15.2-943 - Operation and maintenance of living historical farm museums.
§ 15.2-943. Operation and maintenance of living historical farm museums.
A. The General Assembly finds that there is a public interest in encouragingthe development of living historical farm museums to preserve for posterityliving examples of earlier farm operation and farm life in Virginia. Suchliving historical farm museums lead to respect for the past, the education ofthe young and also serve as tourist attractions in the Commonwealth.
B. A "living historical farm museum," for the purposes of this section,shall be a nonprofit corporation or association dedicating no less than fiveacres for the sole purpose of portraying by restoration, preservation orreconstruction of farm operation and farm life, including milling, of aselected period in the agricultural history of Virginia. The requirement thatthe museum shall be nonprofit shall not prevent the museum from chargingadmittance fees adequate to cover costs of operation and maintenance.
C. Any locality may provide, by appropriate ordinance, that whenever a persondedicates five or more acres to a nonprofit corporation or associationdedicated solely for the purpose of organizing, operating, and maintaining aliving historical farm museum, such person may be authorized to build andmaintain such structures for the living historical farm museum as will beused in the operation, maintenance and support of such museum, subject,however, to any provisions of any zoning or planning ordinance of suchlocality.
(1973, c. 332, § 15.1-18.1:1; 1997, c. 587.)