CODE OF VIRGINIA

HOW JUDGMENTS ARE DOCKETED (§ 8.01-449)

A. The judgment docket required by § 8.01-446 may be kept in a well-bound book,
or any other media permitted by § 17.1-240. The date and time of docketing
shall be recorded with each judgment docketed. The clerk of the circuit court of
any county using card files on July 1, 1975, may continue to use the card file
system. The docketing may be done by copying the wording of the judgment order
verbatim or by abstracting the information therefrom into a book or into fixed
fields of an electronic data storage system. Where a procedural
microphotographic system is used, the docketing may be done by recording and
storing a retrievable image of the judgment order, judgment abstract, or other
source document such as a certificate of assignment or release. Where an
electronic imaging system is used, the document image shall be stored in a data
format which permits recall of the image. Any judgment docketed pursuant to this
subsection shall contain the information required by subsection B.

B. Where a well-bound book is used for the judgment docket there shall be stated
in separate columns (i) the date and amount of the judgment, (ii) the time from
which it bears interest, (iii) the costs, (iv) the full names of all the parties
thereto, including the address, date of birth and the last four digits of the
social security number, if known, of each party against whom judgment is
rendered, (v) the alternative value of any specific property recovered by it,
(vi) the date and the time of docketing it, (vii) the amount and date of any
credits thereon, (viii) the court by which it was rendered and the case number,
and (ix) when paid off or discharged in whole or in part, the time of payment or
discharge and by whom made when there is more than one defendant. And in case of
a judgment or decree by confession, the clerk shall also enter in such docket
the time of day at which the same was confessed, or at which the same was
received in his office to be entered of record. There shall also be shown on
such book the name of the plaintiff’s attorney, if any.

C. Error or omission in the entry of the address or addresses or the social
security number or numbers of each party against whom judgment is rendered shall
in no way affect the validity, finality or priority of the judgment docketed.

D. Beginning July 1, 2012, any judgment made available to subscribers via secure
remote access pursuant to § 17.1-294 shall contain only the last four digits of
the social security number of any party. However, the information otherwise
required in the judgment docket pursuant to this section shall be provided.

E. The attorney or party who prepares or submits the judgment for recordation
has the responsibility for ensuring that only the last four digits of the social
security number are included in the judgment prior to the instrument’s
being submitted for recordation. The clerk has the authority to reject any
judgment that does not comply with the provisions of this section.

HISTORY: Code 1950, § 8-377; 1973, c. 544; 1977, c. 617; 1982, c. 405; 1985, c.
171; 1988, c. 420; 1996, c. 427; 1997, c. 579; 2007, cc. 548, 626; 2008, cc.
823, 833; 2010, c. 430.