Virginia Court Records Search by Name

Independent court-record guide: Public-Court-Records.us is not Virginia’s Judicial System, the Supreme Court of Virginia, the Court of Appeals of Virginia, a Virginia Circuit Court Clerk, Virginia State Police, PACER, a law firm, or a government agency. This guide explains how to locate and understand publicly accessible Virginia court records. It does not provide legal advice, certify records, conduct criminal-background checks, provide consumer reports, or bypass sealed, juvenile, confidential, or otherwise restricted records.

Virginia Court Records Search by Name: the correct search depends on the court and the type of case

A search for Virginia court records is not a one-database task. Virginia now offers a useful statewide criminal search through OCIS 2.0, but that statewide system does not function as a universal search for every civil, divorce, juvenile, land-record, appellate, or federal case.

General District Court records, participating Circuit Court cases, adult criminal matters originating in Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Courts, appellate records, and land records each have different access routes. Some Circuit Courts also use local systems outside the central Virginia Judiciary search.

Virginia Judiciary checked: August 30, 2026 OCIS 2.0 coverage verified 2026 criminal-sealing law checked Circuit & District copy fees checked

The fastest way to choose the correct Virginia court-record search

Virginia Court Record Router

This router does not collect names, dates of birth, case numbers, driver’s license information, or other personal identifiers.

Statewide adult criminal search

Start with Virginia’s Online Case Information System-Statewide Search (OCIS 2.0). The Virginia Judiciary says this system covers adult criminal case information in Juvenile & Domestic Relations District Courts, criminal and traffic information in General District Courts, and criminal information from select Circuit Courts.

Misdemeanor or traffic case

General District Court is the normal trial court for adult misdemeanors and traffic infractions. OCIS can help with statewide searching, while the locality-based General District Court Case Information system can search civil, criminal, and traffic cases and supports eligible online payments.

Felony criminal case

Felonies are tried in Circuit Court. A felony may first have a preliminary hearing in General District Court before proceeding to Circuit Court, so recent cases may require checking both stages.

General District civil case

Use the General District Court Case Information system and choose the correct locality. General District Courts handle landlord-tenant matters and other civil cases within their statutory jurisdiction.

Circuit Court civil case

Use Circuit Court Case Information for participating localities. If your court is not available there, open the individual Circuit Court homepage and follow that Clerk’s local records system.

Divorce

Divorce belongs in Circuit Court. Locate the Circuit Court in the city or county where the divorce case was filed, search available case information, and contact that Clerk if you need a certified final decree.

Juvenile, custody, visitation or support

These matters generally belong in Juvenile & Domestic Relations District Court. Juvenile records and child/spousal support case files have substantial confidentiality restrictions. Contact the appropriate court rather than expecting an ordinary statewide public name-search result.

Virginia appeal

Use the Court of Appeals of Virginia or Supreme Court of Virginia Appellate Case Management System. Both appellate systems support searches by name or case number.

Deed, marriage license, judgment or will index

Use the relevant Circuit Court Clerk’s land-record system. Virginia’s Secure Remote Access system provides COVERS land-record access for participating clerks, but image access may require registration and payment to the local Clerk.

Federal case

Use PACER. Determine whether the case belongs to the Eastern District of Virginia or Western District of Virginia. PACER Case Locator is useful when the federal district is unknown.

OCIS 2.0 is the closest thing Virginia has to a statewide criminal court search

The Virginia Judiciary describes OCIS 2.0 as a statewide online case-information search covering:

• adult criminal case information in Juvenile & Domestic Relations District Courts;
• criminal case information in General District Courts;
• traffic case information in General District Courts; and
• criminal information in select Circuit Courts.

