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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>59856</law_id><section_number>16.1-278.18</section_number><catch_line>Money judgments</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>20-78.1</reference><reference>20-79.1</reference><reference>8.01-511</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="16.1">Courts Not of Record</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="11">Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Courts</unit><unit label="article" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="9">Disposition</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> Each juvenile and domestic relations district court may enter <span class="dictionary">judgment</span> for money in any amount for <span class="dictionary">arrears</span> of support and maintenance of any person in cases in which (i) <span class="dictionary">the court</span> has previously acquired personal <span class="dictionary">jurisdiction</span> over all necessary parties or a proceeding in which such <span class="dictionary">jurisdiction</span> has been obtained has been referred or transferred to <span class="dictionary">the court</span> by a <span class="dictionary">circuit</span> court or another juvenile and domestic relations district court and (ii) payment of such money has been previously ordered by <span class="dictionary">the court</span>, a <span class="dictionary">circuit</span> court, or another juvenile and domestic relations district court. Such <span class="dictionary">judgment</span> shall include reasonable attorneys&#x2019; fees in cases where the total arrearage for support and maintenance, excluding interest, is equal to or greater than three months of support and maintenance. However, no <span class="dictionary">judgment</span> shall be entered unless the <span class="dictionary">motion</span> of a <span class="dictionary">party</span>, a <span class="dictionary">probation officer</span>, a local <span class="dictionary">director</span> of social services, or <span class="dictionary">the court</span>&#x2019;s own <span class="dictionary">motion</span> is duly served on the person against whom <span class="dictionary">judgment</span> is sought, in accordance with the applicable provisions of <span class="dictionary">law</span> relating to notice when proceedings are reopened. The <span class="dictionary">motion</span> shall contain a caption stating the name of <span class="dictionary">the court</span>, the title of the action, the names of all parties and the address of the <span class="dictionary">party</span> against whom <span class="dictionary">judgment</span> is sought, the amount of arrearage for which <span class="dictionary">judgment</span> is sought, and the date and time when such <span class="dictionary">judgment</span> will be sought. No support <span class="dictionary">order</span> may be retroactively modified. It may, however, be modified with respect to any period during which there is a pending <span class="dictionary">petition</span> for modification in any court, but only from the date that notice of such <span class="dictionary">petition</span> has been given to the responding <span class="dictionary">party</span>. <a id="paragraph-219259" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/16.1-278.18/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> <span class="dictionary">The judge</span> or clerk of <span class="dictionary">the court</span> shall, upon written request of the obligee under a <span class="dictionary">judgment</span> entered pursuant to this section, certify and deliver an abstract of that <span class="dictionary">judgment</span> to the obligee or <span class="dictionary">Department</span> of Social Services, who may deliver the abstract to the clerk of the <span class="dictionary">circuit</span> court having <span class="dictionary">jurisdiction</span> over <span class="dictionary">appeals</span> from juvenile and domestic relations district court. The clerk shall <span class="dictionary">issue</span> executions of the <span class="dictionary">judgment</span>. <a id="paragraph-219260" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/16.1-278.18/#B"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="C"><p><span class="prefix-number">C.</span> If the <span class="dictionary">judgment</span> amount does not exceed the jurisdictional limits of subdivision (1) of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Civil jurisdiction of general district courts; amending amount of claim" href="/16.1-77/">16.1-77</a>, exclusive of interest and any attorneys&#x2019; fees, an abstract of any such <span class="dictionary">judgment</span> entered pursuant to this section may be delivered to the clerk of the general district court of the same judicial district. The clerk shall <span class="dictionary">issue</span> executions upon the <span class="dictionary">judgment</span>. <a id="paragraph-219261" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/16.1-278.18/#C"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="D"><p><span class="prefix-number">D.</span> Arrearages accumulated prior to July 1, 1976, shall also be subject to the provisions of this section. <a id="paragraph-219262" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/16.1-278.18/#D"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>1991, c. 534; 2002, c. 747; 2004, c. 204; 2005, c. 880.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
