{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/55.1-1260.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/55.1-1260.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/55.1-1260.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/55.1-1260.html"}],"law_id":79584,"edition_id":1,"section_id":79584,"structure_id":15074,"section_number":"55.1-1260","catch_line":"Establishment of Eviction Diversion Program; purpose; goals","history":"2019, cc. 355, 356, \u00a7 55-248.40:1; 2025, cc. 476, 490.","full_text":"A\n\nThere is hereby established the Eviction Diversion Program (the Program). The Program may be implemented by any general district court of the Commonwealth. The purpose of the Program shall be to reduce the number of evictions of low-income persons. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no eviction diversion court or program shall be established except in conformance with this section.B\n\nThe goals of the Program shall include (i) reducing the number of evictions of low-income persons from their residential dwelling units for the failure to pay small amounts of money under the rental agreement, in particular when such persons have experienced an event that adversely affected financial circumstances such as the loss of employment or a medical crisis in their immediate family; (ii) reducing displacement of families from their homes and the resulting adverse consequences to children who are no longer able to remain in the same public school after eviction; (iii) encouraging understanding of eviction-related processes and facilitating the landlord’s and tenant’s entering into a reasonable payment plan that provides for the landlord to receive full rental payments as contracted for in the rental agreement and for the tenant to have the opportunity to make current such rental payments; and (iv) encouraging tenants to make rental payments in the manner as provided in the rental agreement.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":285151,"text":"There is hereby established the Eviction Diversion Program (the Program). The Program may be implemented by any general district court of the Commonwealth. The purpose of the Program shall be to reduce the number of evictions of low-income persons. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no eviction diversion court or program shall be established except in conformance with this section.","type":"section","prefixes":["A"],"prefix":"A","entire_prefix":"A","prefix_anchor":"A","level":1,"next_prefix":"B"},"1":{"id":285152,"text":"The goals of the Program shall include (i) reducing the number of evictions of low-income persons from their residential dwelling units for the failure to pay small amounts of money under the rental agreement, in particular when such persons have experienced an event that adversely affected financial circumstances such as the loss of employment or a medical crisis in their immediate family; (ii) reducing displacement of families from their homes and the resulting adverse consequences to children who are no longer able to remain in the same public school after eviction; (iii) encouraging understanding of eviction-related processes and facilitating the landlord’s and tenant’s entering into a reasonable payment plan that provides for the landlord to receive full rental payments as contracted for in the rental agreement and for the tenant to have the opportunity to make current such rental payments; and (iv) encouraging tenants to make rental payments in the manner as provided in the rental agreement.","type":"section","prefixes":["B"],"prefix":"B","entire_prefix":"B","prefix_anchor":"B","level":1,"prior_prefix":"A"}},"ancestry":[{"id":15074,"edition_id":1,"name":"Eviction Diversion Program","identifier":"7","label":"article","depth":4,"order_by":1,"parent_id":14100,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:52:01","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:52:01","permalink":{"id":246167,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":15074,"identifier":"7","token":"55.1\/III\/12\/7","url":"\/55.1\/III\/12\/7\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":14100,"edition_id":1,"name":"Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act","identifier":"12","label":"chapter","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13073,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:46:53","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:46:53","permalink":{"id":245885,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":14100,"identifier":"12","token":"55.1\/III\/12","url":"\/55.1\/III\/12\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13073,"edition_id":1,"name":"Rental Conveyances","identifier":"III","label":"subtitle","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12707,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:14","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:14","permalink":{"id":245883,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13073,"identifier":"III","token":"55.1\/III","url":"\/55.1\/III\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12707,"edition_id":1,"name":"Property and Conveyances","identifier":"55.1","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":244769,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12707,"identifier":"55.1","token":"55.1","url":"\/55.