and the primary purposes or powers of which include: (i) retaining or protecting the natural or open-space values of real property; (ii) assuring the availability of real property for agricultural, forestal, recreational, or open-space use; (iii) protecting natural resources; (iv) maintaining or enhancing air or water quality; or (v) preserving the historic, architectural or archaeological aspects of real property.\n\t\t“Public body” means any entity defined in \u00a7 10.1-1700.\n\t\t“Third party right of enforcement” means a right provided in a conservation easement to enforce any of its terms granted to a governmental body, charitable corporation, charitable association or charitable trust which, although eligible to be a holder, is not a holder.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":14905,"edition_id":1,"name":"Virginia Conservation Easement Act","identifier":"10.1","label":"chapter","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12893,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:50:42","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:50:42","permalink":{"id":143511,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":14905,"identifier":"10.1","token":"10.1\/I\/10.1","url":"\/10.1\/I\/10.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12893,"edition_id":1,"name":"Activities Administered by the Department of Conservation and Recreation","identifier":"I","label":"subtitle","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12740,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:59","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:59","permalink":{"id":143315,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12893,"identifier":"I","token":"10.1\/I","url":"\/10.1\/I\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12740,"edition_id":1,"name":"Conservation","identifier":"10.1","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:51","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:51","permalink":{"id":143313,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12740,"identifier":"10.1","token":"10.1","url":"\/10.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":64435,"structure_id":14905,"section_number":"10.1-1009","catch_line":"Definitions","url":"\/10.1-1009\/","token":"10.1\/I\/10.1\/10.1-1009","metadata":false},{"id":69603,"structure_id":14905,"section_number":"10.1-1010","catch_line":"Creation, acceptance and duration","url":"\/10.1-1010\/","token":"10.1\/I\/10.1\/10.1-1010","metadata":false},{"id":83678,"structure_id":14905,"section_number":"10.1-1011","catch_line":"Taxation","url":"\/10.1-1011\/","token":"10.1\/I\/10.1\/10.1-1011","metadata":false},{"id":63613,"structure_id":14905,"section_number":"10.1-1012","catch_line":"Notification","url":"\/10.1-1012\/","token":"10.1\/I\/10.1\/10.1-1012","metadata":false},{"id":84605,"structure_id":14905,"section_number":"10.1-1013","catch_line":"Standing","url":"\/10.1-1013\/","token":"10.1\/I\/10.1\/10.1-1013","metadata":false},{"id":58869,"structure_id":14905,"section_number":"10.1-1014","catch_line":"Validity","url":"\/10.1-1014\/","token":"10.1\/I\/10.1\/10.1-1014","metadata":false},{"id":56900,"structure_id":14905,"section_number":"10.1-1015","catch_line":"Conveyance to the Commonwealth","url":"\/10.1-1015\/","token":"10.1\/I\/10.1\/10.1-1015","metadata":false},{"id":73783,"structure_id":14905,"section_number":"10.1-1016","catch_line":"Savings clause","url":"\/10.1-1016\/","token":"10.1\/I\/10.1\/10.1-1016","metadata":false},{"id":71743,"structure_id":14905,"section_number":"10.1-1016.1","catch_line":"Construction","url":"\/10.1-1016.1\/","token":"10.1\/I\/10.1\/10.1-1016.1","metadata":false}],"next_section":{"id":69603,"structure_id":14905,"section_number":"10.1-1010","catch_line":"Creation, acceptance and duration","url":"\/10.1-1010\/","token":"10.1\/I\/10.1\/10.1-1010","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/10.1-1009\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 1988. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapters 720 and 891 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 1988 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online.