A. Except as provided in subsection B, this chapter shall apply to the award of a default judgment in an action for the collection of (i) an unsecured consumer debt; (ii) a secured consumer debt if the action is brought solely to obtain a money judgment; or (iii) a deficiency that remains after disposition of property that secured a consumer debt.
§ 8.01-465.27.(Effective July 1, 2027) Scope.
Chapter 17.4. Uniform Consumer Debt Default Judgments Act · Last amended 2026 · Last verified July 16, 2026
In one sentenceEffective July 1, 2027, this section applies Chapter 17.4's default-judgment protections to consumer-debt collection actions seeking only money — unsecured debt, secured debt pursued purely as a money claim, or a post-foreclosure deficiency — while exempting actions to repossess or dispose of property and debt-collection suits where a government is the plaintiff.
Full Text of § 8.01-465.27
B. The provisions of this chapter shall not apply to an action to (i) take possession or dispose of real or personal property, even if such action includes a request for a money judgment or (ii) collect a debt owed to a government, governmental subdivision, or agency in which the government, governmental subdivision, or agency is the plaintiff.
Plain-English Summary
Chapter 17.4 does not touch every debt-collection lawsuit in Virginia; this section marks out exactly which ones it reaches. Subject to the exclusions in subsection B, the chapter applies to a default judgment in an action collecting an unsecured consumer debt, a secured consumer debt where the action is brought solely to obtain a money judgment, or a deficiency remaining after property that secured a consumer debt has been disposed of.
Two categories fall outside the chapter regardless of how the debt itself is classified. An action to take possession of or dispose of real or personal property is excluded even if it also requests a money judgment — repossession and foreclosure-type actions follow their own procedural rules rather than this chapter's. And an action to collect a debt owed to a government, governmental subdivision, or agency is excluded when that government entity is the plaintiff.
The dividing line for secured debt is worth noting: a creditor pursuing only a money judgment on a secured consumer debt, without also seeking to repossess the collateral, brings the action within this chapter's coverage even though the debt itself is secured.
Frequently Asked Questions
What three categories of default judgment does this chapter cover?
Default judgments for an unsecured consumer debt, for a secured consumer debt when the action seeks only a money judgment, and for a deficiency remaining after disposition of property that secured a consumer debt.
Does the chapter apply to an action to repossess a car or take back property?
No, subsection B excludes actions to take possession or dispose of real or personal property, even if the action also requests a money judgment.
Does the chapter apply when a government agency sues to collect a debt?
No, it excludes actions to collect a debt owed to a government, governmental subdivision, or agency when that government entity is the plaintiff.
Does a secured debt ever fall within this chapter?
Yes, if the action seeking to collect it is brought solely to obtain a money judgment rather than to repossess the collateral.
What kind of judgment does this chapter regulate?
Default judgments specifically, as the chapter's title and this section's language make clear.
Amendment History
2026, c. 395.
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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