The premises claimed shall be described in the motion for judgment with convenient certainty, so that, from such description, with the aid of information derived from the plaintiff, possession thereof may be delivered.
§ 8.01-136.How premises described.
Chapter 3. Actions · Article 14. Ejectment · Last amended 1977 · Last verified July 16, 2026
In one sentenceSection 8.01-136 requires the motion for judgment to describe the claimed premises with convenient certainty, precisely enough that, together with information the plaintiff supplies, an officer could identify the land and deliver possession of it.
Full Text of § 8.01-136
Plain-English Summary
Section 8.01-136 focuses on how the property at stake must be identified. The description in the motion for judgment does not need surveyor-level precision, but it must reach a standard the statute calls “convenient certainty.”
That standard is functional: the description, combined with information the plaintiff can supply, must be enough that possession of the premises can be delivered once judgment is entered. A description too vague to guide that delivery falls short of the statute.
Frequently Asked Questions
How precisely must the property be described in an ejectment motion for judgment?
With “convenient certainty” — a description detailed enough, together with information the plaintiff can supply, that possession of the premises can be delivered based on it.
Does the plaintiff need a formal survey to describe the land?
The statute does not require a survey. It requires convenient certainty, meaning the description must be workable for delivering possession, not necessarily drawn to surveyor precision.
What happens if the property description is too vague?
A description that fails to identify the premises with convenient certainty does not meet the requirement of Section 8.01-136, since the whole point of the description is to make delivery of possession possible.
Can the plaintiff supplement the written description with other information?
Yes. The statute allows the certainty requirement to be satisfied “with the aid of information derived from the plaintiff,” not solely from the words of the motion for judgment.
Why does the precision of the description matter so much in ejectment?
Because the remedy is possession of specific land. Whoever enforces the judgment needs enough detail to know exactly which premises to deliver, which is why Section 8.01-136 ties the description requirement directly to that delivery.
Amendment History
Code 1950, § 8-803; 1954, c. 333; 1977, c. 617.
Source & verification. Section text and amendment history are
reproduced verbatim from the Code of Virginia, published by the
Code of Virginia, Virginia Division of Legislative Automated Systems. Last verified July 16, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: describing property in ejectment virginiaconvenient certainty premises descriptionvirginia ejectment property description requirementdelivering possession of land virginia