Social Inheritance and Succession Act

[Library of Parliament]

Original Legislation:
Passed Bill Link: https://cityrp.org/threads/inheritance-and-succession-act.168/
Final Vote: 6-0-0
Ratified: March 7, 2025
Amendments:
- Amended July 19, 2025 by the Death Act
- Amended May 14, 2026 by the Family Inheritance Act

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Author: Liam Cofys, MP
Sponsor: Liam Cofys, MP

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Inheritance and Succession Act
Preamble: The Azalea Isles value legacy and stability. This bill sets up a simple way to pass down businesses, plots, and wealth through living wills, managed by the Ministry of Social Services, so our citizens’ hard work lives on.

1. Definition of Inheritance and Succession
(a) "Inheritance" is the transfer of a citizen’s personal assets—plots, items, and Azalean Dollars, following their permanent departure.
(b) "Succession" is the transfer of a business and its assets—plots, items, and Azalean Dollars, following their permanent departure.

2. Living Will Registration
(a) Citizens may register a living will with the Ministry of Social Services for a one time fee of $500.
(b) The will specifies up to 3 heirs and what they inherit (e.g., plots, businesses, items, or funds).
(c) Ministry of Social Services Field Agents collects and uploads wills to the National Archive, and links them to the citizen’s registry profile.
(d) Updates to a will are free and can be made anytime via a form at the Ministry of Social Services.

3. Inheritance and Succession Process
(a) Upon a citizen’s permanent departure, voluntary transfer, or last seen over legal death:

(i) Heirs may file a ticket with the Ministry of Social Services to claim their property.​

(ii) Field Agents will verify all information and assets, and hand the report over to the Crown for transfer.​

(iii) If an individual returns after being legally dead and having their assets claimed by an heir, those assets are not subject to reclamation - only assets taken, and held, by the government may be reclaimed in the appropriate time period.​

4. Verification and Enforcement
(a) Ministry of Social Services verifies wills via the Registry and National Archive, ensuring heirs are rightful and registered citizens at the time of transfer.
(b) Disputes over wills go to the Ministry of Justice, resolved by court ruling.
(c) False claims (e.g., unregistered heirs) incur a $5,000 fine, enforced by the Ministry of Justice.
(d) If any assets are found to be illegally obtained, as labeled by the Crown, none of the assets will transfer to heirs and will all instead revert to the government.

5. Oversight
(a) The Ministry of Social Services manages the Registry and Archive, reporting any transfers to Parliament.
(b) The Ministry of Justice handles disputes and penalties.

6. Familial Inheritance
(a) If a will is not present after a citizen is declared legally deceased, then any family of the deceased players should be the legal inheritors of the deceased players estate, businesses, and any other asset.
(b) If a player only has a registered marriage, the registered spouse will inherit the deceased player's estate, businesses, and any other assets in full.
(c) If a player only has a single adopted child, and no registered marriage, the child will inherit the deceased player's estate, businesses, and any other assets in full.
(d) In the event that a deceased player has multiple spouses, multiple adopted children, or a mix of that, then division should be as followed:

(i) All legally registered spouses and/or children will be counted as legal heirs of the deceased player:​

(ii) All monetary assets should be divided equally by the legal heirs of the deceased player.​

(iii) All plot assets should be placed into a land trust. This trust shall be managed by a representative of the Ministry of Social Services, with ownership evenly split between all heirs.​

(iv) All businesses owned by the deceased individual should be placed into a business trust managed by a representative of the Ministry of Social Services, with ownership evenly split between all heirs.​

(v) In the event a spouse or child already possesses partial ownership of the business, the ownership of the business shall be evenly split between all spouses or children with partial ownership, with no business trust being created​

(vi) Items and blocks shall be considered a part of whatever property they are located on, as shall the full ownership of the build (intellectual property and physical materials) on the property it is located on. Only what was owned by the deceased shall transfer - if the deceased did not own the build's intellectual property rights, those are not transferred.​

(vii) Any additional assets, such as company equity, should be evenly split as closely as possible, with priority being granted to the individuals who were members of the family for the longest. If there is only one share of a company, for example, whichever heir was legally registered with the Ministry of Social Services would get the share. If there were five shares and three heirs, the longest-registered would get two, the second-longest two, and the shortest one.​

(viii) Representatives appointed by the Ministry of Social Services may be any individual appointed by the Minister of Social Services, but must serve in the Ministry. If a member's employment with the Ministry ceases, they must be replaced.​

(ix) In the event all members of a trust agree to transfer ownership of a plot, or all plots, for a land trust, or of the business for a business trust, to an individual or entity, this must be reviewed by the Ministry of Social Services representative, who should verify its legitimacy and the participants' agreement and understanding before approving the transfer. They may reject if they do not feel individuals properly understand what is occurring.​