How to search Virginia court records by name using the statewide route

1. Open the Virginia Judiciary Case Status and Information page.
2. Select Online Case Information System-Statewide Search. This opens OCIS 2.0.
3. Use the statewide search only for supported case types. The principal statewide coverage is adult criminal, General District traffic, and participating Circuit criminal information.
4. Enter the person’s name using the search controls displayed by OCIS. Use the most reliable spelling available rather than guessing at alternate identities.
5. Narrow by available court or case information when possible. A locality, court, case number, or approximate hearing period can substantially reduce false matches.
6. Review all plausible results. The first matching name is not necessarily the person you intended to find.
7. Open the individual case. Review court, locality, case number, charge or case description, hearing information, and disposition-related entries.
8. Check whether the matter advanced to another court. A felony can begin with preliminary proceedings in General District Court and later proceed in Circuit Court.
9. Do not infer a conviction from an arrest, charge, warrant, or preliminary hearing. Continue to the final disposition.
10. If no result appears, move to the appropriate locality search. A blank OCIS result does not establish that no Virginia court record exists.

Why a Virginia name search can still miss a real court case

Virginia’s system has several jurisdiction-specific gaps that make a blank online search difficult to interpret.

General District Court: Virginia misdemeanors, traffic and lower-level civil cases

Virginia has a General District Court in each city and county. These courts handle adult traffic violations, misdemeanor criminal cases, preliminary hearings in felony cases, and many civil disputes.

Virginia’s current court guidance states that General District Courts have exclusive authority over civil claims of $4,500 or less and share authority with Circuit Courts for claims between $4,500 and $25,000. Additional jurisdiction rules apply to personal-injury and wrongful-death claims.

How to search a General District Court case by locality

1. Open the Virginia Case Status and Information page.
2. Select General District Court Case Information.
3. Select the city or county where the case was filed.
4. Choose the appropriate search method.
5. Virginia states that cases may be searched using name, case number, or hearing date.
6. Review whether the result is civil, criminal, or traffic.
7. Open the case and check the docket/status rather than relying on the search-result line.
8. If the case is a felony that advanced beyond preliminary proceedings, check Circuit Court next.

Virginia traffic-ticket search: statewide search and payment search are different

If a Virginia traffic summons has been lost and the issuing jurisdiction is unknown, the Virginia Judiciary specifically recommends using the statewide OCIS search by name.

However, payments cannot be made through the statewide OCIS system. For an eligible payable General District Court offense, move to the locality-based General District Court system.

Lost your Virginia traffic ticket?

1. Open OCIS 2.0.
2. Search using the defendant’s name.
3. Identify the General District Court/locality shown in the result.
4. Write down the case number and hearing date.
5. Return to the locality-specific General District Court Case Information system.
6. Open the case.
7. If the offense is eligible for online payment, follow the official payment option shown there.
8. If no payment option appears, do not assume you can simply pay online; follow the court’s instructions.

Felony cases can require a two-court search

General District Courts conduct preliminary hearings for serious criminal charges, while Circuit Courts have authority to try felony cases.

Circuit Court records: there is no single universal statewide civil search

Virginia has a Circuit Court in each city and county. Circuit Court is the Commonwealth’s trial court with the broadest jurisdiction. It handles felony criminal cases, most civil claims above $25,000, divorce, and appeals from General District and J&DR District Courts.

The Virginia Judiciary provides a central Circuit Court Case Information system for participating courts, where available cases can be searched by locality using:

• name;
• case number; or
• hearing date.

How to find a Virginia Circuit Court record when the central search does not work

1. Identify the city or county where the case was filed.
2. Open Virginia’s Individual Circuit Court Homepages directory.
3. Select that locality.
4. Check the court page for the Clerk’s website and online-case-information links.
5. If a local Clerk search is provided, use that system.
6. If no online public search is offered, record the Clerk’s phone, address, and office hours.
7. Contact the Clerk with the party name, approximate filing year, case type, and known case number.
8. Ask whether the record is online, paper, microfilm, archived, or otherwise maintained outside the public web system.

Virginia divorce records belong to Circuit Court

Divorce cases are handled by Circuit Courts, not General District Courts.

