CHAPTER 93

An Act to amend and reenact § 58-767, as amended, of the Code of Vir-
gina, relating to forgiveness of certain tax liens and taxes.
[S 99;

Approved February 23, 1962

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That § 58-767, as amended, of the Code of Virginia, be amended and
reenacted as follows:

§ 58-767. No lien upon real estate for taxes and levies due and payable
to the Commonwealth or any political subdivision thereof which has been,
or shall hereafter become, delinquent for twenty or more years shall be
enforced in any proceeding at law or in equity and * such lien shall be
deemed to have expired and to be barred and cancelled after such time.

The right, title and interest of the Commonwealth of Virginia in and to
all real estate sold for taxes and levies which have been, or hereafter be-
come, delinquent for twenty or more years, when such real estate has been
purchased by the Commonwealth and not resold, is hereby unconditionally
released unto and vested by operation of law in the person or persons who
owned the real estate at the time the Commonwealth so acquired title or
persons claiming, or to claim, by, through or under them; provided, how-
ever, that nothing herein contained shall invalidate or release any lien for
taxes and levies which have been, or hereafter become, delinquent for
twenty or more years when such liens on June nineteenth, nineteen hundred
and forty-six were being asserted and enforced in a chancery cause then
pending.

No clerk of any court in Virginia shall make a tax deed conveying to
any person any real estate sold for delinquent taxes or levies which have
been, or hereafter become, delinquent for twenty or more years.
An Act to amend and reenact § 27-25.1, as amended, of the Code of Vir-
ginia, relating to certain authority of fire fighting officials and pro-
viding penalties for violations.

(S 129]

Approved February 23, 1962

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That § 27-25.1, as amended, of the Code of Virginia, be amended and
reenacted as follows:

§ 27-25.1. While any fire department or volunteer fire department
in any county under the provisions of Chapter 2 of this Title is in the
process of answering an alarm of fire or extinguishing a fire and returning
to station the fire chief or other officer in charge of such fire department
at that time shall have the authority to: maintain order at the fire or
its vicinity, direct the actions of the firemen at the fire, keep bystanders
or other persons at a safe distance from the fire and fire equipment,
facilitate the speedy movement and operation of fire fighting equipment
and firemen and until the arrival of a police officer, direct and control
traffic in person or by deputy and facilitate the movement of traffic.
The fire chief or other officer in charge shall display his fireman’s badge.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, this authority shall extend
to the activation of traffic control signals designed to facilitate the safe
egress and ingress of fire fighting equipment at a fire station. Any person
or persons refusing to obey the orders of the fire chief or his deputies
or other officer in charge at that time shall be guilty of a misdemeanor
and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by a fine of not less than
ten dollars nor more than one hundred dollars. The fire chief or other
officer in charge shall have the power to make arrests for violation of
the provisions of this section.

2. An emergency exists and this act is in force from its passage.