{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/20-88.56.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/20-88.56.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/20-88.56.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/20-88.56.html"}],"law_id":60021,"edition_id":1,"section_id":60021,"structure_id":14205,"section_number":"20-88.56","catch_line":"Costs and fees","history":"1994, c. 673; 2005, c. 754; 2015, c. 727.","full_text":"A\n\nThe petitioner may not be required to pay a filing fee or other costs.B\n\nIf an obligee prevails, a responding tribunal of the Commonwealth may assess against an obligor filing fees, reasonable attorney’s fees, other costs, and necessary travel and other reasonable expenses incurred by the obligee and the obligee’s witnesses. The tribunal may not assess fees, costs, or expenses against the obligee or the support enforcement agency of either the initiating or the responding state or foreign country, except as provided by other law. Attorney’s fees may be taxed as costs, and may be ordered paid directly to the attorney, who may enforce the order in the attorney’s own name. Payment of support owed to the obligee has priority over fees, costs and expenses.C\n\nThe tribunal shall order the payment of costs and reasonable attorney’s fees if it determines that a hearing was requested primarily for delay. In a proceeding under Articles 8 (§ 20-88.66 et seq.) and 9 (§ 20-88.74 et seq.), a hearing is presumed to have been requested primarily for delay if a registered support order is confirmed or enforced without change.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":219718,"text":"The petitioner may not be required to pay a filing fee or other costs.","type":"section","prefixes":["A"],"prefix":"A","entire_prefix":"A","prefix_anchor":"A","level":1,"next_prefix":"B"},"1":{"id":219719,"text":"If an obligee prevails, a responding tribunal of the Commonwealth may assess against an obligor filing fees, reasonable attorney’s fees, other costs, and necessary travel and other reasonable expenses incurred by the obligee and the obligee’s witnesses. The tribunal may not assess fees, costs, or expenses against the obligee or the support enforcement agency of either the initiating or the responding state or foreign country, except as provided by other law. Attorney’s fees may be taxed as costs, and may be ordered paid directly to the attorney, who may enforce the order in the attorney’s own name. Payment of support owed to the obligee has priority over fees, costs and expenses.","type":"section","prefixes":["B"],"prefix":"B","entire_prefix":"B","prefix_anchor":"B","level":1,"prior_prefix":"A","next_prefix":"C"},"2":{"id":219720,"text":"The tribunal shall order the payment of costs and reasonable attorney’s fees if it determines that a hearing was requested primarily for delay. In a proceeding under Articles 8 (§ 20-88.66 et seq.) and 9 (§ 20-88.74 et seq.), a hearing is presumed to have been requested primarily for delay if a registered support order is confirmed or enforced without change.","type":"section","prefixes":["C"],"prefix":"C","entire_prefix":"C","prefix_anchor":"C","level":1,"prior_prefix":"B"}},"ancestry":[{"id":14205,"edition_id":1,"name":"Civil Provisions of General Application","identifier":"5","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":14136,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:47:16","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:47:16","permalink":{"id":178745,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":14205,"identifier":"5","token":"20\/5.3\/5","url":"\/20\/5.3\/5\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":14136,"edition_id":1,"name":"Uniform Interstate Family Support Act","identifier":"5.3","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12711,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:46:59","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:46:59","permalink":{"id":178595,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":14136,"identifier":"5.3","token":"20\/5.3","url":"\/20\/5.3\/","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":64441,"structure_id":14205,"section_number":"20-88.44","catch_line":"Proceedings under this chapter","url":"\/20-88.44\/","token":"20\/5.3\/5\/20-88.44","metadata":false},{"id":75001,"structure_id":14205,"section_number":"20-88.45","catch_line":"Action by minor parent","url":"\/20-88.45\/","token":"20\/5.3\/5\/20-88.45","metadata":false},{"id":61905,"structure_id":14205,"section_number":"20-88.46","catch_line":"Application of law of the Commonwealth","url":"\/20-88.46\/","token":"20\/5.3\/5\/20-88.46","metadata":false},{"id":78091,"structure_id":14205,"section_number":"20-88.47","catch_line":"Duties of initiating tribunal","url":"\/20-88.47\/","token":"20\/5.3\/5\/20-88.47","metadata":false},{"id":79696,"structure_id":14205,"section_number":"20-88.48","catch_line":"Duties and powers of responding tribunal","url":"\/20-88.48\/","token":"20\/5.3\/5\/20-88.48","metadata":false},{"id":75217,"structure_id":14205,"section_number":"20-88.49","catch_line":"Inappropriate tribunal","url":"\/20-88.49\/","token":"20\/5.3\/5\/20-88.49","metadata":false},{"id":77249,"structure_id":14205,"section_number":"20-88.50","catch_line":"Duties of support enforcement agency","url":"\/20-88.50\/","token":"20\/5.3\/5\/20-88.50","metadata":false},{"id":59933,"structure_id":14205,"section_number":"20-88.51","catch_line":"Duty of Secretary of Health and Human Resources","url":"\/20-88.51\/","token":"20\/5.3\/5\/20-88.51","metadata":false},{"id":55394,"structure_id":14205,"section_number":"20-88.52","catch_line":"Private counsel","url":"\/20-88.52\/","token":"20\/5.3\/5\/20-88.52","metadata":false},{"id":79529,"structure_id":14205,"section_number":"20-88.53","catch_line":"Duties of state information agency","url":"\/20-88.53\/","token":"20\/5.3\/5\/20-88.53","metadata":false},{"id":60367,"structure_id":14205,"section_number":"20-88.54","catch_line":"Pleadings and accompanying documents","url":"\/20-88.54\/","token":"20\/5.3\/5\/20-88.54","metadata":false},{"id":60565,"structure_id":14205,"section_number":"20-88.55","catch_line":"Nondisclosure of information in exceptional circumstances","url":"\/20-88.55\/","token":"20\/5.3\/5\/20-88.55","metadata":false},{"id":60021,"structure_id":14205,"section_number":"20-88.56","catch_line":"Costs and fees","url":"\/20-88.56\/","token":"20\/5.3\/5\/20-88.56","metadata":false},{"id":82163,"structure_id":14205,"section_number":"20-88.57","catch_line":"Limited immunity of petitioner","url":"\/20-88.57\/","token":"20\/5.3\/5\/20-88.57","metadata":false},{"id":60335,"structure_id":14205,"section_number":"20-88.58","catch_line":"Nonparentage as defense","url":"\/20-88.58\/","token":"20\/5.3\/5\/20-88.58","metadata":false},{"id":64575,"structure_id":14205,"section_number":"20-88.59","catch_line":"Special rules of evidence and procedure","url":"\/20-88.59\/","token":"20\/5.3\/5\/20-88.59","metadata":false},{"id":55870,"structure_id":14205,"section_number":"20-88.60","catch_line":"Communications between tribunals","url":"\/20-88.60\/","token":"20\/5.3\/5\/20-88.60","metadata":false},{"id":68397,"structure_id":14205,"section_number":"20-88.61","catch_line":"Assistance with discovery","url":"\/20-88.61\/","token":"20\/5.3\/5\/20-88.61","metadata":false},{"id":81145,"structure_id":14205,"section_number":"20-88.62","catch_line":"Receipt and disbursement of payments","url":"\/20-88.62\/","token":"20\/5.3\/5\/20-88.62","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":60565,"structure_id":14205,"section_number":"20-88.55","catch_line":"Nondisclosure of information in exceptional circumstances","url":"\/20-88.55\/","token":"20\/5.3\/5\/20-88.55","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":82163,"structure_id":14205,"section_number":"20-88.57","catch_line":"Limited immunity of petitioner","url":"\/20-88.57\/","token":"20\/5.3\/5\/20-88.57","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/20-88.56\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 1994. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 673<\/a> 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. 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 2005, chapter 754<\/a>; in 2015, chapter 727<\/a>.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":[{"id":61479,"section_number":"20-88.66","catch_line":"Registration of order for enforcement","order_by":null,"url":"\/20-88.66\/"},{"id":57250,"section_number":"20-88.74","catch_line":"Procedure to register child support order of another state for modification","order_by":null,"url":"\/20-88.74\/"}],"permalink":{"id":178795,"object_type":"law","relational_id":60021,"identifier":"20-88.56","token":"20\/5.3\/5\/20-88.56","url":"\/20-88.56\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/20-88.56\/","token":"20\/5.3\/5\/20-88.56","dublin_core":{"Title":"Costs and fees","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 20-88.56","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

