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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>59892</law_id><section_number>33.2-920</section_number><catch_line>Appeal to circuit court</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="33.2">Highways and Other Surface Transportation Systems</unit><unit label="subtitle" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="II">Modes of Transportation: Highways, Bridges, Ferries, Rail, and Public Transportation</unit><unit label="chapter" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="9">Abandonment and Discontinuance of Highways and Roads</unit><unit label="article" level="4" order_by="1" identifier="3">Abandonment of Roads Not in Primary or Secondary State Highway System</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>Any one or more of the landowners who filed a <span class="dictionary">petition</span> or the governing body may within 30 days from the action of the governing body on the proposal <span class="dictionary">appeal</span> from the action of the governing body to the <span class="dictionary">circuit</span> <span class="dictionary">court</span> of the county. Where the governing body fails to adopt an <span class="dictionary">ordinance</span> or resolution pursuant to &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Action of governing body" href="/33.2-919/">33.2-919</a>, such person named in this section shall within 30 days from such failure have a right of <span class="dictionary">appeal</span> to the appropriate <span class="dictionary">circuit</span> <span class="dictionary">court</span>. Such <span class="dictionary">appeal</span> shall be filed by <span class="dictionary">petition</span> in the clerk&#x2019;s office of such <span class="dictionary">court</span>, setting out the action or inaction appealed from and the grounds for <span class="dictionary">appeal</span>. Upon the filing of such <span class="dictionary">petition</span>, the clerk of the <span class="dictionary">circuit</span> <span class="dictionary">court</span> shall <span class="dictionary">docket</span> the <span class="dictionary">appeal</span>, giving it a preferred status, and if the <span class="dictionary">appeal</span> is by any of the landowners who filed a <span class="dictionary">petition</span> with the governing body for a public <span class="dictionary">hearing</span>, notice of such <span class="dictionary">appeal</span> shall be served upon the attorney for the Commonwealth and the governing body. No such <span class="dictionary">appeal</span> shall be tried by the <span class="dictionary">court</span> within 10 days after notice is given as provided in this section unless such notice is waived. The <span class="dictionary">circuit</span> <span class="dictionary">court</span> shall hear the matter <span class="dictionary">de novo</span> with further right of <span class="dictionary">appeal</span> as provided by <span class="dictionary">law</span>. The <span class="dictionary">court</span> may appoint viewers to make such investigation and <span class="dictionary">findings</span> as the <span class="dictionary">court</span> requires of them. Upon the <span class="dictionary">hearing</span> of the <span class="dictionary">appeal</span>, the <span class="dictionary">court</span> shall ascertain and by its <span class="dictionary">order</span> determine whether public necessity exists for the <span class="dictionary">continuance</span> of the section of road or the railroad crossing as a public road or public railroad crossing or whether the welfare of the public will be served best by abandoning the section of the road or the railroad crossing as a public road or public railroad crossing and shall enter its <span class="dictionary">order</span> accordingly.
		Upon any such <span class="dictionary">appeal</span>, if it appears to the <span class="dictionary">court</span> that by the <span class="dictionary">abandonment</span> of such section of road or such railroad crossing as a public road or public railroad crossing any <span class="dictionary">party</span> to such <span class="dictionary">appeal</span> would be deprived of access to a public road, the <span class="dictionary">court</span> may cause the railroad company and the governing body, or either, to be made parties to the proceedings, if not already parties, and may enter such <span class="dictionary">orders</span> as seem just and proper for keeping open such section of road or such railroad crossing for the benefit of such <span class="dictionary">party</span> or parties.</p></section></text><history>Code 1950, &#xA7; 33-76.19; 1950, p. 735; 1970, c. 322, &#xA7; 33.1-162; 1978, c. 187; 2014, c. 805.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
