Chap. 351.—An ACT to Amend and Re-enact Sections 15, 16 and 17 of
Chapter 37 of the Code with Reference to Sales of Lands for Taxes,

Approved April 1, 1873.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly, That sections fif-
teen, sixteen and seventeen of chapter thirty-seven of Code,
edition of eighteen hundred and’ sixty, be amended and re-
enacted so as to read as follows:

§ 15. The purchaser of a part of any tract or lot of land so
sold and not redeemed within the said two years, his heirs or
assigns, shall have the quantity purchased surveyed and laid
off, at his or their expense, by the surveyor of the county, if
it be in a county; if it be within the corporate limits of any
city or town, by the surveyor of such city or town; or where
there shall be no surveyor of such county, city or town, then
by some person to be appointed by the court of the county or
city or town for that purpose; or if it be within the city of
Richmond, by some person appointed by the chancery court of
the said city. The said survey to commence on either of the
lines of the tract or lot, at the option of the purchaser, his
heirs or assigns, so as not to include the improvements on the
same if it can be avoided, and to be in one body, the length
whereof shall not be more than double the breadth, where that
is practicable. A plat and certificate of the survey shall be re-
turned to the court of the county, city or town; or in the case
of real estate in the city of Richmond, to the chancery court
of the said city of Richmond; and if the court, upon examina-
tion thereof, find it to be correctly made in conformity with
this section, it shall order the same to be recorded.

§ 16. When also an entire tract or lot of land is sold and
not redeemed within the said two years, the purchaser, his
heirs or assigns, at his or their expenses, shall have a report
made by the surveyor of the county, city or town to the court
thereof; or in case of real estate in the city of Richmond, to
the chancery court of the said city of Richmond, specifying
the metes and bounds of the land sold, and the names of the
owners of the adjoining tracts or lots, and giving such farther
description of the land sold as will identify the same; and the
county or corporation court, or in the case of real estate in the
city of Richmond, the chancery court of the city of Richmond,
unless if see some objection to such report, shall order the
same to be recorded. .

§ 17. After the expiration of the said two years, the pur-
chaser of any real estate so sold and not redeemed, if the same
be within the limits of the city of Richmond, shall obtain from
the clerk or deputy clerk of the chancery court of the city of
Richmond, and if the same be without the limits of the city of
Richmond, shall obtain from the clerk or deputy clerk of the
court of the county or corporation (whose officer may have
sold such real estate), a deed conveying the same, in which
shall be set forth all of the circumstances appearing in the
clerk's office in relation to the sale. Moreover, if the sale be
of part of a tract of land, the deed shall refer particularly to
the plat and certificate of survey returned, according to the
fifteenth section and the order of the court thereupon; and if
the sale be of an entire tract of land, it shall refer to the re-
port made according to the sixteenth section and the order
thereupon. If the sale be of a town lot, or of an individual
interest of. such lot, and a report be made by a surveyor de-
scribing the same, and such report be ordered by the court to
be recorded, the deed shall refer to such report. But when,
in the case of a sale of a town lot, or of an undivided interest
in such lot, there is no such report, the clerk shall neverthe-
less execute a déed therefor to the purchaser, if he desire the
same. For every deed executed under this act, the clerk shall
be entitled to one dollar, which the purchaser shall pay him on
the delivery of the deed. This section shall apply as well to
real estate heretofore sold as to such real estate as may be
hereafter sold for taxes; and in any case in which the chancery
court of the city of Richmond shall have ordered or shall or-
der the plat and certificate of survey heretofore made of such
real estate in the city of Richmond to be recorded in conform-
ity to the fifteenth section of this chapter, the clerk or deputy
clerk of the chancery court of the city of Richmond shall exe-
cute the deed to the purchaser, his heirs or assigns.

2: This act shall be in force from its passage.