A.<\/span> The petitioner may not be required to pay a filing fee or other costs. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

B.<\/span> If an obligee<\/span> prevails, a responding tribunal<\/span> of the Commonwealth may assess against an obligor<\/span> filing fees, reasonable attorney’s fees, other costs, and necessary travel and other reasonable expenses incurred by the obligee<\/span> and the obligee<\/span>’s witnesses. The tribunal may not assess fees, costs, or expenses against the obligee<\/span> or the support enforcement agency<\/span> of either the initiating or the responding state<\/span> or foreign country<\/span>, except as provided by other law<\/span>. Attorney’s fees may be taxed as costs, and may be ordered paid directly to the attorney, who may enforce the order<\/span> in the attorney’s own name. Payment of support owed to the obligee<\/span> has priority over fees, costs and expenses. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

C.<\/span> The tribunal shall order the payment of costs and reasonable attorney’s fees if it determines that a hearing<\/span> was requested primarily for delay. In a proceeding under Articles 8 (§ 20-88.66<\/a> et seq.) and 9 (§ 20-88.74<\/a> et seq.), a hearing<\/span> is presumed to have been requested primarily for delay if a registered support order<\/span> is confirmed or enforced without change. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nCOSTS AND FEES (\u00a7 20-88.56)\n\nA. The petitioner may not be required to pay a filing fee or other costs.\n\nB. If an obligee prevails, a responding tribunal of the Commonwealth may assess\nagainst an obligor filing fees, reasonable attorney’s fees, other costs,\nand necessary travel and other reasonable expenses incurred by the obligee and\nthe obligee’s witnesses. The tribunal may not assess fees, costs, or\nexpenses against the obligee or the support enforcement agency of either the\ninitiating or the responding state or foreign country, except as provided by\nother law. Attorney’s fees may be taxed as costs, and may be ordered paid\ndirectly to the attorney, who may enforce the order in the attorney’s own\nname. Payment of support owed to the obligee has priority over fees, costs and\nexpenses.\n\nC. The tribunal shall order the payment of costs and reasonable attorney’s\nfees if it determines that a hearing was requested primarily for delay. In a\nproceeding under Articles 8 (§ 20-88.66 et seq.) and 9 (§ 20-88.74 et\nseq.), a hearing is presumed to have been requested primarily for delay if a\nregistered support order is confirmed or enforced without change.\n\nHISTORY: 1994, c. 673; 2005, c. 754; 2015, c. 727.","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}}