Unless otherwise exempt, the wages and salaries of all officials, clerks and employees of any city, town or county shall be subject to garnishment or execution upon any judgment rendered against them.
§ 8.01-524.Wages and salaries of city, town and county officials, clerks and employees.
Chapter 18. Executions and Other Means of Recovery · Article 7. Garnishment · Last amended 1977 · Last verified July 16, 2026
In one sentenceMakes the wages and salaries of local government officials, clerks, and employees subject to garnishment or execution on any judgment against them, unless otherwise exempt.
Full Text of § 8.01-524
Plain-English Summary
Just as Section 8.01-522 opens up state employees’ wages to garnishment, Section 8.01-524 does the same for local government workers. It is a short, direct rule: officials, clerks, and employees of any Virginia city, town, or county can have their wages and salaries garnished or executed on for a judgment against them.
The only qualifier is “unless otherwise exempt” — general wage exemptions and any other applicable exemption still apply the same way they would to any other debtor’s wages. What this section does is close off any argument that local-government employment itself provides special immunity from garnishment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can wages of a city, town, or county employee be garnished in Virginia?
Yes, unless otherwise exempt, their wages and salaries are subject to garnishment or execution.
Does this section cover elected officials too, not just employees?
Yes, it covers officials, clerks, and employees of any city, town, or county.
Are these wages treated differently from private-sector wages for garnishment purposes?
No, the section makes them subject to the same garnishment and execution rules, subject to applicable exemptions.
Does working for local government provide immunity from garnishment?
No, this section confirms there is no such immunity.
Which section defines who counts as an officer, clerk, or employee of a locality for this purpose?
Section 8.01-525.
Amendment History
Code 1950, § 8-449.2; 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
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