Bill > SB44

This bill requires localities in Planning District 8 (a region in Northern Virginia) to create and maintain a register of cemeteries, graveyards, and burial sites located on private property that are not associated with memorial or monumental associations. Currently, such registration is optional for all localities, but this bill makes it mandatory specifically for Planning District 8. The register may include an official map and can be published on the locality's website, but sites that could be potentially endangered by public disclosure are protected from being publicly revealed. The bill also mandates that localities publish a notice in local newspapers and on their websites at least two weeks prior to selling any publicly owned property containing a known cemetery, with an exception for sites that could be jeopardized by such disclosure. The bill will become effective on July 1, 2027, giving localities several years to prepare and implement the new registration requirements.

Government Affairs

https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/SB44