Upon application of a party any time after an award is made, the court shall confirm an award, unless within the time limits hereinafter imposed grounds are urged for vacating or modifying or correcting the award, in which case the court shall proceed as provided in §§ 8.01-581.010 and 8.01-581.011.
§ 8.01-581.09.Confirmation of an award.
Chapter 21. Arbitration and Award · Article 2. Uniform Arbitration Act · Last amended 1998 · Last verified July 16, 2026
In one sentenceAny party can apply to the court to confirm an arbitration award at any point after it is made, and the court must confirm it unless someone timely raises grounds to vacate, modify, or correct it, in which case the court instead follows the separate procedures those grounds trigger.
Full Text of § 8.01-581.09
Plain-English Summary
Confirmation is the default outcome for an arbitration award, and this section makes that default explicit. Any party can apply to the court at any time after the award is made, without waiting for a deadline to arrive or for the other side to act first.
The court’s job at that point is narrow: confirm the award. It only departs from that path if someone raises grounds for vacating, modifying, or correcting the award within the time limits those other sections impose. When that happens, the court does not just deny confirmation outright — it shifts into the vacatur or modification procedures those sections spell out, and the outcome turns on whether those specific grounds hold up.
Frequently Asked Questions
When can a party apply to confirm an arbitration award?
Any time after the award is made.
Is the court required to confirm an arbitration award?
Yes, the court shall confirm the award unless, within the time limits imposed for those grounds, someone urges grounds for vacating, modifying, or correcting the award.
What happens if a party raises grounds to vacate the award instead of confirming it?
The court proceeds as provided in the sections governing vacating and modifying or correcting an award, rather than confirming the award outright.
Does a party have to wait for a specific deadline before applying to confirm?
No, the application to confirm can be made at any time after the award is made.
What triggers the court to depart from confirming the award?
Grounds urged for vacating, modifying, or correcting the award, so long as they are raised within the time limits those provisions impose.
Amendment History
1986, c. 614; 1998, c. 303.
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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