Counties, cities and towns specified; alternative consolidations

By complying with the requirements specified in this article, any one or more counties or cities having a common boundary, or any county and all incorporated towns located entirely therein, may consolidate into a single county or city; however, no consolidation instituted under the provisions of this article shall result in the creation of consolidated cities, unless such proposed consolidation is reviewed by the Commission on Local Government and a special court established pursuant to § 15.2-3522 and they meet the criteria set out in subsection A of § 15.2-3526 . The term "incorporated towns" as used in this article means only those incorporated towns which have held municipal elections in the ten years preceding the date of the filing of a petition for a referendum pursuant to § 15.2-3529 . If two or more like units of local government propose to consolidate into a consolidated like unit of local government, they shall do so in accordance with the provisions of Article 1 of this chapter. This article applies to the (i) consolidation of unlike units of local governments such as a county and a city joining to form either a county or city; (ii) consolidation of like units of local governments into an unlike unit of local government such as a county and a county joining to form a city; or (iii) other combinations provided for herein.