§ 8.01-470.Writs on judgments for specific property.

Not every judgment is about money. Some direct that a specific piece of property — a house, a car, a parcel of land — be handed over to the person who won the case. Section 8.01-470 supplies the mechanics: a writ of possession moves personal property, a writ of eviction moves real property, and either must match the judgment’s own description of the property and the interest recovered. A companion writ of fieri facias can still collect any damages, profits, or costs awarded alongside the property itself.

Eviction cases carry the heaviest procedural weight. The sheriff must give the occupant at least seventy-two hours’ notice of the exact date and time of execution, spelling out the tenant protections found elsewhere in the Code, and must attach a copy of the writ. If nobody answers the door, posting the notice on the main entrance suffices. Once that clock runs, the sheriff should execute within fifteen calendar days of receiving the writ, and in no event later than thirty days after the writ issues — a deadline built to keep evictions from lingering once a court has ruled. The underlying order of possession stays valid for one hundred eighty days, so a landlord who cancels one writ can still request another within that window.

The section also grants officers real authority: if a locked door blocks execution, the officer may announce the purpose of the visit, demand entry, and then use reasonable force to break in and install the plaintiff in possession. That authority reaches everyone named in the writ along with their occupants, guests, and any trespassers found on the premises. A parallel rule lets an officer force entry to a locked building to seize specific personal property, provided the debtor or an agent first receives notice and the entry happens during daylight hours.