# Va. Code Ann. § 8.01-537: Petition for attachment; costs, fees and taxes > Virginia · Statutes · In force URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_VA_T8.01_C20_A1_S8.01-537 ## Section - **Citation:** Va. Code Ann. § 8.01-537 - **Heading:** Petition for attachment; costs, fees and taxes - **Jurisdiction:** Virginia - **Kind:** Statutes - **Status:** In force - **Text as of:** August 14, 2026 - **Source:** Compiled text - **Location:** Virginia Code / Title 8.01 / Chapter 20 / Article 1 / Section 8.01-537 ## Text A. Every attachment shall be commenced by a petition filed before a clerk of a circuit or general district court of, or magistrate serving, the county or city in which venue is given by subdivision 11 of § 8.01-261 . If it is sought to recover specific personal property, the petition shall state (i) the kind, quantity, and estimated fair market value thereof, (ii) the character of estate therein claimed by the plaintiff, (iii) the plaintiff's claim with such certainty as will give the adverse party reasonable notice of the true nature of the claim and the particulars thereof and (iv) what sum, if any, the plaintiff claims an entitlement to recover for its detention. If it is sought to recover a debt or damages for a breach of contract, express or implied, or damages for a wrong, the petition shall set forth (i) the plaintiff's claim with such certainty as will give the adverse party reasonable notice of the true nature of the claim and the particulars thereof, (ii) a sum certain which, at the least, the plaintiff is entitled to, or ought to recover, and (iii) if based on a contract and if the claim is for a debt not then due and payable, at what time or times the same will become due and payable. The petition shall also allege the existence of one or more of the grounds mentioned in § 8.01-534 , and shall set forth specific facts in support of the allegation. The petition shall ask for an attachment against the specific personal property mentioned in the petition, or against the estate, real and personal, of one or more of the principal defendants, or against the estate, real and personal, of one or more of the principal defendants, or against both the specific personal property and the estate of such defendants, real or personal. The petition shall state whether the officer is requested to take possession of the attached tangible personal property. The petition shall be sworn to by the plaintiff or the plaintiff's agent, or some other person cognizant of the facts therein stated. B. The plaintiff praying for an attachment shall, at the time the petition is filed, pay to the magistrate or clerk of the court to which the return is made the proper costs, fees and taxes, and in the event the plaintiff fails to do so, the attachment shall not be issued. Code 1950, §§ 8-524, 8-528; 1954, cc. 333, 622; 1973, c. 545; 1977, c. 617; 1978, c. 418; 1984, c. 646; 1993, c. 841; 2008, cc. 551 , 691 ; 2015, c. 639 . ## Nearby sections - [Va. Code Ann. § 8.01-533 Who may sue out attachment](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_VA_T8.01_C20_A1_S8.01-533.md) - [Va. Code Ann. § 8.01-534 Grounds of action for pretrial levy or seizure of attachment](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_VA_T8.01_C20_A1_S8.01-534.md) - [Va. Code Ann. § 8.01-535 Jurisdiction of attachments; trial or hearing of issues](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_VA_T8.01_C20_A1_S8.01-535.md) - [Va. Code Ann. § 8.01-536 Pleadings in attachment](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_VA_T8.01_C20_A1_S8.01-536.md) - [Va. Code Ann. § 8.01-537 Petition for attachment; costs, fees and taxes](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_VA_T8.01_C20_A1_S8.01-537.md) - [Va. Code Ann. § 8.01-537.1 Plaintiff to file bond](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_VA_T8.01_C20_A1_S8.01-537.1.md) - [Va. Code Ann. § 8.01-538 Attachment of ships, boats and other vessels of more than twenty tons](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_VA_T8.01_C20_A1_S8.01-538.md) - [Va. Code Ann. § 8.01-539 Who made defendants](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_VA_T8.01_C20_A1_S8.01-539.md) - [Va. Code Ann. § 8.01-540 Issuance of attachment; against what attachment to issue](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_VA_T8.01_C20_A1_S8.01-540.md) - [Va. Code Ann. § 8.01-541 To whom attachments directed; when and where returned](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_VA_T8.01_C20_A1_S8.01-541.md) - [Va. Code Ann. § 8.01-542 Issue and execution of attachment on any day](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_VA_T8.01_C20_A1_S8.01-542.md) - [Va. Code Ann. § 8.01-543 Issue of other attachments on original petition](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_VA_T8.01_C20_A1_S8.01-543.md) - [Va. Code Ann. § 8.01-544 When attachment not served other attachments may issue; order of publication](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_VA_T8.01_C20_A1_S8.01-544.md) - [Va. Code Ann. § 8.01-545 Amendments; formal defects](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_VA_T8.01_C20_A1_S8.01-545.md) --- Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_VA_T8.01_C20_A1_S8.01-537. Check the current official text before relying on it. Not legal advice.