{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/10.1-1701.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/10.1-1701.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/10.1-1701.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/10.1-1701.html"}],"law_id":66772,"edition_id":1,"section_id":66772,"structure_id":15576,"section_number":"10.1-1701","catch_line":"Authority of public bodies to acquire or designate property for use as open-space land","history":"1966, c. 461, \u00a7 10-152; 1974, c. 259; 1981, c. 64; 1988, c. 891.","full_text":"To carry out the purposes of this chapter, any public body may (i) acquire by purchase, gift, devise, bequest, grant or otherwise title to or any interests or rights of not less than five years’ duration in real property that will provide a means for the preservation or provision of open-space land and (ii) designate any real property in which it has an interest of not less than five years’ duration to be retained and used for the preservation and provision of open-space land. Any such interest may also be perpetual.\n\t\tThe use of the real property for open-space land shall conform to the official comprehensive plan for the area in which the property is located. No property or interest therein shall be acquired by eminent domain by any public body for the purposes of this chapter; however, this provision shall not limit the power of eminent domain as it was possessed by any public body prior to the passage of this chapter.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":242183,"text":"To carry out the purposes of this chapter, any public body may (i) acquire by purchase, gift, devise, bequest, grant or otherwise title to or any interests or rights of not less than five years’ duration in real property that will provide a means for the preservation or provision of open-space land and (ii) designate any real property in which it has an interest of not less than five years’ duration to be retained and used for the preservation and provision of open-space land. Any such interest may also be perpetual.\n\t\tThe use of the real property for open-space land shall conform to the official comprehensive plan for the area in which the property is located. No property or interest therein shall be acquired by eminent domain by any public body for the purposes of this chapter; however, this provision shall not limit the power of eminent domain as it was possessed by any public body prior to the passage of this chapter.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":15576,"edition_id":1,"name":"Open-Space Land Act","identifier":"17","label":"chapter","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12741,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:56:29","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:56:29","permalink":{"id":146645,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":15576,"identifier":"17","token":"10.1\/II\/17","url":"\/10.1\/II\/17\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12741,"edition_id":1,"name":"Activities Administered by Other Entities","identifier":"II","label":"subtitle","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12740,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:51","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:51","permalink":{"id":144833,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12741,"identifier":"II","token":"10.1\/II","url":"\/10.1\/II\/","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":59427,"structure_id":15576,"section_number":"10.1-1700","catch_line":"Definitions","url":"\/10.1-1700\/","token":"10.1\/II\/17\/10.1-1700","metadata":false},{"id":66772,"structure_id":15576,"section_number":"10.1-1701","catch_line":"Authority of public bodies to acquire or designate property for use as open-space land","url":"\/10.1-1701\/","token":"10.1\/II\/17\/10.1-1701","metadata":false},{"id":86738,"structure_id":15576,"section_number":"10.1-1702","catch_line":"Further powers of public bodies","url":"\/10.1-1702\/","token":"10.1\/II\/17\/10.1-1702","metadata":false},{"id":82902,"structure_id":15576,"section_number":"10.1-1703","catch_line":"Acquisition of title subject to reservation of farming or timber rights; acquisition of easements, etc.; property to be made available for farming and timber uses","url":"\/10.1-1703\/","token":"10.1\/II\/17\/10.1-1703","metadata":false},{"id":69359,"structure_id":15576,"section_number":"10.1-1704","catch_line":"Diversion of property from open-space land use; conveyance or lease of open-space land","url":"\/10.1-1704\/","token":"10.1\/II\/17\/10.1-1704","metadata":false},{"id":61318,"structure_id":15576,"section_number":"10.1-1705","catch_line":"Chapter controlling over other laws; powers supplemental","url":"\/10.1-1705\/","token":"10.1\/II\/17\/10.1-1705","metadata":false},{"id":60053,"structure_id":15576,"section_number":"10.1-1705.1","catch_line":"Construction","url":"\/10.1-1705.1\/","token":"10.1\/II\/17\/10.1-1705.1","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":59427,"structure_id":15576,"section_number":"10.1-1700","catch_line":"Definitions","url":"\/10.1-1700\/","token":"10.1\/II\/17\/10.1-1700","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":86738,"structure_id":15576,"section_number":"10.1-1702","catch_line":"Further powers of public bodies","url":"\/10.1-1702\/","token":"10.1\/II\/17\/10.1-1702","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/10.1-1701\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 1966. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 461 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 1966 \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 1974, chapter 259; in 1981, chapter 64; in 1988, chapter 891.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":146651,"object_type":"law","relational_id":66772,"identifier":"10.1-1701","token":"10.1\/II\/17\/10.1-1701","url":"\/10.1-1701\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/10.1-1701\/","token":"10.1\/II\/17\/10.1-1701","dublin_core":{"Title":"Authority of public bodies to acquire or designate property for use as open-space land","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 10.1-1701","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

To carry out the purposes of this chapter, any public body<\/span> may (i) acquire by purchase, gift, devise, bequest, grant or otherwise title to or any interests or rights of not less than five years’ duration in real property that will provide a means for the preservation or provision of open-space land<\/span> and (ii) designate any real property in which it has an interest of not less than five years’ duration to be retained and used for the preservation and provision of open-space land<\/span>. Any such interest may also be perpetual.\n\t\tThe use of the real property for open-space land<\/span> shall conform to the official comprehensive plan for the area in which the property is located. No property or interest therein shall be acquired by eminent domain by any public body<\/span> for the purposes of this chapter; however, this provision shall not limit the power of eminent domain as it was possessed by any public body<\/span> prior to the passage of this chapter.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nAUTHORITY OF PUBLIC BODIES TO ACQUIRE OR DESIGNATE PROPERTY FOR USE AS\nOPEN-SPACE LAND (\u00a7 10.1-1701)\n\nTo carry out the purposes of this chapter, any public body may (i) acquire by\npurchase, gift, devise, bequest, grant or otherwise title to or any interests or\nrights of not less than five years’ duration in real property that will\nprovide a means for the preservation or provision of open-space land and (ii)\ndesignate any real property in which it has an interest of not less than five\nyears’ duration to be retained and used for the preservation and provision\nof open-space land. Any such interest may also be perpetual.\n\t\tThe use of the real property for open-space land shall conform to the official\ncomprehensive plan for the area in which the property is located. No property or\ninterest therein shall be acquired by eminent domain by any public body for the\npurposes of this chapter; however, this provision shall not limit the power of\neminent domain as it was possessed by any public body prior to the passage of\nthis chapter.\n\nHISTORY: 1966, c. 461, \u00a7 10-152; 1974, c. 259; 1981, c. 64; 1988, c. 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}}