{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/57-35.37.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/57-35.37.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/57-35.37.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/57-35.37.html"}],"law_id":70710,"edition_id":1,"section_id":70710,"structure_id":13326,"section_number":"57-35.37","catch_line":"Sale of cemeteries owned by a locality; required notice to descendants of original owner","history":"2022, c. 281.","full_text":"A\n\nNo cemetery owned by a county or city shall be sold to a private owner unless the county or city has made a good faith effort to ensure, prior to sale, that the ownership of such cemetery is vested in the estate of the last owner of record or that permission for the sale has been granted by the family members or descendants of such owner.B\n\nFor purposes of subsection A, a county or city will be deemed to have made a good faith effort if it attempts to contact all known family members and descendants of the last owner of record no less than three separate times by phone, mail, or visiting the last known address of record for such family members or descendants; however, if the county or city is unable to successfully contact a family member or descendant, it must utilize two different contact methods listed above for a total of three different times in an attempt to reach the family members or descendants of the last owner of record of the cemetery. A county or city shall keep written records of each attempt to contact a family member or descendant of the cemetery’s last owner of record.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":255076,"text":"No cemetery owned by a county or city shall be sold to a private owner unless the county or city has made a good faith effort to ensure, prior to sale, that the ownership of such cemetery is vested in the estate of the last owner of record or that permission for the sale has been granted by the family members or descendants of such owner.","type":"section","prefixes":["A"],"prefix":"A","entire_prefix":"A","prefix_anchor":"A","level":1,"next_prefix":"B"},"1":{"id":255077,"text":"For purposes of subsection A, a county or city will be deemed to have made a good faith effort if it attempts to contact all known family members and descendants of the last owner of record no less than three separate times by phone, mail, or visiting the last known address of record for such family members or descendants; however, if the county or city is unable to successfully contact a family member or descendant, it must utilize two different contact methods listed above for a total of three different times in an attempt to reach the family members or descendants of the last owner of record of the cemetery. A county or city shall keep written records of each attempt to contact a family member or descendant of the cemetery’s last owner of record.","type":"section","prefixes":["B"],"prefix":"B","entire_prefix":"B","prefix_anchor":"B","level":1,"prior_prefix":"A"}},"ancestry":[{"id":13326,"edition_id":1,"name":"Abandonment; Removal of Remains","identifier":"4","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13325,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:39","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:39","permalink":{"id":251721,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13326,"identifier":"4","token":"57\/3\/4","url":"\/57\/3\/4\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13325,"edition_id":1,"name":"Cemeteries","identifier":"3","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13324,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:39","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:39","permalink":{"id":251625,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13325,"identifier":"3","token":"57\/3","url":"\/57\/3\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13324,"edition_id":1,"name":"Religious and Charitable Matters; Cemeteries","identifier":"57","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:39","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:39","permalink":{"id":251501,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13324,"identifier":"57","token":"57","url":"\/57\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":77722,"structure_id":13326,"section_number":"57-35.35:1","catch_line":"Definitions","url":"\/57-35.35_1\/","token":"57\/3\/4\/57-35.35_1","metadata":false},{"id":85948,"structure_id":13326,"section_number":"57-35.36","catch_line":"Cemeteries owned by localities; good faith effort required prior to interment","url":"\/57-35.36\/","token":"57\/3\/4\/57-35.36","metadata":false},{"id":70710,"structure_id":13326,"section_number":"57-35.37","catch_line":"Sale of cemeteries owned by a locality; required notice to descendants of original owner","url":"\/57-35.37\/","token":"57\/3\/4\/57-35.37","metadata":false},{"id":85333,"structure_id":13326,"section_number":"57-36","catch_line":"Abandoned or previously unidentified graveyards may be condemned; removal of bodies","url":"\/57-36\/","token":"57\/3\/4\/57-36","metadata":false},{"id":64086,"structure_id":13326,"section_number":"57-37","catch_line":"Costs