Juvenile & Domestic Relations records are not an ordinary public name-search database

Virginia’s J&DR District Courts handle cases involving juveniles and families, including juvenile delinquency, custody, visitation, support, family abuse, and certain criminal cases involving family or household members.

Virginia’s self-help guidance states that, to protect confidentiality, ordinary J&DR case information is not made available online in the same way as General District and Circuit Court information.

Virginia juvenile case-file confidentiality

Virginia Code § 16.1-305 restricts access to juvenile case files and related social, medical, psychiatric, psychological, supervision, and other protected records.

Virginia law creates limited exceptions, including certain records involving a juvenile age 14 or older who is adjudicated delinquent for conduct that would constitute a felony if committed by an adult. Even then, some protected records can remain confidential.

Child and spousal support files have their own access restriction

Virginia Code § 16.1-305.01 limits inspection of child-support and spousal-support case files principally to:

• the judge, court officials, and assigned clerk staff;
• a party to the case;
• an attorney of record;
• the Department of Social Services / Division of Child Support Enforcement; or
• another person or institution authorized by court order because of a legitimate interest.

Virginia Date of Birth Confirmation is not an ordinary public search feature

Virginia operates a separate Virginia Date of Birth Confirmation (VDBC) service for qualifying organizations and businesses.

VDBC is not simply an advanced public-search button. The Virginia Judiciary states that:

• the subscriber must be an organization registered with the Virginia State Corporation Commission;
• a subscription application must be accepted by the Office of the Executive Secretary; and
• the subscriber must have the individual’s express consent to perform a search using personally identifiable information.

Virginia land records use Secure Remote Access—not OCIS

Virginia Circuit Court Clerks also maintain land and recorded records. The statewide judiciary provides Secure Remote Access (SRA) to records maintained through the Commonwealth of Virginia Electronic Records System (COVERS).

SRA can cover records such as:

• deeds;
• marriage licenses;
• judgments;
• wills; and
• other qualifying Circuit Court Clerk land records.

How to request an actual Virginia court document

Virginia makes an important distinction between judicial/administrative records and individual case records.

The Virginia Judiciary states that ordinary court case files maintained by court clerks are requested from the clerk of the court that maintains the case. They are not handled like a generic request to the Supreme Court’s administrative office.

Case-record request workflow

1. Search online first if the case type and court provide public search.
2. Save the complete case number.
3. Identify the exact court and locality.
4. Identify the document required: complaint, warrant, order, judgment, decree, sentencing order, docket, or another record.
5. Open that court’s official homepage.
6. Locate the Clerk’s contact information.
7. Ask whether the document is nonconfidential and publicly inspectable.
8. Ask whether the file can be inspected onsite or requested remotely.
9. Confirm the page-copy and certification fees before ordering.
10. Ask separately about exemplification, authentication, or apostille if the receiving institution requires one of those services.

Virginia Circuit Court copy fee: $0.50 per page for ordinary copies under the general statute

Virginia Code § 17.1-275 currently provides that a Circuit Court Clerk may charge $0.50 for each page or electronic image when making a copy of a paper, record, or electronic record that is not covered by another specific fee provision.

Virginia District Court copy fees have a different statutory cap

Virginia Code § 16.1-69.48:2 allows a District Court Clerk to set a copying fee within the following maximum:

Public inspection and FOIA: Virginia court case files follow special rules

A frequent mistake is to send a normal Virginia Freedom of Information Act request for an ordinary case file.

The Virginia Judiciary explains that FOIA does not control access to case records maintained by clerks of courts of record and courts not of record. Those court case files are instead requested under the specific Virginia statutes governing court-record access.

Virginia criminal records can disappear from public search because of lawful sealing

Virginia’s criminal-record sealing system is now particularly important when interpreting a blank or changed search result.

Virginia Code currently provides automatic and petition-based sealing processes for qualifying records. Certain qualifying convictions with offense dates on or after January 1, 1986 can be automatically sealed when statutory conditions are satisfied, including applicable waiting-period requirements.

