{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/15.2-3237.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/15.2-3237.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/15.2-3237.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/15.2-3237.html"}],"law_id":86007,"edition_id":1,"section_id":86007,"structure_id":14756,"section_number":"15.2-3237","catch_line":"Application to be made to circuit court; appointment of special court; who may appear against","history":"Code 1950, \u00a7 15-154; 1962, c. 623, \u00a7 15.1-1060; 1997, c. 587.","full_text":"Within thirty days of the enactment of an ordinance proposing to reduce the corporate limits of a city or town, the city or town shall apply to the circuit court for the city, or to the circuit court for the city or town, for an order confirming the ordinance. The circuit court with which the petition is filed shall notify the Supreme Court, which shall appoint a special court to hear the case as prescribed by Chapter 30 (\u00a7 15.2-3000 et seq.) of this title. One or more residents or landowners of the territory proposed to be abandoned, or the governing body of the county or counties contiguous thereto, may appear and by petition set forth reasons why the corporate limits should not be reduced.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":308022,"text":"Within thirty days of the enactment of an ordinance proposing to reduce the corporate limits of a city or town, the city or town shall apply to the circuit court for the city, or to the circuit court for the city or town, for an order confirming the ordinance. The circuit court with which the petition is filed shall notify the Supreme Court, which shall appoint a special court to hear the case as prescribed by Chapter 30 (\u00a7 15.2-3000 et seq.) of this title. One or more residents or landowners of the territory proposed to be abandoned, or the governing body of the county or counties contiguous thereto, may appear and by petition set forth reasons why the corporate limits should not be reduced.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":14756,"edition_id":1,"name":"Contraction of Corporate Limits","identifier":"3","label":"article","depth":4,"order_by":1,"parent_id":14196,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:49:45","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:49:45","permalink":{"id":157177,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":14756,"identifier":"3","token":"15.2\/III\/32\/3","url":"\/15.2\/III\/32\/3\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":14196,"edition_id":1,"name":"Boundary Changes of Towns and Cities","identifier":"32","label":"chapter","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13062,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:47:14","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:47:14","permalink":{"id":157027,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":14196,"identifier":"32","token":"15.2\/III\/32","url":"\/15.2\/III\/32\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13062,"edition_id":1,"name":"Boundary Adjustments and Changes of Status of Counties, Cities and Towns","identifier":"III","label":"subtitle","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12720,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:12","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:12","permalink":{"id":156919,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13062,"identifier":"III","token":"15.2\/III","url":"\/15.2\/III\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12720,"edition_id":1,"name":"Counties, Cities and Towns","identifier":"15.2","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:49","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:49","permalink":{"id":151279,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12720,"identifier":"15.2","token":"15.2","url":"\/15.2\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":64025,"structure_id":14756,"section_number":"15.2-3236","catch_line":"Council may enact ordinance","url":"\/15.2-3236\/","token":"15.2\/III\/32\/3\/15.2-3236","metadata":false},{"id":86007,"structure_id":14756,"section_number":"15.2-3237","catch_line":"Application to be made to circuit court; appointment of special court; who may appear against","url":"\/15.2-3237\/","token":"15.2\/III\/32\/3\/15.2-3237","metadata":false},{"id":85424,"structure_id":14756,"section_number":"15.2-3238","catch_line":"What court may do","url":"\/15.2-3238\/","token":"15.2\/III\/32\/3\/15.2-3238","metadata":false},{"id":77475,"structure_id":14756,"section_number":"15.2-3239","catch_line":"Certification