(x) The Ministry of Social Services should attempt to avoid managing trusts for more than one month. If a fair asset split, or the selling of the assets to achieve a fair split, cannot be agreed to by the heirs, the representative of the Ministry should solicit nominations for a trustee to manage the trust, and allow each heir one vote. The representative will then hold a vote, and if a nomination receives a majority, that individual shall become the new trustee. If no individual receives a majority, the individual with the largest number of votes becomes the trustee. If there is a tie, the representative of the Ministry shall pick from amongst the nominations who the trustee shall be.​

7. Enactment
This Act shall take effect immediately upon passage.

 

[Library of Parliament]

Amending Legislation:
Passed Bill Link: https://www.cityrp.org/threads/death-act.297/
Final Vote: 6-0-1
Ratified: July 19, 2025
Note: This is a duplicative law. It both amends the Inactive Requisition Act and the Inheritance and Succession Act, but also exists on its own because of the added clause.

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Author: Lysander Lyon, MP
Sponsor: Lysander Lyon, MP

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Death Act

1. Short Title
(a) This bill shall be referred to as the "Death Act".
(b) This bill was authored by Lysander Lyon.

2. Legally Deceased
(a) Individuals within the Azalea Isles shall legally be considered dead after 30 consecutive days of inactivity/failing to log in.
(b) Individuals who are legally considered dead may have their balances requisitioned, heirs may request what is owed via the will, the succession plan for any businesses owned by the individual may be executed, and creditors may file lawsuits with proof of any debts that shall receive a default judgement in favor if they adequately prove the existence of the debt.
(c) Funds shall be paid out to creditors first. Heirs may claim what they are allotted, and the rest may be requisitioned by the government.
(d) Dead players may not serve in government.

3. Amendment to the Inactive Requisition Act
Section 4 Amendment

4. Requirements
(a) An individual must have failed to log in within the last 60 daysbe legally deceased.
(b) There must not be a will registered with the Ministry of Social Services for the individual.

Section 5 Amendment

5. Individual Requisition Process
(a) The Azalean Collection Agency will identify an individual who meets the requirement and has failed to log in for 60 consecutive daysis legally deceased.
(b) The Azalean Collection Agency will log the individual’s username, legal name, balance, and any businesses owned in-game by said individual.
(c) The member of agency appointed by the Ministry of Justice will follow the procedure outlined in Article 7 to obtain a writ of requisition from the court. If future courts are added, unless specified otherwise upon their creation, such lower courts will have the authority to grant a writ of requisition.
(d) Upon obtaining the writ of requisition, the agency will publish a notice that is easily and publicly accessible that provides the individual’s username, legal name, and states their balance has been requisitioned.
(e) Banks or other companies that are not owned by that individual, that hold accounts for the individual or a company run by that individual, are required to submit notice in a timely fashion to the agency.
(i) Failure to provide this information within seven days of the agency’s notice may result in fines, at the agency’s discretion (not exceeding more than $500 per day delay).
(ii) Intentional withholding of this information shall lead to asset seizure of the amount the requisitioned individual had in the accounts with the entity withholding the information, and a fine of up to $10,000 as decided by the agency based on the severity.
(f) Creditors should also notify the agency of any debts the individual has taken out.
(i) The agency will attempt to verify the claims of any potential creditors, and determine if there is a reasonable likelihood the claimant has the claim they have made.
(g) The agency will maintain an internal log of individuals whose funds have been requisitioned, with categories addressing where funds were requisitioned from (their balance, a bank account, etc.) and the date the funds were requisitioned.
(h) 20% of the requisitioned funds will be granted to the government. If a verified creditor exists, all interest on the debt will be removed from calculation. If money is still owed to the creditor, the 20% will be paid to the creditor, unless the 20% would result in the overpayment of the principal owed, in which case only the amount necessary to settle the principal will be paid, and the remainder of the 20% will go to the government as tax revenue.If a verified creditor exists, any remaining principal owed to the creditor will be taken out of the requisitioned balance and provided to them. Interest shall be removed from the calculation. If any funds are left over after this, they shall go to the government balance.
(i) Creditors may use a notice of requisition as evidence in court of an individual’s inactivity to request asset seizure, including of requisitioned funds from the individual.

