{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/8.01-184.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/8.01-184.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/8.01-184.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/8.01-184.html"}],"law_id":73462,"edition_id":1,"section_id":73462,"structure_id":14720,"section_number":"8.01-184","catch_line":"Power to issue declaratory judgments","history":"Code 1950, \u00a7 8-578; 1977, c. 617.","full_text":"In cases of actual controversy, circuit courts within the scope of their respective jurisdictions shall have power to make binding adjudications of right, whether or not consequential relief is, or at the time could be, claimed and no action or proceeding shall be open to objection on the ground that a judgment order or decree merely declaratory of right is prayed for. Controversies involving the interpretation of deeds, wills, and other instruments of writing, statutes, municipal ordinances and other governmental regulations, may be so determined, and this enumeration does not exclude other instances of actual antagonistic assertion and denial of right.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":264356,"text":"In cases of actual controversy, circuit courts within the scope of their respective jurisdictions shall have power to make binding adjudications of right, whether or not consequential relief is, or at the time could be, claimed and no action or proceeding shall be open to objection on the ground that a judgment order or decree merely declaratory of right is prayed for. Controversies involving the interpretation of deeds, wills, and other instruments of writing, statutes, municipal ordinances and other governmental regulations, may be so determined, and this enumeration does not exclude other instances of actual antagonistic assertion and denial of right.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":14720,"edition_id":1,"name":"Declaratory Judgments","identifier":"17","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12886,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:49:31","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:49:31","permalink":{"id":280097,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":14720,"identifier":"17","token":"8.01\/3\/17","url":"\/8.01\/3\/17\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12886,"edition_id":1,"name":"Actions","identifier":"3","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12747,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:59","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:59","permalink":{"id":279635,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12886,"identifier":"3","token":"8.01\/3","url":"\/8.01\/3\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12747,"edition_id":1,"name":"Civil Remedies and Procedure","identifier":"8.01","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:51","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:51","permalink":{"id":277029,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12747,"identifier":"8.01","token":"8.01","url":"\/8.01\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":73462,"structure_id":14720,"section_number":"8.01-184","catch_line":"Power to issue declaratory judgments","url":"\/8.01-184\/","token":"8.01\/3\/17\/8.01-184","metadata":false},{"id":71138,"structure_id":14720,"section_number":"8.01-184.1","catch_line":"Declaratory judgment to adjudicate constitutional nexus","url":"\/8.01-184.1\/","token":"8.01\/3\/17\/8.01-184.1","metadata":false},{"id":63847,"structure_id":14720,"section_number":"8.01-185","catch_line":"Venue","url":"\/8.01-185\/","token":"8.01\/3\/17\/8.01-185","metadata":false},{"id":80576,"structure_id":14720,"section_number":"8.01-186","catch_line":"Further relief","url":"\/8.01-186\/","token":"8.01\/3\/17\/8.01-186","metadata":false},{"id":56402,"structure_id":14720,"section_number":"8.01-187","catch_line":"Commissioners, condemnation jurors, or court to determine compensation for property taken or damaged","url":"\/8.01-187\/","token":"8.01\/3\/17\/8.01-187","metadata":false},{"id":65882,"structure_id":14720,"section_number":"8.01-188","catch_line":"Jury trial","url":"\/8.01-188\/","token":"8.01\/3\/17\/8.01-188","metadata":false},{"id":76697,"structure_id":14720,"section_number":"8.01-189","catch_line":"Injunction","url":"\/8.01-189\/","token":"8.01\/3\/17\/8.01-189","metadata":false},{"id":60001,"structure_id":14720,"section_number":"8.01-190","catch_line":"Costs","url":"\/8.01-190\/","token":"8.01\/3\/17\/8.01-190","metadata":false},{"id":66522,"structure_id":14720,"section_number":"8.01-191","catch_line":"Construction of article","url":"\/8.01-191\/","token":"8.01\/3\/17\/8.01-191","metadata":false}],"next_section":{"id":71138,"structure_id":14720,"section_number":"8.01-184.1","catch_line":"Declaratory judgment to adjudicate constitutional nexus","url":"\/8.01-184.1\/","token":"8.01\/3\/17\/8.01-184.1","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/8.01-184\/","history_text":"

The record of this law\u2019s original creation isn\u2019t available online. 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 1977, chapter 617.<\/p>","references":[{"id":59170,"section_number":"28.2-1509","catch_line":"Claims to lands designated in an inventory","order_by":null,"url":"\/28.2-1509\/"},{"id":55976,"section_number":"28.2-1511","catch_line":"Claims to ungranted shores of the sea, marsh and meadowlands proposed for designation in amended or supplemental inventory","order_by":null,"url":"\/28.2-1511\/"}],"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":280099,"object_type":"law","relational_id":73462,"identifier":"8.01-184","token":"8.01\/3\/17\/8.01-184","url":"\/8.01-184\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/8.01-184\/","token":"8.01\/3\/17\/8.01-184","dublin_core":{"Title":"Power to issue declaratory judgments","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 8.01-184","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

In cases of actual controversy, circuit<\/span> courts<\/span> within the scope of their respective jurisdictions<\/span> shall have power to make binding adjudications of right, whether or not consequential relief is, or at the time could be, claimed and no action<\/span> or proceeding shall be open to objection on the ground that a judgment<\/span> order<\/span> or decree<\/span> merely declaratory of right is prayed for. Controversies involving the interpretation of deeds, wills, and other instruments of writing, statutes<\/span>, municipal ordinances<\/span> and other governmental regulations, may be so determined, and this enumeration does not exclude other instances of actual antagonistic assertion and denial of right.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nPOWER TO ISSUE DECLARATORY JUDGMENTS (\u00a7 8.01-184)\n\nIn cases of actual controversy, circuit courts within the scope of their\nrespective jurisdictions shall have power to make binding adjudications of\nright, whether or not consequential relief is, or at the time could be, claimed\nand no action or proceeding shall be open to objection on the ground that a\njudgment order or decree merely declaratory of right is prayed for.\nControversies involving the interpretation of deeds, wills, and other\ninstruments of writing, statutes, municipal ordinances and other governmental\nregulations, may be so determined, and this enumeration does not exclude other\ninstances of actual antagonistic assertion and denial of right.\n\nHISTORY: Code 1950, \u00a7 8-578; 1977, c. 617.","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}}