CHAPTER 794

An Act to amend and reenact § 7.1-15, as amended, of the Code of
Virginia, relating to State jurisdiction over federal customs houses,
courthouses, arsenals, forts, etc.

[fH 1008]

Approved April 5, 1968

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That § 7.1-15, as amended, of the Code of Virginia, be amended and
reenacted as follows:

§ 7.1-15. Sites for customs houses, courthouses, arsenals, forts, naval
bases, etc.—The conditional consent of the Commonwealth of Virginia is
hereby given to the acquisition by the United States, or under its author-
ity, by purchase, lease, condemnation, or otherwise, of any lands in
Virginia, whether under water, or not, from any person for sites for
customs houses, courthouses, arsenals, forts, naval bases, military or naval
airports or airplane landing fields or for any military or naval purpose.
The conditions upon which this consent is given are as follows:

That there is hereby reserved in the Commonwealth, over all lands
so acquired by the United States for the purposes aforesaid, the juris-
diction and power to levy a tax on oil, gasoline and all other motor fuels
and lubricants thereon owned by others than the United States and a tax
on the sale thereof, on such lands, except sales to the United States for
use in the exercise of essentially governmental functions. There is further
expressly reserved in the Commonwealth the jurisdiction and power to
serve criminal and civil process on such lands and to license and regulate,
or to prohibit, the sale of intoxicating liquors on any such lands and to
tax all property, including buildings erected thereon, not belonging to the
United States and to require licenses and impose license taxes upon any
business or businesses conducted thereon. There ts also expressly reserved
in the Commonwealth the jurisdiction and power to impose and collect
the emplaning service fee provided for in Chapter 7, Title 5.1 of the Code.
For all purposes of taxation and of the jurisdiction of the courts of
Virginia over persons, transactions, matters and property on such lands,
the lands shall be deemed to be a part of the county or city in which they
are situated. Any such acquisition by or conveyance or lease to the United
States, as is herein provided for, shall be deemed to have been secured or
made upon the express condition that the reservations of power and limi-
tations hereinabove provided for are recognized as valid by the United
States, and, in the event the United States shall deny the validity of the
same, as to all or any part of such lands, then and in that event, the title
and possession of all or any such part of such lands, conveyed to the
United States by the Commonwealth shall immediately revert to the Com-
monwealth. Over all lands acquired by or leased or conveyed to the United
States pursuant to the conditional consent herein conferred, the Common-
wealth hereby cedes to the United States concurrent jurisdiction, legisla-
tive, executive and judicial, with respect to the commission of crimes and the
arrest, trial and punishment therefor, and also cedes to the United States
the power and jurisdiction to protect such lands and all property of the
United States thereon from damage, depredation or destruction, to regulate
traffic on the highways thereon and all necessary jurisdiction and power to
operate and administer such lands and property thereon for the purposes
for which the same may be conveyed to the United States, but the juris-
diction and power hereby ceded to the United States shall not be construed
as being in any respect inconsistent with or as in any way impairing the
jurisdiction and powers hereinabove specifically reserved to the Common-
wealth. The jurisdiction and powers hereby ceded shall not apply to lands
acquired for the purposes enumerated in § 7.1-17. Whenever the United
States shall cease to use any of such lands so acquired for any of the
purposes hereinabove set forth, the jurisdiction and powers herein ceded
shall as to the same cease and determine, and shall revert to the Common-
wealth.

Nothing herein contained shall affect any special act heretofore or
hereafter passed ceding jurisdiction to the United States.

This section is subject to the provisions of § 7.1-18.