Learn more about the new Heirs’ Property Act in Virginia and what it means for families who share ownership of land or have inherited land without a will.
Family-owned land has many social, economic, and conservation benefits. It can be a family’s most valuable asset. Yet, many have had difficulty retaining their land and accumulating wealth due to properties being lost to sale or partition – a problem historically and disproportionately impacting Black and other marginalized communities. Virginia’s new Heirs’ Property Act made substantive changes to partition law, in order to help families stay on the land they have stewarded for generations.
This webinar reviewed what heirs’ property is, what resources you and your family need to make the best decisions about your land, the basics of the new Uniform Partition of Heirs’ Property Act and what it could mean for you and your family.
Speakers included Ebonie Alexander, Executive Director of the Black Family Land Trust and David Gogal, Principal at Blankingship & Keith, P.C. This event is sponsored by The Piedmont Environmental Council, Virginia’s United Land Trusts, Virginia Eastern Shore Land Conservancy, Capital Region Land Conservancy and the Black Family Land Trust. One of the patrons of the legislation in Virginia, Senator Jennifer McClellan, was also on to provide some of her own insights on the issue.
Resources:
- Turning the Page on Involuntary Land Loss – article on PEC’s website (with additional links to other articles and resources)
- Heirs’ Property Act Legislation
- Virginia’s Approach to the Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act (UPHPA) as Adopted by the General Assembly in 2020 – background and recommendations by David Gogal (pdf)
- Map of states to enact Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act (jpg)
If you have questions about either the content of the webinar, we invite you to reach out to us at any time. Here are links to the staff who participated:
- Ebonie Alexander – Black Family Land Trust, ebonie@bflt.org
- David Gogal – Blankingship & Keith, P.C., dgogal@bklawva.com
- Ellen Shepard – Virginia’s United Land Trusts, eshepard@vaunitedlandtrusts.org
- Hali Plourde-Rogers – Virginia Eastern Shore Land Trust, director@veslt.org
- Dan Holmes – The Piedmont Environmental Council, dholmes@pecva.org
- Parker Agelasto – Capital Region Land Conservancy, parker@capitalregionland.org