When any court authorized to award injunctions shall grant a temporary injunction, either with or without notice to the adverse party, such court shall prescribe in the injunction order the time during which such injunction shall be effective and at the expiration of that time such injunction shall stand dissolved unless, before the expiration thereof, it be enlarged. Such injunction may be enlarged or a further injunction granted by the court in which the cause is pending or by the court to whom the bill is addressed in the event the cause be not matured, after reasonable notice to the adverse party, or to his attorney of record of the time and place of moving for the same.
§ 8.01-624.Duration of temporary injunctions to be fixed therein.
Chapter 24. Injunctions · Last amended 1977 · Last verified July 16, 2026
In one sentenceSection 8.01-624 requires every Virginia temporary injunction — whether granted with notice to the opposing party or issued without it — to state a fixed expiration date in the order itself, and the injunction automatically dissolves at that deadline unless the court enlarges it after reasonable notice to the enjoined party.
Full Text of § 8.01-624
Plain-English Summary
This is the section that makes emergency injunctive relief in Virginia self-limiting. Whenever a court authorized to award injunctions grants a temporary one — and the statute expressly contemplates that this can happen with or without notice to the party being enjoined — the order itself has to state how long the injunction runs.
That deadline is not a formality. Once it passes without action, the injunction stands dissolved on its own; no one has to move to formally kill it. A party that wins fast, ex parte relief cannot let it sit indefinitely without going back to court, because the order expires under its own terms.
Extending the relief takes a second step: the injunction can be enlarged, or a further injunction granted, by the court where the case is pending or the court the bill was addressed to if the cause has not yet matured — but only after reasonable notice to the adverse party or counsel of record about when and where that extension will be sought. So even relief that started without the other side in the room has to bring them in before it can be renewed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Virginia court grant a temporary injunction without notifying the opposing party first?
Yes — the statute applies to a temporary injunction granted “either with or without notice to the adverse party.”
What happens when a temporary injunction’s stated time period runs out?
It stands dissolved automatically unless it was enlarged before the deadline passed.
Can a temporary injunction be extended past its original deadline?
Yes, if it is enlarged, or a further injunction granted, before the original period expires.
What has to happen before a court enlarges or extends the injunction?
Reasonable notice to the adverse party or their attorney of record of the time and place of the motion to enlarge.
Does the statute set a specific number of days a temporary injunction can last?
No — it requires the court to prescribe the duration in the order itself rather than fixing a uniform statutory period.
Amendment History
Code 1950, § 8-614; 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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