# Virginia — Does paying old debt restart the statute of limitations, by state

For Virginia, does payment or acknowledgment revive the clock is A signed writing restarts the clock; payment not addressed; how the statute states the rule is If any person against whom a right of action has accrued on any contract, other than a judgment or recognizance, promises, by writing signed by him or his agent, payment of money on such contract, the person to whom the right has accrued may maintain an action for the money so promised, within such number of years after such promise as it might be maintained if such promise were the original cause of action; section is § 8.01-229, recorded from its source on 2026-09-01.

- **State:** Virginia _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Does payment or acknowledgment revive the clock:** A signed writing restarts the clock; payment not addressed _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **How the statute states the rule:** If any person against whom a right of action has accrued on any contract, other than a judgment or recognizance, promises, by writing signed by him or his agent, payment of money on such contract, the person to whom the right has accrued may maintain an action for the money so promised, within such number of years after such promise as it might be maintained if such promise were the original cause of action _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Section:** § 8.01-229 _(verified: appears in its own passage below)_

## What the source says

> Effect of new promise in writing. 1. If any person against whom a right of action has accrued on any contract, other than a judgment or recognizance, promises, by writing signed by him or his agent, payment of money on such contract, the person to whom the right has accrued may maintain an action for the money so promised, within such number of years after such promise as it might be maintained if such promise were the original cause of action. An acknowledgment in writing, from which a promise of payment may be implied, shall be deemed to be such promise within the meaning of this subsection.

## Where each value comes from

This source states these in separate places, so each value is shown with the passage that states it.

### Section

> § 8.01-229. Suspension or tolling of statute of limitations

## Source

- https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title8.01/chapter4/section8.01-229/

Last verified: 2026-09-01. Review by: 2027-09-01.
Part of [Does paying old debt restart the statute of limitations, by state](https://referencesource.org/time-barred-debt-revival-rules-by-state/).