of real estate list","url":"\/15.2-3239\/","token":"15.2\/III\/32\/3\/15.2-3239","metadata":false},{"id":57375,"structure_id":14756,"section_number":"15.2-3240","catch_line":"Transfer of registration records","url":"\/15.2-3240\/","token":"15.2\/III\/32\/3\/15.2-3240","metadata":false},{"id":56506,"structure_id":14756,"section_number":"15.2-3241","catch_line":"Petition for contraction of towns located in two or more counties; appointment of special court","url":"\/15.2-3241\/","token":"15.2\/III\/32\/3\/15.2-3241","metadata":false},{"id":63040,"structure_id":14756,"section_number":"15.2-3242","catch_line":"Parties defendant and publication of such petition","url":"\/15.2-3242\/","token":"15.2\/III\/32\/3\/15.2-3242","metadata":false},{"id":69073,"structure_id":14756,"section_number":"15.2-3243","catch_line":"Hearing and order upon such petition","url":"\/15.2-3243\/","token":"15.2\/III\/32\/3\/15.2-3243","metadata":false},{"id":64686,"structure_id":14756,"section_number":"15.2-3244","catch_line":"Appeal from such order","url":"\/15.2-3244\/","token":"15.2\/III\/32\/3\/15.2-3244","metadata":false},{"id":56584,"structure_id":14756,"section_number":"15.2-3245","catch_line":"Validation of proceedings","url":"\/15.2-3245\/","token":"15.2\/III\/32\/3\/15.2-3245","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":64025,"structure_id":14756,"section_number":"15.2-3236","catch_line":"Council may enact ordinance","url":"\/15.2-3236\/","token":"15.2\/III\/32\/3\/15.2-3236","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":85424,"structure_id":14756,"section_number":"15.2-3238","catch_line":"What court may do","url":"\/15.2-3238\/","token":"15.2\/III\/32\/3\/15.2-3238","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/15.2-3237\/","history_text":"

The record of this law\u2019s original creation isn\u2019t available online. It has been modified 2 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 1962, chapter 623; in 1997, chapter 587<\/a>.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":[{"id":85081,"section_number":"15.2-3000","catch_line":"Special court to hear certain cases","order_by":null,"url":"\/15.2-3000\/"}],"permalink":{"id":157183,"object_type":"law","relational_id":86007,"identifier":"15.2-3237","token":"15.2\/III\/32\/3\/15.2-3237","url":"\/15.2-3237\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/15.2-3237\/","token":"15.2\/III\/32\/3\/15.2-3237","dublin_core":{"Title":"Application to be made to circuit court; appointment of special court; who may appear against","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 15.2-3237","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

Within thirty days of the enactment of an ordinance<\/span> proposing to reduce the corporate limits of a city<\/span> or town<\/span>, the city<\/span> or town<\/span> shall apply to the circuit<\/span> court<\/span> for the city<\/span>, or to the circuit<\/span> court<\/span> for the city<\/span> or town<\/span>, for an order<\/span> confirming the ordinance<\/span>. The circuit<\/span> court<\/span> with which the petition<\/span> is filed shall notify the Supreme Court<\/span>, which shall appoint a special court<\/span> to hear the case as prescribed by Chapter 30 (\u00a7 15.2-3000<\/a> et seq.) of this title. One or more residents or landowners of the territory proposed to be abandoned, or the governing body<\/span> of the county<\/span> or counties contiguous thereto, may appear and by petition<\/span> set forth reasons why the corporate limits should not be reduced.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nAPPLICATION TO BE MADE TO CIRCUIT COURT; APPOINTMENT OF SPECIAL COURT; WHO MAY\nAPPEAR AGAINST (\u00a7 15.2-3237)\n\nWithin thirty days of the enactment of an ordinance proposing to reduce the\ncorporate limits of a city or town, the city or town shall apply to the circuit\ncourt for the city, or to the circuit court for the city or town, for an order\nconfirming the ordinance. The circuit court with which the petition is filed\nshall notify the Supreme Court, which shall appoint a special court to hear the\ncase as prescribed by Chapter 30 (\u00a7 15.2-3000 et seq.) of this title. One or\nmore residents or landowners of the territory proposed to be abandoned, or the\ngoverning body of the county or counties contiguous thereto, may appear and by\npetition set forth reasons why the corporate limits should not be reduced.\n\nHISTORY: Code 1950, \u00a7 15-154; 1962, c. 623, \u00a7 15.1-1060; 1997, c. 587.","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}}