Proviso Law and Legal Definition
Proviso refers to a condition, stipulation, or limitation inserted in a document upon whose compliance the document's validity or application may depend. In short, it is a clause in a statute, contract, or the like, by which a condition is introduced. It generally begins with the word "provided" and supplies a condition, exception, or addition.
In a deed, lease, mortgage or contract the performance or nonperformance of the proviso clause affects the validity of the instrument. A proviso clause in a statute excepts something from statutory requirements, qualifies the statute, or excludes some potential area of misinterpretation.
