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Virginia bills · 2026 Regular Session

Virginia HB 17

Fines and costs; period of limitations on collection, responsibility for collections.

  1. Introduced
  2. In committee
  3. Passed House
  4. Passed Senate
  5. To Governor
  6. Became law

Sponsors

Cosponsors (17)

Summary

Official abstract published by the Virginia legislature· SUMMARY AS PASSED

Fines and costs; period of limitations on collection; deferred payment agreement. Changes the period of limitations for the collection of court fines and costs from within 60 years from the date of the offense or delinquency giving rise to imposition of such penalty if imposed by a circuit court or within 30 years if imposed by a general district court to within 10 years from the date of the judgment whether imposed by a circuit court or general district court. The bill provides that upon the expiration of the period of limitations, no action shall be brought to collect the debt.The bill extends the time period for commencing collection activity from 90 days to 180 days after judgment, but provides that no collection activity shall be commenced while a defendant is incarcerated on an active term of imprisonment and subject to a deferred payment agreement.The bill also provides that for any defendant sentenced to an active term of incarceration and ordered to pay any fine, cost, forfeiture, or penalty related to the charge that such defendant is incarcerated for, or any other charge for which such defendant was sentenced on the same day, the court shall enter such defendant into a deferred payment agreement for such fines, costs, forfeitures, or penalties. The bill requires the due date for such deferred payment agreement to be set no earlier than 180 days after the defendant's scheduled release from incarceration on the charge for which such defendant was sentenced on the same day. This bill is identical to SB 180. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2027.

Text versions

Roll-call votes

State vote data last updated Oct 15, 2026, 4:19 PM.

DateVoteResultYour legislators
Mar 6, 2026
House
H VOTE:passSet your home in Virginia to see
Mar 4, 2026
Senate
Passage RpassSet your home in Virginia to see
Mar 3, 2026
Senate
Constitutional reading dispensed (on 2nd reading)passSet your home in Virginia to see
Mar 3, 2026
Senate
Reported from Finance and Appropriations with substitutepassSet your home in Virginia to see
Feb 25, 2026
Senate
Reported from Courts of Justice with substitutepassSet your home in Virginia to see
Feb 6, 2026
House
H VOTE:passSet your home in Virginia to see
Feb 2, 2026
House
Reported from AppropriationspassSet your home in Virginia to see
Jan 30, 2026
House
Subcommittee recommends reportingpassSet your home in Virginia to see
Jan 28, 2026
House
Reported from Courts of Justice with amendment(s)passSet your home in Virginia to see
Jan 21, 2026
House
Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s)passSet your home in Virginia to see

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