<\/p>","references":[{"id":69603,"section_number":"10.1-1010","catch_line":"Creation, acceptance and duration","order_by":null,"url":"\/10.1-1010\/"},{"id":86514,"section_number":"10.1-1020","catch_line":"Virginia Land Conservation Fund; purposes of Foundation","order_by":null,"url":"\/10.1-1020\/"},{"id":67856,"section_number":"10.1-1021.2","catch_line":"Additional powers of the Foundation; requests for conservation easement dispute mediation","order_by":null,"url":"\/10.1-1021.2\/"},{"id":59464,"section_number":"10.1-1801.1","catch_line":"Open-Space Lands Preservation Trust Fund","order_by":null,"url":"\/10.1-1801.1\/"},{"id":61524,"section_number":"10.1-2202.2","catch_line":"Preservation Easement Fund established; uses","order_by":null,"url":"\/10.1-2202.2\/"},{"id":87501,"section_number":"58.1-3205","catch_line":"Assessment of real property where interest less than fee is held by public body; exemption of interest of public body from taxation","order_by":null,"url":"\/58.1-3205\/"},{"id":76719,"section_number":"58.1-512","catch_line":"Land preservation tax credits for individuals and corporations","order_by":null,"url":"\/58.1-512\/"},{"id":80766,"section_number":"62.1-229.3","catch_line":"Loans for land conservation","order_by":null,"url":"\/62.1-229.3\/"},{"id":54847,"section_number":"64.2-108","catch_line":"Power granted to personal representatives and trustees to donate conservation or open-space easements","order_by":null,"url":"\/64.2-108\/"}],"refers_to":[{"id":59427,"section_number":"10.1-1700","catch_line":"Definitions","order_by":null,"url":"\/10.1-1700\/"}],"permalink":{"id":143513,"object_type":"law","relational_id":64435,"identifier":"10.1-1009","token":"10.1\/I\/10.1\/10.1-1009","url":"\/10.1-1009\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/10.1-1009\/","token":"10.1\/I\/10.1\/10.1-1009","dublin_core":{"Title":"Definitions","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 10.1-1009","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires:\n\t\t“Conservation easement<\/span>” means a nonpossessory interest of a holder<\/span> in real property, whether easement appurtenant or in gross, acquired through gift, purchase, devise, or bequest imposing limitations or affirmative obligations, the purposes of which include retaining or protecting natural or open-space values of real property, assuring its availability for agricultural, forestal, recreational, or open-space use, protecting natural resources, maintaining or enhancing air or water quality, or preserving the historical, architectural or archaeological aspects of real property.\n\t\t“Holder<\/span>” means a charitable corporation, charitable association, or charitable trust which has been declared exempt from taxation pursuant to 26 U.S.C. \u00a7 501(c)(3) and the primary purposes or powers of which include: (i) retaining or protecting the natural or open-space values of real property; (ii) assuring the availability of real property for agricultural, forestal, recreational, or open-space use; (iii) protecting natural resources; (iv) maintaining or enhancing air or water quality; or (v) preserving the historic, architectural or archaeological aspects of real property.\n\t\t“Public body<\/span>” means any entity defined in \u00a7 10.1-1700<\/a>.\n\t\t“Third party right of enforcement<\/span>” means a right provided in a conservation easement<\/span> to enforce any of its terms granted to a governmental body, charitable corporation, charitable association or charitable trust which, although eligible to be a holder<\/span>, is not a holder<\/span>.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nDEFINITIONS (\u00a7 10.1-1009)\n\nAs used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires:\n\t\t“Conservation easement” means a nonpossessory interest of a holder\nin real property, whether easement appurtenant or in gross, acquired through\ngift, purchase, devise, or bequest imposing limitations or affirmative\nobligations, the purposes of which include retaining or protecting natural or\nopen-space values of real property, assuring its availability for agricultural,\nforestal, recreational, or open-space use, protecting natural resources,\nmaintaining or enhancing air or water quality, or preserving the historical,\narchitectural or archaeological aspects of real property.\n\t\t“Holder” means a charitable corporation, charitable association,\nor charitable trust which has been declared exempt from taxation pursuant to 26\nU.S.C. \u00a7 501(c)(3) and the primary purposes or powers of which include: (i)\nretaining or protecting the natural or open-space values of real property; (ii)\nassuring the availability of real property for agricultural, forestal,\nrecreational, or open-space use; (iii) protecting natural resources; (iv)\nmaintaining or enhancing air or water quality; or (v) preserving the historic,\narchitectural or archaeological aspects of real property.\n\t\t“Public body” means any entity defined in \u00a7 10.1-1700.\n\t\t“Third party right of enforcement” means a right provided in a\nconservation easement to enforce any of its terms granted to a governmental\nbody, charitable corporation, charitable association or charitable trust which,\nalthough eligible to be a holder, is not a holder.\n\nHISTORY: 1988, cc. 720, 891.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}