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2000 SESSION


CHAPTER 521
An Act to amend and reenact § 15.2-4314 of the Code of Virginia, relating to agricultural and forestal districts.
[H 418]
Approved April 6, 2000

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That § 15.2-4314 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 15.2-4314. Withdrawal of land from a district; termination of a district.

A. At any time after the creation of a district within any locality, any owner of land lying in such district may file with the locality a written request to withdraw all or part of his land from the district for good and reasonable cause. The local governing body shall refer the request to the local planning commission and the advisory committee for their recommendations and shall hold a public hearing. Land proposed to be withdrawn may be reevaluated through the Virginia or local Land Evaluation and Site Assessment (LESA) System. The landowner seeking to withdraw land from a district, if denied favorable action by the governing body, shall have an immediate right of appeal de novo to the circuit court serving the territory wherein the district is located. This section shall in no way affect the ability of an owner to withdraw an application for a proposed district or withdraw from a district pursuant to clause (v) of subdivision 1 of § 15.2-4307 or § 15.2-4311.

B. Upon termination of a district or withdrawal or removal of any land from a district created pursuant to this chapter, land that is no longer part of a district shall be subject to and liable for roll-back taxes as are provided in § 58.1-3237. Sale or gift of a portion of land in a district to a member of the immediate family as defined in § 15.2-2244 shall not in and of itself constitute a withdrawal or removal of any of the land from a district.

C. Upon termination of a district or upon withdrawal or removal of any land from a district, land that is no longer part of a district shall be subject to those local laws and ordinances prohibited by the provisions of subsection B of § 15.2-4312.

D. Upon the death of a property owner, any heir at law, devisee, surviving cotenant or personal representative of a sole owner of any fee simple interest in land lying within a district shall, as a matter of right, be entitled to withdraw such land from such district upon the inheritance or descent of such land provided that such heir at law, devisee, surviving cotenant or personal representative files written notice of withdrawal with the local governing body and the local commissioner of the revenue within two years of the date of death of the owner.

E. Upon termination or modification of a district, or upon withdrawal or removal of any parcel of land from a district, the local governing body shall submit a copy of the ordinance or notice of withdrawal to the local commissioner of revenue, the State Forester and the State Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services for information purposes. The commissioner of revenue shall delete the identification of such parcel from the land book and the tax map, and the local governing body shall delete the identification of such parcel from the zoning map, where applicable.

F. The withdrawal or removal of any parcel of land from a lawfully constituted district shall not in itself serve to terminate the existence of the district. The district shall continue in effect and be subject to review as to whether it should be terminated, modified or continued pursuant to § 15.2-4311 of this chapter.