Virginia Code 57-26: Restrictions as to location of cemeteries and as to quantity of land.
(1) Restrictions as to location. — No cemetery shall be hereafter established within a county or the corporate limits of any city or town, unless authorized by appropriate ordinance subject to any zoning ordinance duly adopted by the governing body of such county, city or town; provided that authorization by county ordinance shall not be required for interment of the dead in any churchyard or for interment of members of a family on private property; nor shall any cemetery be established within 250 yards of any residence without the consent of the owner of the legal and equitable title of the residence; provided that subject to the foregoing if the location for the proposed cemetery is separated from any residence by a state highway, it may be established upon such location without the consent of the owner of such residence if it be not less than 250′ from the residence at its nearest point thereto; provided such prohibition and restriction shall not apply where the tract of land intended for use as a cemetery is separated from any residence by a state highway and now contains a public or private burial ground and is not within the corporate limits of any city or town; and no cemetery shall be hereafter established, and no burial made in any part of any cemetery, other than a municipal or city cemetery, located within 300 yards of any property owned by any city, town or water company, upon which or a portion of which are now located driven wells from which water is pumped or drawn from the ground in connection with the public water supply.
Terms Used In Virginia Code 57-26
- City: means an independent incorporated community which became a city as provided by law before noon on July 1, 1971, or which has within defined boundaries a population of 5,000 or more and which has become a city as provided by law. See Virginia Code 1-208
- Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
- Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
- Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. Source: U.S. Courts
- Person: includes any individual, corporation, partnership, association, cooperative, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, government, political subdivision, or any other legal or commercial entity and any successor, representative, agent, agency, or instrumentality thereof. See Virginia Code 1-230
- State: when applied to a part of the United States, includes any of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands. See Virginia Code 1-245
- Town: means any existing town or an incorporated community within one or more counties which became a town before noon, July 1, 1971, as provided by law or which has within defined boundaries a population of 1,000 or more and which has become a town as provided by law. See Virginia Code 1-254
(2) Quantity of land. — Nothing contained in §§ 57-22 to 57-25 shall be so construed as to authorize a conveyance of more than 300 acres or the condemnation of more than 2 acres of land for the use of a cemetery.
(3) Action for damages. — When damage is done to adjacent land by the establishment of such cemetery, whether established by purchase or condemnation, the owners whose lands have been damaged shall have a right to action for such damage against any person, firm, corporation, or municipality, establishing the cemetery; provided such action be instituted within one year from such establishment.
(4) Exceptions. — The prohibitions and restrictions as to the location or establishment of cemeteries shall not apply to the town of Stuart, in Patrick County, to the town of Gretna, in Pittsylvania County, to the town of Shenandoah in Page County, or to the Woodbine Cemetery in the city of Harrisonburg, Rockingham County. And if the location for the proposed cemetery be in Norfolk County it may be established on such location if consent thereto be given by the owners of every residence within 250′ thereof at its nearest point to any such residence, or if the location for the proposed cemetery is separated from any such residence by a state highway it may be established upon such location without the consent of the owner of such residence if it be not less than 150′ from the residence at its nearest point thereto.
Code 1919, § 56; 1926, p. 866; 1934, p. 13; 1942, p. 102; 1944, p. 462; 1948, p. 492; 1952, c. 108; 1954, c. 10; 1960, c. 161; 1994, c. 229.