A. If, after receipt of a petition for immunity, the circuit court determines that the county or tier-city has a population at the time of the filing of the petition of at least 20,000 persons and a population density of at least 300 persons per square mile, or a minimum population of at least 50,000 persons and a population density of at least 140 persons per square mile, based either on the latest United States census, on the latest population estimates of the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service of the University of Virginia, or on a special census conducted under court supervision, it shall enter an order declaring the total county or tier-city immune from city-initiated annexation and incorporation of new cities.
B. If the court determines that the county or tier-city has not met the criteria for immunity as set forth in this section, it shall deny the county’s or tier-city’s petition.
C. In the determination of its population density, a county or tier-city may elect to have excluded from consideration the area of property within its boundaries which is owned by the federal and state governments and the area covered by bodies of water of forty acres or more in size. If a county or tier-city elects to exclude such areas from consideration, any county or tier-city residents residing in such areas must also be excluded in determining the county’s or tier-city’s population and population density.