Section 6 Amendment

6. Company Requisition Process
(a) Once a writ of requisition has been obtained against an individual, the agency shall attempt to identify any businesses owned or operated by the individual.
(b) Should a business be identified, the agency will check with the Ministry of Social Services to see if any succession plan was filed.
(c) If there is a business run by the individual, but no succession plan was filed, the agency shall put up a public notice requesting a response from anyone who claims to be a shareholder in the business. Anyone who claims the business owes a debt or fulfillment of a service of some kind must also respond.
(i) The agency will attempt to verify claims from shareholders, lenders, or other individuals, and there must be a reasonable likelihood the claimant does have a claim. The agency is responsible for determining whether the reasonable likelihood exists.
(d) If verified shareholders are identified, they will vote in a new CEO, and the matter will be forwarded to the Crown or the relevant government entity to address the transfer of the business and its assets.
(e) Should no verified shareholders exist, but verified claimants to the business’s assets exist due to debt or other situations, the balance and any liquid cash held by the business will be requisitioned.
(f) 20% of the requisitioned cash will be taken, and used to pay out any creditors/lenders/those owed. Interest should be wiped from these debts, and only the principal should be addressed. If the 20% would be overpaying, then these individuals will only receive the portion needed to repay the principal owed, and then the rest will go to the government.If a verified creditor exists, any remaining principal owed to the creditor will be taken out of the requisitioned balance and provided to them. Interest shall be removed from the calculation. If any funds are left over after this, they shall go to the government balance.

Section 7 Amendment

7. Court Procedure
(a) The individual on the Azalean Collection Agency representing the Ministry of Justice shall submit a filing to the court, titling it “Writ of Requisition for <Legal Name of Individual whose funds are being requisitioned>”.
(b) The filing will not follow typical case structure, but will instead follow the below structure:

<MoJ Individual Submitting the Filing>

v.

<Individual whose funds are being requisitioned>

Reason For Requisition:


Attached Evidence:

(i) The filing must include evidence of the individual having failed to log in for 6030 days, and must demonstrate that there is some balance of more than $1,000 to be requisitioned.
(c) A judge will see the request and issue a ruling either granting or denying the requisition. The requisition should be denied if evidence that the individual has not logged in for 6030 days is lacking, or if evidence that more than $1,000 can be requisitioned is lacking.
(d) If the writ is granted, the agency may then follow Article 5 or 6 as is relevant.

Section 8 Amendment

8. Return Process
(a) If an individual remains inactive for another thirty days, and has been inactive for 90 days total, 25% of the remaining balance requisitioned for the individual may be taken and used to pay out verified creditors, or shall be granted to the government.
(b) This shall happen again at the 120 and 150 day inactivity markers, and on the 180th day of inactivity the entire remaining requisitioned balance shall be seized.
(c) These inactivity markers may be adjusted by the Azalean Collection Agency, but they must be publicly posted somewhere for people to refer to, and can only be adjusted should the period for inheritance claims (which requires 180 days of inactivity) be adjusted.
(d) An individual who returns before full seizure of their balance is entitled to the full return of whatever remains of their requisitioned balance.
(a) Should an individual return within three months of being legally dead, they may reclaim any portion of their requisitioned balance/assets that was kept by the government.
(i) A ticket with the Ministry of Economic Affairs must be opened for individuals seeking to reclaim funds that were requisitioned.
(b) Funds cannot be reclaimed by an individual after they have been requisitioned by the government and held for three months.
(c) Funds requisitioned from a legally deceased player shall have a 15% handling fee deducted from them prior to being returned to that player, if the individual should return and request to reclaim their funds before the three month deadline.

4. Amendment to the Inheritance and Succession Act
Section 3 Amendment

3. Inheritance and Succession Process
(a) Upon a citizen’s permanent departure, voluntary transfer, or last seen over 180 dayslegal death:
(i) Heirs may file a ticket with the Ministry of Social Services to claim their property.
(ii) Field Agents will verify all information and assets, and hand the report over to the Crown for transfer.
(iii) If an individual returns after being legally dead and having their assets claimed by an heir, those assets are not subject to reclamation - only assets taken, and held, by the government may be reclaimed in the appropriate time period.

5. Notification Requirements
(a) Any requisitions due to legal death must inform the legally deceased individual of the requisition in-game through /mail, notifying them of what has been taken and informing them of the three month period to reclaim their requisitioned funds.

6. Leave of Absence
(a) Individuals may file a formal Leave of Absence with the Ministry of Social Services. This requires opening a ticket and informing the MoSS of the time period they will be on leave for; they are not required to provide a reason, and this should only be done for absences that may cross the threshold where an individual could be declared legally dead.
(b) Individuals may also file a Leave of Absence on behalf of another player. This Leave of Absence is to be taken at face value by the Ministry of Social Services, and it will be recorded as if the player on leave had filed it.
(c) If an individual falsely files a Leave of Absence on behalf of another player, they may be fined up to $5,000 per violation by the government.

Enactment: This Act comes into force immediately after passage.

