No person shall make an entry on, or bring an action to recover, any land unless within fifteen years next after the time at which the right to make such entry or bring such action shall have first accrued to such person or to some other person through whom he claims; provided that an action for unlawful entry or detainer under § 8.01-124 shall be brought within three years after such entry or detainer.
§ 8.01-236.Limitation of entry on or action for land.
Chapter 4. Limitations of Actions · Article 2. Limitations on Recovery of Realty and Enforcement of Certain Liens Relating · Last amended 1978 · Last verified July 16, 2026
In one sentenceSection 8.01-236 bars any entry on or action to recover land unless brought within fifteen years after the right first accrues to the claimant or a predecessor in interest, while carving out a shorter three-year period for unlawful entry or detainer actions under § 8.01-124.
Full Text of § 8.01-236
Plain-English Summary
Section 8.01-236 sets the basic limitation period for reclaiming real property in Virginia. Anyone with a right to enter land or sue to recover it has fifteen years from the date that right first accrues — either to that person directly or to someone earlier in the chain of title through whom the current claimant traces the right — to act on it. Once fifteen years pass without an entry or a suit, the right is gone.
That fifteen-year window is the general rule for actions to recover land, but the section pulls out one specific category and gives it a much tighter deadline: an action for unlawful entry or detainer under § 8.01-124 must be brought within three years of the entry or detainer. Unlawful entry and detainer actions are a faster, more specialized remedy for regaining possession, and the shorter period reflects that they are meant to move quickly rather than sit for over a decade.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a person have to bring an action to recover land in Virginia?
Fifteen years from the date the right to enter or sue first accrues to that person or to a predecessor in interest through whom they claim, under Section 8.01-236.
Does the fifteen-year period start over for each new owner of the right?
No. The period runs from when the right first accrued, whether to the current claimant or to some other person through whom the claimant traces the right.
What is the deadline for an unlawful entry or detainer action?
Three years after the entry or detainer, a shorter period than the general fifteen-year rule for actions to recover land.
Does Section 8.01-236 apply to a simple act of entering onto land, or only to lawsuits?
Both. It limits the time to make an entry on land as well as the time to bring an action to recover it.
Can disabilities like infancy extend the fifteen-year period under this section?
Section 8.01-236 does not address disabilities itself; § 8.01-237 separately caps how long disabilities can extend the time to recover land, even when tacked together.
Amendment History
Code 1950, § 8-5; 1954, c. 604; 1977, c. 617; 1978, c. 471.
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
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