{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/20-155.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/20-155.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/20-155.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/20-155.html"}],"law_id":59196,"edition_id":1,"section_id":59196,"structure_id":15524,"section_number":"20-155","catch_line":"Marital agreements","history":"1987, c. 41; 1998, c. 638; 2003, cc. 662, 669.","full_text":"Married persons may enter into agreements with each other for the purpose of settling the rights and obligations of either or both of them, to the same extent, with the same effect, and subject to the same conditions, as provided in \u00a7\u00a7 20-147 through 20-154 for agreements between prospective spouses, except that such marital agreements shall become effective immediately upon their execution. If the terms of such agreement are (i) contained in a court order endorsed by counsel or the parties or (ii) recorded and transcribed by a court reporter and affirmed by the parties on the record personally, the agreement is not required to be in writing and is considered to be executed. A reconciliation of the parties after the signing of a separation or property settlement agreement shall abrogate such agreement unless otherwise expressly set forth in the agreement.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":217002,"text":"Married persons may enter into agreements with each other for the purpose of settling the rights and obligations of either or both of them, to the same extent, with the same effect, and subject to the same conditions, as provided in \u00a7\u00a7 20-147 through 20-154 for agreements between prospective spouses, except that such marital agreements shall become effective immediately upon their execution. If the terms of such agreement are (i) contained in a court order endorsed by counsel or the parties or (ii) recorded and transcribed by a court reporter and affirmed by the parties on the record personally, the agreement is not required to be in writing and is considered to be executed. A reconciliation of the parties after the signing of a separation or property settlement agreement shall abrogate such agreement unless otherwise expressly set forth in the agreement.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":15524,"edition_id":1,"name":"Premarital Agreement Act","identifier":"8","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12711,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:55:52","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:55:52","permalink":{"id":179385,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":15524,"identifier":"8","token":"20\/8","url":"\/20\/8\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12711,"edition_id":1,"name":"Domestic Relations","identifier":"20","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:49","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:49","permalink":{"id":178075,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12711,"identifier":"20","token":"20","url":"\/20\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":61399,"structure_id":15524,"section_number":"20-147","catch_line":"Application","url":"\/20-147\/","token":"20\/8\/20-147","metadata":false},{"id":76126,"structure_id":15524,"section_number":"20-148","catch_line":"Definitions","url":"\/20-148\/","token":"20\/8\/20-148","metadata":false},{"id":84342,"structure_id":15524,"section_number":"20-149","catch_line":"Formalities of premarital agreement","url":"\/20-149\/","token":"20\/8\/20-149","metadata":false},{"id":81691,"structure_id":15524,"section_number":"20-150","catch_line":"Content of agreement","url":"\/20-150\/","token":"20\/8\/20-150","metadata":false},{"id":69481,"structure_id":15524,"section_number":"20-151","catch_line":"Enforcement; void marriage","url":"\/20-151\/","token":"20\/8\/20-151","metadata":false},{"id":85521,"structure_id":15524,"section_number":"20-152","catch_line":"Limitation of actions","url":"\/20-152\/","token":"20\/8\/20-152","metadata":false},{"id":61562,"structure_id":15524,"section_number":"20-153","catch_line":"Amendment or revocation of agreement","url":"\/20-153\/","token":"20\/8\/20-153","metadata":false},{"id":84724,"structure_id":15524,"section_number":"20-154","catch_line":"Prior agreements","url":"\/20-154\/","token":"20\/8\/20-154","metadata":false},{"id":59196,"structure_id":15524,"section_number":"20-155","catch_line":"Marital agreements","url":"\/20-155\/","token":"20\/8\/20-155","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":84724,"structure_id":15524,"section_number":"20-154","catch_line":"Prior agreements","url":"\/20-154\/","token":"20\/8\/20-154","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/20-155\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 1987. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 41 of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. Unfortunately, the 1987 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online. It has been modified 2 times. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 1998, chapter 638<\/a>; in 2003, chapters 662<\/a> and 669<\/a>.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":[{"id":61399,"section_number":"20-147","catch_line":"Application","order_by":null,"url":"\/20-147\/"},{"id":84724,"section_number":"20-154","catch_line":"Prior agreements","order_by":null,"url":"\/20-154\/"}],"permalink":{"id":179419,"object_type":"law","relational_id":59196,"identifier":"20-155","token":"20\/8\/20-155","url":"\/20-155\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/20-155\/","token":"20\/8\/20-155","dublin_core":{"Title":"Marital agreements","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 20-155","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

Married persons may enter into agreements with each other for the purpose of settling the rights and obligations of either or both of them, to the same extent, with the same effect, and subject to the same conditions, as provided in \u00a7\u00a7 20-147<\/a> through 20-154<\/a> for agreements between prospective spouses, except that such marital agreements shall become effective immediately upon their execution. If the terms of such agreement are (i) contained in a court order<\/span> endorsed by counsel<\/span> or the parties or (ii) recorded and transcribed by a court reporter<\/span> and affirmed<\/span> by the parties on the record personally, the agreement is not required to be in writing and is considered to be executed. A reconciliation of the parties after the signing of a separation or property<\/span> settlement<\/span> agreement shall abrogate such agreement unless otherwise expressly set forth in the agreement.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nMARITAL AGREEMENTS (\u00a7 20-155)\n\nMarried persons may enter into agreements with each other for the purpose of\nsettling the rights and obligations of either or both of them, to the same\nextent, with the same effect, and subject to the same conditions, as provided in\n\u00a7\u00a7 20-147 through 20-154 for agreements between prospective spouses, except\nthat such marital agreements shall become effective immediately upon their\nexecution. If the terms of such agreement are (i) contained in a court order\nendorsed by counsel or the parties or (ii) recorded and transcribed by a court\nreporter and affirmed by the parties on the record personally, the agreement is\nnot required to be in writing and is considered to be executed. A reconciliation\nof the parties after the signing of a separation or property settlement\nagreement shall abrogate such agreement unless otherwise expressly set forth in\nthe agreement.\n\nHISTORY: 1987, c. 41; 1998, c. 638; 2003, cc. 662, 669.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}