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W. Va. Code § 19-25-2

Limiting duty of landowner generally

Applied in 4 court decisions — leading case Cox v. United States (1992)

Most recently applied in Winebrenner v. United States (September 2005)

How often courts cite this section

19922000200510
citing decisions per year

Court decisions citing this, by year. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.

(a) Subject to the provisions of §19-25-4 of this code, an owner of land owes no duty of care to keep the premises safe for entry or use by others for recreational or wildlife propagation purposes, or to give any warning of a dangerous or hazardous condition, use, structure, or activity on such premises to persons entering for such purposes.

(b) Subject to the provisions of §19-25-4 of this code, an owner of land who either directly or indirectly invites or permits without charge as that term is defined in §19-25-5 of this code, any person to use such property for recreational or wildlife propagation purposes does not thereby:

(1) Extend any assurance that the premises are safe for any purpose;

(2) Confer upon such persons the legal status of an invitee or licensee to whom a duty of care is owed; or

(3) Assume responsibility for or incur liability for any injury to person or property caused by an act or omission of such persons.

(c) Subject to the provisions of §19-25-4 of this code, an owner of land owes who invites or permits without charge, as that term is defined in §19-25-5 of this code, any person to enter onto the owner’s land for the purpose of utilizing the owner’s land for any agricultural purpose does not thereby:

(1) Extend any assurance that the premises are safe for any purpose;

(2) Confer upon such persons the legal status of an invitee or licensee to whom a duty of care is owed; or

(3) Assume responsibility for or incur liability for any injury to person or property caused by an act or omission of such persons.

Official source: West Virginia Legislature. Reproduced from public-domain West Virginia statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.