Spotsylvania County Surviving Spouse Exemption, Killed in Action or Line of Duty

Spotsylvania's "Killed in Action" page describes the exemption for the surviving spouse of a member the Department of Defense found "killed in action or died of wounds received in action", on the home and up to one acre, capped at the average assessed value of dwellings on land zoned single-family residential, and prorated for co-owners. It correctly accepts a life estate and the trusts the statute lists. It asks for a Department of Defense letter with the determination and date of death, proof of marriage, and one proof of residency. Two points are behind the law. 2024 Acts chapter 583 widened section 58.1-3219.9 from January 1, 2025 to any member who died in the line of duty with a Department of Defense Line of Duty determination, including by suicide. And the page says the exemption stays only while the spouse "continues to occupy the property as their sole principle place of residence"; section 58.1-3219.9(C) lets the spouse move. A spouse outside the page's wording should apply citing the statute. The county does not publish its average dwelling figure.