{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/8.01-431.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/8.01-431.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/8.01-431.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/8.01-431.html"}],"law_id":70787,"edition_id":1,"section_id":70787,"structure_id":14591,"section_number":"8.01-431","catch_line":"Judgment or decree by confession in pending suit","history":"Code 1955, \u00a7 8-355; 1962, c. 388; 1977, c. 617; 2012, c. 802; 2014, c. 330.","full_text":"In any suit a defendant may, whether the suit is on the court docket or not, confess a judgment in the clerk’s office for so much principal and interest as the plaintiff may be willing to accept a judgment or decree for. The same shall be entered of record by the clerk in the order book and be as final and as valid as if entered in court on the day of such confession. The clerk shall record such judgment or decree and the date and time of the day at which the same was confessed. The lien of such judgment or decree shall run from the time such judgment is recorded on the judgment lien docket of the clerk’s office of the county or city in which land of the defendant lies.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":255308,"text":"In any suit a defendant may, whether the suit is on the court docket or not, confess a judgment in the clerk’s office for so much principal and interest as the plaintiff may be willing to accept a judgment or decree for. The same shall be entered of record by the clerk in the order book and be as final and as valid as if entered in court on the day of such confession. The clerk shall record such judgment or decree and the date and time of the day at which the same was confessed. The lien of such judgment or decree shall run from the time such judgment is recorded on the judgment lien docket of the clerk’s office of the county or city in which land of the defendant lies.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":14591,"edition_id":1,"name":"Judgments by Confession","identifier":"2","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":14169,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:48:48","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:48:48","permalink":{"id":277777,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":14591,"identifier":"2","token":"8.01\/17\/2","url":"\/8.01\/17\/2\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":14169,"edition_id":1,"name":"Judgments and Decrees Generally","identifier":"17","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12747,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:47:07","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:47:07","permalink":{"id":277749,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":14169,"identifier":"17","token":"8.01\/17","url":"\/8.01\/17\/","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":70787,"structure_id":14591,"section_number":"8.01-431","catch_line":"Judgment or decree by confession in pending suit","url":"\/8.01-431\/","token":"8.01\/17\/2\/8.01-431","metadata":false},{"id":56092,"structure_id":14591,"section_number":"8.01-432","catch_line":"Confession of judgment irrespective of suit pending","url":"\/8.01-432\/","token":"8.01\/17\/2\/8.01-432","metadata":false},{"id":84427,"structure_id":14591,"section_number":"8.01-433","catch_line":"Setting aside judgments confessed under \u00a7 8.01-432","url":"\/8.01-433\/","token":"8.01\/17\/2\/8.01-433","metadata":false},{"id":70987,"structure_id":14591,"section_number":"8.01-433.1","catch_line":"Notice of confession of judgment provision","url":"\/8.01-433.1\/","token":"8.01\/17\/2\/8.01-433.1","metadata":false},{"id":64834,"structure_id":14591,"section_number":"8.01-434","catch_line":"Lien of such judgments","url":"\/8.01-434\/","token":"8.01\/17\/2\/8.01-434","metadata":false},{"id":62451,"structure_id":14591,"section_number":"8.01-435","catch_line":"Who may confess judgment","url":"\/8.01-435\/","token":"8.01\/17\/2\/8.01-435","metadata":false},{"id":85501,"structure_id":14591,"section_number":"8.01-436","catch_line":"Form of confession of judgment","url":"\/8.01-436\/","token":"8.01\/17\/2\/8.01-436","metadata":false},{"id":71150,"structure_id":14591,"section_number":"8.01-437","catch_line":"Endorsement of clerk thereon","url":"\/8.01-437\/","token":"8.01\/17\/2\/8.01-437","metadata":false},{"id":85484,"structure_id":14591,"section_number":"8.01-438","catch_line":"When judgment confessed by attorney-in-fact copy to be served on judgment debtor","url":"\/8.01-438\/","token":"8.01\/17\/2\/8.01-438","metadata":false},{"id":57630,"structure_id":14591,"section_number":"8.01-439","catch_line":"Filing of records by clerk","url":"\/8.01-439\/","token":"8.01\/17\/2\/8.01-439","metadata":false},{"id":75643,"structure_id":14591,"section_number":"8.01-440","catch_line":"Docketing and execution","url":"\/8.01-440\/","token":"8.01\/17\/2\/8.01-440","metadata":false},{"id":76100,"structure_id":14591,"section_number":"8.01-441","catch_line":"When judgment confessed by virtue of power of attorney invalid","url":"\/8.01-441\/","token":"8.01\/17\/2\/8.01-441","metadata":false}],"next_section":{"id":56092,"structure_id":14591,"section_number":"8.01-432","catch_line":"Confession of judgment irrespective of suit pending","url":"\/8.01-432\/","token":"8.01\/17\/2\/8.01-432","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/8.01-431\/","history_text":"

The record of this law\u2019s original creation isn\u2019t available online. It has been modified 4 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 1962, chapter 388; in 1977, chapter 617; in 2012, chapter 802<\/a>; in 2014, chapter 330<\/a>.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":277779,"object_type":"law","relational_id":70787,"identifier":"8.01-431","token":"8.01\/17\/2\/8.01-431","url":"\/8.01-431\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/8.01-431\/","token":"8.01\/17\/2\/8.01-431","dublin_core":{"Title":"Judgment or decree by confession in pending suit","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 8.01-431","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

In any suit<\/span> a defendant<\/span> may, whether the suit<\/span> is on the court<\/span> docket or not, confess a judgment in the clerk’s office for so much principal and interest as the plaintiff<\/span> may be willing to accept a judgment or decree<\/span> for. The same shall be entered of record by the clerk in the order<\/span> book and be as final and as valid as if entered in court<\/span> on the day of such confession<\/span>. The clerk shall record such judgment or decree<\/span> and the date and time of the day at which the same was confessed. The lien of such judgment or decree<\/span> shall run from the time such judgment is recorded on the judgment lien docket<\/span> of the clerk’s office of the county or city in which land of the defendant<\/span> lies.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nJUDGMENT OR DECREE BY CONFESSION IN PENDING SUIT (\u00a7 8.01-431)\n\nIn any suit a defendant may, whether the suit is on the court docket or not,\nconfess a judgment in the clerk’s office for so much principal and\ninterest as the plaintiff may be willing to accept a judgment or decree for. The\nsame shall be entered of record by the clerk in the order book and be as final\nand as valid as if entered in court on the day of such confession. The clerk\nshall record such judgment or decree and the date and time of the day at which\nthe same was confessed. The lien of such judgment or decree shall run from the\ntime such judgment is recorded on the judgment lien docket of the clerk’s\noffice of the county or city in which land of the defendant lies.\n\nHISTORY: Code 1955, \u00a7 8-355; 1962, c. 388; 1977, c. 617; 2012, c. 802; 2014, c.\n330.","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}}