Version 1 jurisdiction boundaries were originally digitized at ISSL, VPI&SU in 1989 off of the USGS 7.5 minute quadrangle maps. Some modifications were made at that time given the date of some quads. The line and attribute data were delivered to the VA DCR in DLG3 format.
Revisions:
Version 1995: Version 1995 was made at the Virginia DCR, using version 1 as a base, as part of the development of Virginia's 14 digit hydrologic unit layer. At that time the jurisdiction boundaries were updated using newer quad maps or maps supplied by various jurisdictions and the Virginia DOT, all of which were at a better scale than the quads but were not always done to map accuracy standards. These newly digitized products were used to replace older existing boundaries. Changes were made to the boundaries of 34 jurisdictions between the first and 1995 versions.
Version 2004: Version 2004 varies from version 1995 in many ways. The major differences are that almost all of the linework has been recaptured at a better resolution, and linework has been added to delineate what is in a jurisdiction from what a local government has jurisdiction over. The improved resolution was realized by overlaying the linework of version 1995 onto enhanced DRGs and recapturing linework via heads-up digitizing on images which are enlarged beyond the 1:24,000 scale of the original paper maps. The determinations of what areas of the state are truly within any local jurisdictions versus being within the state but outside of all local jurisdictions was assisted by the Virginia Attorney General's Office.
Additionally, as these boundaries were being recaptured as part of the NWBD development, jurisdiction boundaries that coexisted as watershed boundaries were modified to align with the watershed boundaries as they were defined in the NWBD versus aligning with jurisdiction boundaries as they were drawn on the USGS topographic quads. These situations are noted in the line attribute table.
Other than the improved linework due to the DRG use and NWBD development as noted above, the following changes were made between versions 1995 and 2004: (1) Clifton Forge is removed as it is no longer a city. (2) The shoreline boundaries of jurisdictions bordering the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean have been recaptured off of DOQQs. (3) The offshore waters of Virginia have been added to the 3 nautical mile limit. (4) The boundary between Prince George and Sussex and between Sussex and Surry has been altered (Disputanta South quad). (5) The boundary of Emporia has been altered. (6) The boundary between Lynchburg and Amherst was altered. (7) The boundary between Danville and Pittsylvania Co was altered. (8) The boundary of Williamsburg has been altered based on its representation on their web site. (9) The state boundary has been altered from Smith Point to Rhodes Point. In particular, it originates further southeast on the line extending from Smith Point than previously portrayed on 7.5 minute topo maps. (10) The boundary between Fauquier and Prince William has been altered. (11) The boundary between Giles and Monroe County, WV has been altered. (12) The boundary between Louisa and Goochland was altered to reflect the boundary as displayed on VDOT county maps. (13) Minor adjustments were made to the boundary of Norton. (14) Minor adjustments were made to the boundary of Bristol.
Territorial waters within the Commonwealth have been determined with the assistance of the Virginia Attorney General's Office. As advised by that office, and in accordance with section 15.2-3105 of the Code of Virginia, Chesapeake Bay waters, Atlantic Ocean waters, and the tidal tributaries to these bodies of water, are not considered part of any local jurisdiction. In other words, "the normal activities of counties and cities do not extend off shore". Section 15.2-3105 extends the boundary of local jurisdictions along the Chesapeake Bay or Atlantic Ocean to "embrace all wharfs, piers, docks, and other structures, except bridges and tunnels that have been or may hereafter be erected along the waterfront". Therefore shorelines that include these structures are now used to define the jurisdiction boundaries along the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean. While tidal rivers of these bodies are also part of this decree, it would be difficult to accurately portray local jurisdiction boundaries excluding all tidal waters of the Bay and the Atlantic. It would also produce a version of jurisdiction boundaries for Virginia unlikely to be used by the agencies of the state who this layer is intended to assist. Therefore, an apparent limit arc has been added across tidal waters to delineate the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean proper from their tidal tributaries. These artificial boundaries have been attributed as such.
The same legal source also advises that in accordance with Sections 16.1-69.29 and 17.1-516, the local jurisdictions of the Commonwealth have been given "concurrent territorial jurisdiction [to the district and circuit courts of counties on each side of any river, watercourse, or bay,] over so much thereof as shall be opposite to such counties". Likewise, local jurisdictions have been authorized by Section 29.1-744.C to enact ordinances regulating vessels and the conduct of people within the territorial limits, including the marginal adjacent Atlantic Ocean. This section extends the territorial limits of the seaside jurisdictions out three miles into the Atlantic Ocean. Accordingly, this version of the jurisdiction boundaries contains the delineations of the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean as necessary to portray these stated territorial jurisdictions, including an equidistance mid-Bay boundary that will not align with the mid-Bay boundary found in federal spatial layers showing jurisdiction boundaries in Virginia.
It is possible to only display the arcs defining jurisdictions, versus also showing arcs which only define areas that jurisdictions have jurisdiction over. One method would be to reselect polygons for FIPS values less than 900 and to then use the POLYGONS command to display them.
Upcoming modifications will include the infusion of boundaries from local governments where those boundaries are agreeable to parties on both sides, ridge modifications from more precise topographic sources, and more current and precise shorelines from the hydrography developed from the VA Base Map Imagery.