How to fill out Virginia's DC-402 Warrant in Debt (Small Claims Division)

City or county / street address of court — "___ General District Court"

The General District Court where you are filing. Virginia venue for small claims generally follows where the defendant lives, works, or does business. The return date, case number, and next-hearing boxes are completed by the court.

Plaintiff(s) — last name, first name, middle initial

Your name in the court's last-name-first format, with address lines on the form's right-hand panel.

Defendant(s) — last name, first name, middle initial

Each defendant's name the same way, with addresses. The form's TO ANY AUTHORIZED OFFICER and TO THE DEFENDANT(S) blocks — commanding the officer to summon the defendant and telling the defendant when to appear — are pre-printed; the clerk fills the dates.

"CLAIM: Plaintiff(s) claim that Defendant(s) owe Plaintiff(s) a debt in the sum of $___ net of any credits, with interest at ___% from ___ until paid"

The amount claimed (after subtracting any payments or credits), plus the interest rate and the date interest runs from, if you claim interest.

"$___ costs with the basis of this claim being"

Your court costs, and the basis-of-claim checkboxes: Open Account, Contract, Note, or Other with a line to explain. This is the form's whole statement of what the case is about — there is no long narrative section, which is why the checkbox plus the explain line carry the description.

"HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION WAIVED? Yes / No / cannot be demanded"

A question about whether the underlying contract waived Virginia's homestead exemption (a debtor protection) — a fact set by the contract's own terms. "Cannot be demanded" is the option for claims where no such waiver exists.

Date and signature — "[ ] Plaintiff [ ] Plaintiff's Employee"

You date and sign, checking whether you sign as the plaintiff or as an employee of a plaintiff business. (An agent or attorney signature routes through the non-small-claims process — in the Small Claims Division, parties represent themselves.)

Case disposition / judgment blocks

The lower half of the form — judgment, dismissal, non-suit, defendant-present checkboxes, and the grounds-of-defense notes — is completed by the judge and clerk at and after the hearing. You leave all of it blank.