An aerial view of East End, Tortola. The Preservation of Names of Places Act, 2001, provides for the preservation of the names of places in the Virgin Islands. Photo: VINO

A piece of legislation that was passed in the Legislative Council on April 12, 2001, and assented to by the then-governor Francis J. Savage on July 10, 2001, finally came into force on March 1, 2026, after the proclamation was published in the Official Gazette by Governor Daniel Pruce on February 28, 2026. Photo: Official Gazette

The Preservation of Names of Places Act, 2001, provides for the preservation of the names of places in the Virgin Islands. 

Notably, the Act states that no person shall, in any letterhead, invoice, advertisement, personal or business card, article, map, sign, placard, broadcast, internet website or any similar medium, refer to a place in the Territory by a name other than its official name, unless he first obtains the written permission of the Governor in Council.

Contravening the Act

A person in contravention commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars.

According to the Act, where a reference to a place is contrary to the Act and is made in an advertisement, both the person who paid for the advertisement and the person who published or broadcast the advertisement commit an offence.

If a contravention was made in an article, both the author of the article and the person who published the article commit an offence.

If the Act was contravened via a broadcast, both the person who made the reference and the person who broadcasted the reference commit an offence, "except that it is a defence for the person who broadcasted the reference if he proves that he could not reasonably have known that the reference would be broadcasted or that he took reasonable steps to ensure that the reference would not be broadcasted."

Determination of official name

According to the Act, there shall be displayed at the Office of the Chief Surveyor, Visa and Passport Office, General Post Office and such other places and at such other locations as the Governor in Council may determine, an official map of the Territory approved by the Governor in Council.

The name of any place shown on the official map shall be the official name of that place. A member of the public shall be entitled to examine the official map during normal working hours.

Where there is any doubt as to the official name of a place, the Governor in Council may, upon the application of a person by letter addressed to the Governor or of its own volition, declare, by Order published in the Gazette, the official name of the place, and the name so declared shall be the official name of the place for the purposes of the Act.

When the Preservation of Names of Places Act, 2001, was passed by the Legislative Council in 2001, Mr Reuben Vanterpool was the Speaker, and Oleanvine Maynard was the Acting Clerk.