{"data":{"id":"us-wv/w.-va.-code-20-12-4","jurisdiction":"us-wv","citation":"W. Va. Code § 20-12-4","heading":"Creation, transfer and duration.","body":"(a) Except as otherwise provided in this article, a conservation or preservation easement may be created, conveyed, recorded, assigned, released, modified, terminated or otherwise altered or affected in the same manner as other easements.\n(b) No right or duty of a holder, successive holder named in the easement deed or person having a third-party right of enforcement arises under a conservation or preservation easement before the easement's acceptance by the holder, successive holder or third party with right of enforcement and a recordation of the acceptance.\n(c) Except as provided in subsection (b), section five of this article, a conservation or preservation easement created after the effective date of this article may be perpetual in duration, but in no event shall be for a duration of less than twenty-five years.\n(d) An interest in real property in existence at the time a conservation or preservation easement is created, including an unrecorded lease for the production of minerals or removal of timber, shall not be impaired unless the owner of such interest is a party to the easement or expressly consents to comply with the restriction of such easement.","path":["CHAPTER 20. NATURAL RESOURCES.","ARTICLE 12. CONSERVATION AND PRESERVATION EASEMENTS."],"source_url":"https://code.wvlegislature.gov/20-12-4/","current_through":"as of 2026-08-03; contains at least the enactments of the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-06T00:25:37Z","sha256":"f8ca0d34ab1a047e368f38e252223def8f46ead9a9c46fd356b9acb1a7493f10","source_id":"us-wv","stale":true,"prev":"us-wv/w.-va.-code-20-12-3","next":"us-wv/w.-va.-code-20-12-5"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}