Every judgment for money rendered in this Commonwealth by any state or federal court or by confession of judgment, as provided by law, shall be a lien on all the real estate of or to which the defendant in the judgment is or becomes possessed or entitled, from the time such judgment is recorded on the judgment lien docket of the clerk's office of the county or city where such land is situated; provided, however, when a judgment is revived under the provisions of § 8.01-251, that such revived judgment shall not be a lien as prescribed in this section unless and until such judgment is again docketed as provided herein. In such event the lien shall be effective from the date of the original docketing. Any judgment or decree properly docketed under the provisions of this section shall, if the real estate subject to the lien of such judgment has been annexed to or merged with an adjoining city subsequent to such docketing, be deemed to have been docketed in the proper clerk's office of such city.
Code 1950, § 8-386; 1954, c. 333; 1960, c. 466; 1964, c. 309; 1977, c. 617.