In the event no agreement can be reached as provided in § 33.2-1031 or whenever such land is a part or the whole of a cemetery or graveyard owned by persons unknown or by any person, church, association, corporation, or other legal entity not having legal authority to make disposition of the same, the Commissioner of Highways shall petition the court of the city or county in which the land is situated and in which condemnation proceedings are instituted to acquire land for the purpose of condemning such land and having the remains interred in such cemetery or graveyard removed to some suitable repository. To such petition the owner of the land and next of kin of those interred therein, if known, shall be made defendants and served with notice. If such owner and next of kin are unknown, are less than 18 years of age, have been adjudicated insane or incompetent, or are nonresidents of the Commonwealth, such notice shall be served in the manner prescribed by Chapter 2 (§ 25.1-200 et seq.) of Title 25.1.
Code 1950, § 33-75.2; 1960, c. 308; 1970, c. 322, § 33.1-134; 2003, c. 940; 2014, c. 805.