                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

COSTS AND FEES (§ 20-88.56)

A. The petitioner may not be required to pay a filing fee or other costs.

B. If an obligee prevails, a responding tribunal of the Commonwealth may assess
against an obligor filing fees, reasonable attorney&#8217;s fees, other costs,
and necessary travel and other reasonable expenses incurred by the obligee and
the obligee&#8217;s witnesses. The tribunal may not assess fees, costs, or
expenses against the obligee or the support enforcement agency of either the
initiating or the responding state or foreign country, except as provided by
other law. Attorney&#8217;s fees may be taxed as costs, and may be ordered paid
directly to the attorney, who may enforce the order in the attorney&#8217;s own
name. Payment of support owed to the obligee has priority over fees, costs and
expenses.

C. The tribunal shall order the payment of costs and reasonable attorney&#8217;s
fees if it determines that a hearing was requested primarily for delay. In a
proceeding under Articles 8 (&#xA7; 20-88.66 et seq.) and 9 (&#xA7; 20-88.74 et
seq.), a hearing is presumed to have been requested primarily for delay if a
registered support order is confirmed or enforced without change.

HISTORY: 1994, c. 673; 2005, c. 754; 2015, c. 727.