§ 8.01-449.How judgments are docketed.

Section 8.01-449 fills in the details behind the judgment docket required by § 8.01-446. Subsection A lists the acceptable formats — a well-bound book, any other media § 17.1-240 permits, or, for counties that were already using card files as of July 1, 1975, continued use of that card system. Docketing can copy the judgment order verbatim or abstract its key facts, and where a microphotographic or electronic imaging system is used, the docket stores a retrievable image of the judgment order or abstract instead.

Subsection B is the checklist. Wherever a well-bound book is used, the docket needs separate columns for the date and amount of the judgment, when it starts bearing interest, the costs, the full names and, where known, the address, date of birth, and last four digits of the Social Security number of each judgment debtor, the value of any specific property recovered, the date and time of docketing, any credits and their dates, the rendering court and case number, and when and by whom the judgment was paid or discharged if there is more than one defendant. A confessed judgment also gets the time of day it was confessed noted, and the plaintiff’s attorney’s name, if any, appears on the book too.

The remaining subsections handle errors and privacy. An error or omission in a debtor’s address or Social Security number does not affect the judgment’s validity, finality, or priority. Since July 1, 2012, judgments available to subscribers through secure remote access under § 17.1-294 show only the last four digits of a Social Security number — though the rest of the required information still appears. The attorney or party preparing the judgment for recordation bears responsibility for making sure only those last four digits appear before submission, and the clerk has authority to reject any judgment that does not comply.