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":79584,"structure_id":15074,"section_number":"55.1-1260","catch_line":"Establishment of Eviction Diversion Program; purpose; goals","url":"\/55.1-1260\/","token":"55.1\/III\/12\/7\/55.1-1260","metadata":false},{"id":85180,"structure_id":15074,"section_number":"55.1-1261","catch_line":"Eviction Diversion Pilot Program; administration","url":"\/55.1-1261\/","token":"55.1\/III\/12\/7\/55.1-1261","metadata":false},{"id":57480,"structure_id":15074,"section_number":"55.1-1262","catch_line":"Eviction Diversion Pilot Program; process; court-ordered payment plan","url":"\/55.1-1262\/","token":"55.1\/III\/12\/7\/55.1-1262","metadata":false}],"next_section":{"id":85180,"structure_id":15074,"section_number":"55.1-1261","catch_line":"Eviction Diversion Pilot Program; administration","url":"\/55.1-1261\/","token":"55.1\/III\/12\/7\/55.1-1261","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/55.1-1260\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 2019. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapters 355<\/a> and 356<\/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 1 time. 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. That modification is as follows: in 2025, chapters 476<\/a> and 490<\/a>.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":246169,"object_type":"law","relational_id":79584,"identifier":"55.1-1260","token":"55.1\/III\/12\/7\/55.1-1260","url":"\/55.1-1260\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/55.1-1260\/","token":"55.1\/III\/12\/7\/55.1-1260","dublin_core":{"Title":"Establishment of Eviction Diversion Program; purpose; goals","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 55.1-1260","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

A.<\/span> There is hereby established the Eviction Diversion<\/span> Program (the Program). The Program may be implemented by any general district court<\/span> of the Commonwealth. The purpose of the Program shall be to reduce the number of evictions of low-income persons<\/span>. Notwithstanding any other provision of law<\/span>, no eviction diversion<\/span> court<\/span> or program shall be established except in conformance with this section. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

B.<\/span> The goals of the Program shall include (i) reducing the number of evictions of low-income persons<\/span> from their residential dwelling units<\/span> for the failure to pay small amounts of money under the rental agreement<\/span>, in particular when such persons<\/span> have experienced an event that adversely affected financial circumstances such as the loss of employment or a medical crisis in their immediate family; (ii) reducing displacement of families from their homes and the resulting adverse consequences to children who are no longer able to remain in the same public school after eviction; (iii) encouraging understanding of eviction-related processes and facilitating the landlord<\/span>’s and tenant<\/span>’s entering into a reasonable payment plan that provides for the landlord<\/span> to receive full rental payments as contracted for in the rental agreement<\/span> and for the tenant<\/span> to have the opportunity to make current such rental payments; and (iv) encouraging tenants<\/span> to make rental payments in the manner as provided in the rental agreement<\/span>. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nESTABLISHMENT OF EVICTION DIVERSION PROGRAM; PURPOSE; GOALS (\u00a7 55.1-1260)\n\nA. There is hereby established the Eviction Diversion Program (the Program). The\nProgram may be implemented by any general district court of the Commonwealth.\nThe purpose of the Program shall be to reduce the number of evictions of\nlow-income persons. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no eviction\ndiversion court or program shall be established except in conformance with this\nsection.\n\nB. The goals of the Program shall include (i) reducing the number of evictions\nof low-income persons from their residential dwelling units for the failure to\npay small amounts of money under the rental agreement, in particular when such\npersons have experienced an event that adversely affected financial\ncircumstances such as the loss of employment or a medical crisis in their\nimmediate family; (ii) reducing displacement of families from their homes and\nthe resulting adverse consequences to children who are no longer able to remain\nin the same public school after eviction; (iii) encouraging understanding of\neviction-related processes and facilitating the landlord’s and\ntenant’s entering into a reasonable payment plan that provides for the\nlandlord to receive full rental payments as contracted for in the rental\nagreement and for the tenant to have the opportunity to make current such rental\npayments; and (iv) encouraging tenants to make rental payments in the manner as\nprovided in the rental agreement.\n\nHISTORY: 2019, cc. 355, 356, \u00a7 55-248.40:1; 2025, cc. 476, 490.","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}}