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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>59813</law_id><section_number>8.9A-313</section_number><catch_line>When possession by or delivery to secured party perfects security interest without filing</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>8.9A-203</reference><reference>8.9A-310</reference><reference>8.9A-311</reference><reference>8.9A-312</reference><reference>8.9A-314.1</reference><reference>8.9A-316</reference><reference>8.9A-320</reference><reference>8.9A-328</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="8.9A">Commercial Code &#x2014; Secured Transactions</unit><unit label="part" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="3">Perfection and Priority</unit><unit label="subpart" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="2">Perfection</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="a"><p><span class="prefix-number">a.</span> Perfection by <span class="dictionary">possession</span> or delivery. Except as otherwise provided in subsection (b), a secured <span class="dictionary">party</span> may perfect a security interest in goods, instruments, negotiable tangible documents, or tangible money by taking <span class="dictionary">possession</span> of the <span class="dictionary">collateral</span>. A secured <span class="dictionary">party</span> may perfect a security interest in certificated securities by taking delivery of the certificated securities under &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Delivery" href="/8.8A-301/">8.8A-301</a>. <a id="paragraph-219027" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/8.9A-313/#a"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="b"><p><span class="prefix-number">b.</span> Goods covered by certificate of title. With respect to goods covered by a certificate of title issued by this Commonwealth, a secured <span class="dictionary">party</span> may perfect a security interest in the goods by taking <span class="dictionary">possession</span> of the goods only in the circumstances described in &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Effect of change in governing law" href="/8.9A-316/">8.9A-316</a> (d). <a id="paragraph-219028" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/8.9A-313/#b"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="c"><p><span class="prefix-number">c.</span> <span class="dictionary">Collateral</span> in <span class="dictionary">possession</span> of person other than debtor. With respect to <span class="dictionary">collateral</span> other than certificated securities and goods covered by a document, a secured <span class="dictionary">party</span> takes <span class="dictionary">possession</span> of <span class="dictionary">collateral</span> in the <span class="dictionary">possession</span> of a person other than the debtor, the secured <span class="dictionary">party</span>, or a lessee of the <span class="dictionary">collateral</span> from the debtor in the ordinary course of the debtor&#x2019;s business, when: <a id="paragraph-219029" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/8.9A-313/#c"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="c1" class="indent-1"><p><span class="prefix-number">1.</span> the person in <span class="dictionary">possession</span> signs a record acknowledging that it holds <span class="dictionary">possession</span> of the <span class="dictionary">collateral</span> for the secured <span class="dictionary">party</span>&#x2019;s benefit; or <a id="paragraph-219030" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/8.9A-313/#c1"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="c2" class="indent-1"><p><span class="prefix-number">2.</span> the person takes <span class="dictionary">possession</span> of the <span class="dictionary">collateral</span> after having signed a record acknowledging that it will hold <span class="dictionary">possession</span> of the <span class="dictionary">collateral</span> for the secured <span class="dictionary">party</span>&#x2019;s benefit. <a id="paragraph-219031" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/8.9A-313/#c2"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="d"><p><span class="prefix-number">d.</span> Time of perfection by <span class="dictionary">possession</span>; continuation of perfection. If perfection of a security interest depends upon <span class="dictionary">possession</span> of the <span class="dictionary">collateral</span> by a secured <span class="dictionary">party</span>, perfection occurs not earlier than the time the secured <span class="dictionary">party</span> takes <span class="dictionary">possession</span> and continues only while the secured <span class="dictionary">party</span> retains <span class="dictionary">possession</span>. <a id="paragraph-219032" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/8.9A-313/#d"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="e"><p><span class="prefix-number">e.</span> Time of perfection by delivery; continuation of perfection. A security interest in a certificated security in registered form is perfected by delivery when delivery of the certificated security occurs under &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Delivery" href="/8.8A-301/">8.8A-301</a> and remains perfected by delivery until the debtor obtains <span class="dictionary">possession</span> of the security certificate. <a id="paragraph-219033" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/8.9A-313/#e"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="f"><p><span class="prefix-number">f.</span> Acknowledgment not required. A person in <span class="dictionary">possession</span> of <span class="dictionary">collateral</span> is not required to acknowledge that it holds <span class="dictionary">possession</span> for a secured <span class="dictionary">party</span>&#x2019;s benefit. <a id="paragraph-219034" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/8.9A-313/#f"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="g"><p><span class="prefix-number">g.</span> Effectiveness of acknowledgment; no duties or confirmation. If a person acknowledges that it holds <span class="dictionary">possession</span> for the secured <span class="dictionary">party</span>&#x2019;s benefit: <a id="paragraph-219035" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/8.9A-313/#g"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="g1" class="indent-1"><p><span class="prefix-number">1.</span> the acknowledgment is effective under subsection (c) or &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Delivery" href="/8.8A-301/">8.8A-301</a> (a), even if the acknowledgment violates the rights of a debtor; and <a id="paragraph-219036" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/8.9A-313/#g1"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="g2" class="indent-1"><p><span class="prefix-number">2.</span> unless the person otherwise agrees or <span class="dictionary">law</span> other than this title otherwise provides, the person does not owe any duty to the secured <span class="dictionary">party</span> and is not required to confirm the acknowledgment to another person. <a id="paragraph-219037" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/8.9A-313/#g2"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="h"><p><span class="prefix-number">h.</span> Secured <span class="dictionary">party</span>&#x2019;s delivery to person other than debtor. A secured <span class="dictionary">party</span> having <span class="dictionary">possession</span> of <span class="dictionary">collateral</span> does not relinquish <span class="dictionary">possession</span> by delivering the <span class="dictionary">collateral</span> to a person other than the debtor or a lessee of the <span class="dictionary">collateral</span> from the debtor in the ordinary course of the debtor&#x2019;s business if the person was instructed before the delivery or is instructed contemporaneously with the delivery: <a id="paragraph-219038" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/8.9A-313/#h"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="h1" class="indent-1"><p><span class="prefix-number">1.</span> to hold <span class="dictionary">possession</span> of the <span class="dictionary">collateral</span> for the secured <span class="dictionary">party</span>&#x2019;s benefit; or <a id="paragraph-219039" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/8.9A-313/#h1"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="h2" class="indent-1"><p><span class="prefix-number">2.</span> to redeliver the <span class="dictionary">collateral</span> to the secured <span class="dictionary">party</span>. <a id="paragraph-219040" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/8.9A-313/#h2"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="i"><p><span class="prefix-number">i.</span> Effect of delivery under subsection (h); no duties or confirmation. A secured <span class="dictionary">party</span> does not relinquish <span class="dictionary">possession</span>, even if a delivery under subsection (h) violates the rights of a debtor. A person to which <span class="dictionary">collateral</span> is delivered under subsection (h) does not owe any duty to the secured <span class="dictionary">party</span> and is not required to confirm the delivery to another person unless the person otherwise agrees or <span class="dictionary">law</span> other than this title otherwise provides. <a id="paragraph-219041" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/8.9A-313/#i"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>1964, c. 219, &#xA7; 8.9-305; 1973, c. 509; 1984, c. 613; 1996, c. 216, &#xA7; 8.9-115; 1997, c. 343; 2000, c. 1007; 2004, c. 200; 2024, c. 652.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