 

[Library of Parliament]

Amending Legislation:
Passed Bill Link: https://cityrp.org/threads/family-inheritance-act.3415/
Final Vote: 7-0-0
Ratified: May 14, 2026

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Author: Phoenix Flamesong, MP
Sponsor: Phoenix Flamesong, MP

Family Inheritance Act
Preamble: With the option to adopt, it is only right to establish the proper form of inheritance for adopted children, to protect their right to inheritance.

1. Short Title
(a) This bill shall be referred to as the “Family Inheritance Act”.

2. Amendment to the Marriage Equality Act
(a) Section 1 of the Marriage Equality Act should be amended as followed
1. Marriage
(a) A player may be married to up to 3 players at once, in game and through the registry.
(b) Marriages between two or more players may be registered to the Ministry of Social Services to become Registered Spouses.
(i) Spouses must be married in game to remain Registered Spouses. Should spouses divorce in game, the lawyer who divorces the couple is required to update the Ministry of Social Services on their separation, should there be a marriage registration on file.
(ii) Every pre-existing partner of new spouses registering their marriage must agree to the new addition before new spouses can be considered Registered Spouses.
(c) Registered Spouses are automatically entitled to a citizen’s possessions upon death, as outlined by the Death Act, even if no will is registered.
(i) Should a deceased citizen have multiple spouses and no will, the assets will be split amongst the living spouses equally, as determined by the spouses.
(ii) If there are physical assets, such as plots, that cannot be evenly split and the living spouses cannot decide on a fair and acceptable split, the assets can be ordered to be liquidated by the courts in order to evenly split the monetary values.

(d) (c) If there exists a will in which the deceased has not named a spouse as an inheritor, there is no legal right for them to demand any part of the inheritance.
(e) (d) Registered Spouses cannot be forced to testify against their spouses in court.
(i) This only applies to spouses who are registered before the start of the relevant court case.

3. Amendment to the Inheritance and Succession Act
(a) Section 6 should be added to the Inheritance and Succession Act as follows:

6. Familial Inheritance
(a) If a will is not present after a citizen is declared legally deceased, then any family of the deceased players should be the legal inheritors of the deceased players estate, businesses, and any other asset.
(b) If a player only has a registered marriage, the registered spouse will inherit the deceased player's estate, businesses, and any other assets in full.
(c) If a player only has a single adopted child, and no registered marriage, the child will inherit the deceased player's estate, businesses, and any other assets in full.
(d) In the event that a deceased player has multiple spouses, multiple adopted children, or a mix of that, then division should be as followed:
(i) All legally registered spouses and/or children will be counted as legal heirs of the deceased player:
(ii) All monetary assets should be divided equally by the legal heirs of the deceased player.
(iii) All plot assets should be placed into a land trust. This trust shall be managed by a representative of the Ministry of Social Services, with ownership evenly split between all heirs.
(iv) All businesses owned by the deceased individual should be placed into a business trust managed by a representative of the Ministry of Social Services, with ownership evenly split between all heirs.
(v) In the event a spouse or child already possesses partial ownership of the business, the ownership of the business shall be evenly split between all spouses or children with partial ownership, with no business trust being created
(vi) Items and blocks shall be considered a part of whatever property they are located on, as shall the full ownership of the build (intellectual property and physical materials) on the property it is located on. Only what was owned by the deceased shall transfer - if the deceased did not own the build's intellectual property rights, those are not transferred.
(vii) Any additional assets, such as company equity, should be evenly split as closely as possible, with priority being granted to the individuals who were members of the family for the longest. If there is only one share of a company, for example, whichever heir was legally registered with the Ministry of Social Services would get the share. If there were five shares and three heirs, the longest-registered would get two, the second-longest two, and the shortest one.
(viii) Representatives appointed by the Ministry of Social Services may be any individual appointed by the Minister of Social Services, but must serve in the Ministry. If a member's employment with the Ministry ceases, they must be replaced.
(ix) In the event all members of a trust agree to transfer ownership of a plot, or all plots, for a land trust, or of the business for a business trust, to an individual or entity, this must be reviewed by the Ministry of Social Services representative, who should verify its legitimacy and the participants' agreement and understanding before approving the transfer. They may reject if they do not feel individuals properly understand what is occurring.
(x) The Ministry of Social Services should attempt to avoid managing trusts for more than one month. If a fair asset split, or the selling of the assets to achieve a fair split, cannot be agreed to by the heirs, the representative of the Ministry should solicit nominations for a trustee to manage the trust, and allow each heir one vote. The representative will then hold a vote, and if a nomination receives a majority, that individual shall become the new trustee. If no individual receives a majority, the individual with the largest number of votes becomes the trustee. If there is a tie, the representative of the Ministry shall pick from amongst the nominations who the trustee shall be.

(b): Section 6 should be amended as follows:
6. Enactment
This Act shall take effect immediately upon passage.

Enactment: This Act comes into force immediately upon passage.