of suits, removal and reinterment; how surplus above costs disposed of","url":"\/57-37\/","token":"57\/3\/4\/57-37","metadata":false},{"id":82883,"structure_id":13326,"section_number":"57-38","catch_line":"Exemption from \u00a7\u00a7 57-36 and 57-37","url":"\/57-38\/","token":"57\/3\/4\/57-38","metadata":false},{"id":67509,"structure_id":13326,"section_number":"57-38.1","catch_line":"Proceedings by landowner for removal of remains from previously unidentified or abandoned family graveyard","url":"\/57-38.1\/","token":"57\/3\/4\/57-38.1","metadata":false},{"id":58701,"structure_id":13326,"section_number":"57-38.2","catch_line":"Proceedings by heir at law or descendant for removal of ancestor's remains from previously unidentified or abandoned family graveyard","url":"\/57-38.2\/","token":"57\/3\/4\/57-38.2","metadata":false},{"id":54311,"structure_id":13326,"section_number":"57-39","catch_line":"Proceedings for removal of remains and sale of land vacated","url":"\/57-39\/","token":"57\/3\/4\/57-39","metadata":false},{"id":78941,"structure_id":13326,"section_number":"57-39.1","catch_line":"Improvement of abandoned and neglected graveyards","url":"\/57-39.1\/","token":"57\/3\/4\/57-39.1","metadata":false},{"id":79977,"structure_id":13326,"section_number":"57-39.1:1","catch_line":"Recovery of abandoned interment rights; procedure; rights of owner of record","url":"\/57-39.1_1\/","token":"57\/3\/4\/57-39.1_1","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":85948,"structure_id":13326,"section_number":"57-35.36","catch_line":"Cemeteries owned by localities; good faith effort required prior to interment","url":"\/57-35.36\/","token":"57\/3\/4\/57-35.36","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":85333,"structure_id":13326,"section_number":"57-36","catch_line":"Abandoned or previously unidentified graveyards may be condemned; removal of bodies","url":"\/57-36\/","token":"57\/3\/4\/57-36","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/57-35.37\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 2022. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 281<\/a> 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.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":251731,"object_type":"law","relational_id":70710,"identifier":"57-35.37","token":"57\/3\/4\/57-35.37","url":"\/57-35.37\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/57-35.37\/","token":"57\/3\/4\/57-35.37","dublin_core":{"Title":"Sale of cemeteries owned by a locality; required notice to descendants of original owner","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 57-35.37","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

A.<\/span> No cemetery owned by a county or city shall be sold to a private owner unless the county or city has made a good faith effort to ensure, prior to sale, that the ownership of such cemetery is vested in the estate of the last owner of record or that permission for the sale has been granted by the family members or descendants of such owner. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

B.<\/span> For purposes of subsection A, a county or city will be deemed to have made a good faith effort if it attempts to contact all known family members and descendants of the last owner of record no less than three separate times by phone, mail, or visiting the last known address of record for such family members or descendants; however, if the county or city is unable to successfully contact a family member or descendant, it must utilize two different contact methods listed above for a total of three different times in an attempt to reach the family members or descendants of the last owner of record of the cemetery. A county or city shall keep written records of each attempt to contact a family member or descendant of the cemetery’s last owner of record. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nSALE OF CEMETERIES OWNED BY A LOCALITY; REQUIRED NOTICE TO DESCENDANTS OF\nORIGINAL OWNER (\u00a7 57-35.37)\n\nA. No cemetery owned by a county or city shall be sold to a private owner unless\nthe county or city has made a good faith effort to ensure, prior to sale, that\nthe ownership of such cemetery is vested in the estate of the last owner of\nrecord or that permission for the sale has been granted by the family members or\ndescendants of such owner.\n\nB. For purposes of subsection A, a county or city will be deemed to have made a\ngood faith effort if it attempts to contact all known family members and\ndescendants of the last owner of record no less than three separate times by\nphone, mail, or visiting the last known address of record for such family\nmembers or descendants; however, if the county or city is unable to successfully\ncontact a family member or descendant, it must utilize two different contact\nmethods listed above for a total of three different times in an attempt to reach\nthe family members or descendants of the last owner of record of the cemetery. A\ncounty or city shall keep written records of each attempt to contact a family\nmember or descendant of the cemetery’s last owner of record.\n\nHISTORY: 2022, c. 281.","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}}