Unless the deed of sale for the property specifies certain conditions of the sale, then most rights go to the new property owner. Virginia law does require that landowners allow access to cemeteries on private property for the purpose of visitation by family members/descendants or plot owners, and for genealogical research. You must give reasonable notice and abide by any restrictions the landowner may place upon frequency, hours, and duration of access (§57-27.1). If your property lies adjacent to the property containing your family cemetery, and you feel that the cemetery has fallen into neglect, you may petition the city or county circuit court for relief, including permission to access the property and maintain the cemetery (§57-39.1). Finally, Virginia law requires any property owner intending to obtain a court order to remove and relocate human burials from any abandoned cemetery on his/her property to make a reasonable and good-faith effort to notify the family and/or descendants of the buried individuals (§57-38.1 and §57-39). If you are concerned about your family cemetery, you may wish to contact the clerk of your city or county circuit court and find out how best to ensure that you are contacted in the event that a property owner files such a petition. Heirs and descendants may also petition the court for permission to relocate an ancestor’s remains from any abandoned family cemetery, with the same caveat (§57-38.2). You may wish to determine whether or not your ancestors placed a reservation of rights on the cemetery property. This means that someone reserved the right to access and maintain the parcel as a cemetery. This information should be on every deed and deed transfer document for the property and should be on file with your city or county land office. Make certain that you search as far back as possible, however, because if the information was inadvertently omitted at some point, no subsequent deed will contain it. Reservations of rights may also be waived by their beneficiaries, and you should be alert for this contingency as well.