A decree for land or specific personal property, and a decree or order requiring the payment of money, shall have the effect of a judgment for such land, property, or money, and be embraced by the word "judgment," where used in this chapter or in Chapters 18, 19 or 20 of this title or in Title 43; but a party may proceed to carry into execution a decree or order other than for the payment of money, as he might have done if this and the following section had not been enacted.
§ 8.01-426."Judgment" includes decree.
Chapter 17. Judgments and Decrees Generally · Article 1. In General · Last amended 2005 · Last verified July 16, 2026
In one sentenceSection 8.01-426 provides that a decree for land or specific personal property, or a decree or order requiring payment of money, has the effect of a judgment and is embraced by the word “judgment” wherever it appears in this chapter, the surrounding judgment chapters, or Title 43.
Full Text of § 8.01-426
Plain-English Summary
Chapter 17 and its neighbors talk mostly about judgments — legal-side rulings requiring payment or delivery of property — but Virginia courts also enter decrees, the equity-side counterpart. This section bridges the two systems. A decree for land or specific personal property, or a decree or order requiring the payment of money, gets treated as a judgment for that land, property, or money.
That equivalence carries weight: wherever the word “judgment” shows up in this chapter, in Chapters 18, 19, or 20 of Title 8.01, or in Title 43 — mechanics’ liens — a qualifying decree or order counts. That reach matters for docketing, execution, liens, and everything else those chapters govern by reference to a “judgment.”
The section closes with a reservation: none of this cuts off the older way of enforcing a decree that does not call for paying money. A party can still carry a decree or order into execution the way they could before this section and the one after it existed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a court decree count as a judgment under Virginia’s judgment-enforcement statutes?
Yes, if it is a decree for land or specific personal property, or a decree or order requiring payment of money — such a decree has the effect of a judgment for that land, property, or money.
Which parts of the Virginia Code treat a qualifying decree as a judgment?
This chapter, Chapters 18, 19, and 20 of Title 8.01, and Title 43.
Does this section change how a non-money decree, like an order to deliver property, gets enforced?
No. A party may still carry such a decree or order into execution as they could have done before this section was enacted.
Why does Virginia law need a section equating decrees with judgments?
Because equity courts issue decrees while law courts enter judgments, and later chapters governing docketing, liens, and execution are written in terms of “judgments” — this section lets qualifying decrees plug into that same framework.
Does every court decree count as a judgment under this section?
No. Only a decree for land or specific personal property, or one requiring the payment of money, gets that treatment.
Amendment History
Code 1950, § 8-343; 1977, c. 617; 2005, c. 681.
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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