{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/57-39.20.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/57-39.20.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/57-39.20.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/57-39.20.html"}],"law_id":84041,"edition_id":1,"section_id":84041,"structure_id":16373,"section_number":"57-39.20","catch_line":"Definitions","history":"1996, c. 957.","full_text":"As used in this article, unless the context requires a different meaning:\n\t\t“Burial right” means the right of interment.\n\t\t“Interment” means the disposition of pet remains by earth burial, entombment in a mausoleum, or inurnment in a columbarium.\n\t\t“Operator” means any person engaged in the business of selling or offering for sale any burial or interment right in a pet cemetery and representing to the public that such cemetery, single burial or interment right therein will be perpetually cared for.\n\t\t“Perpetual care fund” means a fund created to provide income to a pet cemetery to provide care, maintenance, administration and embellishment of the pet cemetery.\n\t\t“Pet” means an animal that has been adapted or tamed to live in intimate association with or for the pleasure of people and includes but is not limited to dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, and hamsters.\n\t\t“Pet cemetery” means land, together with any structures, facilities, or buildings appurtenant thereto provided to members of the public for use or reservation for use for the individual interment, above or below ground, of pet remains. “Pet cemetery” does not include land used exclusively for landfilling or the communal burial of pets, but does include an area where a portion of the land is used for the communal burial of pets.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":301183,"text":"As used in this article, unless the context requires a different meaning:\n\t\t“Burial right” means the right of interment.\n\t\t“Interment” means the disposition of pet remains by earth burial, entombment in a mausoleum, or inurnment in a columbarium.\n\t\t“Operator” means any person engaged in the business of selling or offering for sale any burial or interment right in a pet cemetery and representing to the public that such cemetery, single burial or interment right therein will be perpetually cared for.\n\t\t“Perpetual care fund” means a fund created to provide income to a pet cemetery to provide care, maintenance, administration and embellishment of the pet cemetery.\n\t\t“Pet” means an animal that has been adapted or tamed to live in intimate association with or for the pleasure of people and includes but is not limited to dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, and hamsters.\n\t\t“Pet cemetery” means land, together with any structures, facilities, or buildings appurtenant thereto provided to members of the public for use or reservation for use for the individual interment, above or below ground, of pet remains. “Pet cemetery” does not include land used exclusively for landfilling or the communal burial of pets, but does include an area where a portion of the land is used for the communal burial of pets.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":16373,"edition_id":1,"name":"Pet Cemeteries","identifier":"8","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13325,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 04:15:34","date_modified":"2026-06-26 04:15:34","permalink":{"id":251805,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":16373,"identifier":"8","token":"57\/3\/8","url":"\/57\/3\/8\/","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":84041,"structure_id":16373,"section_number":"57-39.20","catch_line":"Definitions","url":"\/57-39.20\/","token":"57\/3\/8\/57-39.20","metadata":false},{"id":67473,"structure_id":16373,"section_number":"57-39.21","catch_line":"Duty to file declaration of land use restriction","url":"\/57-39.21\/","token":"57\/3\/8\/57-39.21","metadata":false},{"id":70345,"structure_id":16373,"section_number":"57-39.22","catch_line":"Certain representations unlawful; perpetual care trust fund required","url":"\/57-39.22\/","token":"57\/3\/8\/57-39.22","metadata":false},{"id":78284,"structure_id":16373,"section_number":"57-39.23","catch_line":"Change of address required from owner of burial right","url":"\/57-39.23\/","token":"57\/3\/8\/57-39.23","metadata":false},{"id":85441,"structure_id":16373,"section_number":"57-39.24","catch_line":"Removal of restriction on land","url":"\/57-39.24\/","token":"57\/3\/8\/57-39.24","metadata":false},{"id":84788,"structure_id":16373,"section_number":"57-39.25","catch_line":"Violation a misdemeanor","url":"\/57-39.25\/","token":"57\/3\/8\/57-39.25","metadata":false}],"next_section":{"id":67473,"structure_id":16373,"section_number":"57-39.21","catch_line":"Duty to file declaration of land use restriction","url":"\/57-39.21\/","token":"57\/3\/8\/57-39.21","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/57-39.20\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 1996. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 957<\/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":251807,"object_type":"law","relational_id":84041,"identifier":"57-39.20","token":"57\/3\/8\/57-39.20","url":"\/57-39.20\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/57-39.20\/","token":"57\/3\/8\/57-39.20","dublin_core":{"Title":"Definitions","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 57-39.20","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

As used in this article, unless the context requires a different meaning:\n\t\t“Burial right<\/span>” means the right of interment<\/span>.\n\t\t“Interment<\/span>” means the disposition<\/span> of pet remains by earth burial, entombment in a mausoleum, or inurnment in a columbarium.\n\t\t“Operator<\/span>” means any person engaged in the business of selling or offering for sale any burial or interment<\/span> right in a pet cemetery<\/span> and representing to the public that such cemetery, single burial or interment<\/span> right therein will be perpetually cared for.\n\t\t“Perpetual care fund<\/span>” means a fund created to provide income to a pet cemetery<\/span> to provide care, maintenance, administration and embellishment of the pet cemetery<\/span>.\n\t\t“Pet” means an animal that has been adapted or tamed to live in intimate association with or for the pleasure of people and includes but is not limited to dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, and hamsters.\n\t\t“Pet cemetery<\/span>” means land, together with any structures, facilities, or buildings appurtenant thereto provided to members of the public for use or reservation for use for the individual interment<\/span>, above or below ground, of pet remains. “Pet cemetery<\/span>” does not include land used exclusively for landfilling or the communal burial of pets<\/span>, but does include an area where a portion of the land is used for the communal burial of pets<\/span>.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nDEFINITIONS (\u00a7 57-39.20)\n\nAs used in this article, unless the context requires a different meaning:\n\t\t“Burial right” means the right of interment.\n\t\t“Interment” means the disposition of pet remains by earth burial,\nentombment in a mausoleum, or inurnment in a columbarium.\n\t\t“Operator” means any person engaged in the business of selling or\noffering for sale any burial or interment right in a pet cemetery and\nrepresenting to the public that such cemetery, single burial or interment right\ntherein will be perpetually cared for.\n\t\t“Perpetual care fund” means a fund created to provide income to a\npet cemetery to provide care, maintenance, administration and embellishment of\nthe pet cemetery.\n\t\t“Pet” means an animal that has been adapted or tamed to live in\nintimate association with or for the pleasure of people and includes but is not\nlimited to dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, and hamsters.\n\t\t“Pet cemetery” means land, together with any structures,\nfacilities, or buildings appurtenant thereto provided to members of the public\nfor use or reservation for use for the individual interment, above or below\nground, of pet remains. “Pet cemetery” does not include land used\nexclusively for landfilling or the communal burial of pets, but does include an\narea where a portion of the land is used for the communal burial of pets.\n\nHISTORY: 1996, c. 957.","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}}