Virginia State Police reviews eligible records electronically on an ongoing basis and provides qualifying offense information through the statutory automatic-sealing process.

Virginia also provides petition-based criminal sealing forms

The Virginia Judiciary currently publishes Circuit Court forms including:

• CC-1201 — Petition for Sealing under Va. Code § 19.2-392.12;
• CC-1203 — Petition for Sealing under Va. Code § 19.2-392.12:1; and
• CC-1206 — Motion to Access a Sealed Court Record.

Virginia appellate cases use ACMS, not OCIS

The Supreme Court of Virginia and Court of Appeals of Virginia provide separate online access through the Appellate Case Management System (ACMS).

Both appellate systems support searches by:

• name; or
• case number.

Virginia ACMS specifically prohibits automated scraping

The appellate ACMS terms contain an unusually explicit restriction that matters for responsible court-record publishing.

The current terms prohibit users from:

• executing automated scripts against ACMS;
• using robots or similar data-gathering methods;
• using automation, AI, or bots to navigate the system;
• using automation, AI, or bots to access or display pages/content; or
• using automation, AI, or bots to download files.

Appellate online information is useful—but the Clerk remains the authoritative source

The ACMS terms state that appellate information is current only to the extent the respective clerks have entered the latest information and tell users to verify accuracy, timeliness, and completeness.

That makes the correct research sequence:

Virginia Court of Appeals and Supreme Court certified-copy fees

Virginia law currently sets the basic appellate copying-and-certification charge at $0.25 per page for qualifying copies made and certified by the Clerk of the Court of Appeals or Clerk of the Supreme Court.

Additional charges can apply to authentication or specialized services, so verify the exact request before sending payment.

Court record vs Virginia criminal-history record

A court docket is not the same thing as a Virginia criminal-history background record.

How to read a Virginia criminal case without turning an allegation into a conviction

Virginia civil cases: General District or Circuit?

A Virginia civil judgment does not automatically mean money is still owed

A judgment entry shows what the court ordered at a particular point in time. It does not automatically prove the present payoff balance.

Check later docket or land-record entries for possible:

• satisfaction;
• release;
• appeal;
• vacatur;
• amended judgment;
• settlement-related filings;
• bankruptcy effects; or
• other post-judgment activity.

Virginia appellate case search by name

For an appeal, searching the trial-court docket alone can leave the research incomplete.

Court of Appeals workflow

1. Open the Court of Appeals ACMS.
2. Read and accept the ACMS terms.
3. Search by party name or case number.
4. Open the matching appellate case.
5. Confirm the trial-court case/reference.
6. Review docket activity, orders, briefs information where available, and disposition.
7. If the appeal progressed further, search the Supreme Court of Virginia ACMS.

Supreme Court workflow

1. Open Supreme Court ACMS.
2. Accept the terms.
3. Search by name or case number.
4. Confirm that the party and underlying case match.
5. Review orders and disposition rather than assuming a petition was granted simply because it was filed.

Virginia federal court records: Eastern District vs Western District

Federal Virginia cases are not stored in OCIS, General District Court Case Information, Circuit Court Case Information, or Virginia appellate ACMS.

How to find the correct federal Virginia case

1. Open PACER.
2. Create or use your PACER account.
3. If the federal district is known, search that district directly.
4. If it is unknown, use PACER Case Locator.
5. Search by party name or known case number.
6. Confirm Eastern vs Western District.
7. Open the case docket.
8. Use filing-date ranges to reduce unnecessary billable pages.
9. Check the billable-page notice before opening documents.

What if a Virginia court-record search returns nothing?

1. Check whether the case was criminal or civil. OCIS statewide search is not the right tool for every civil case.
2. Identify the city or county. Virginia’s trial-court searching remains strongly locality-based.
3. Check General District Court. This is especially important for misdemeanors, traffic, landlord-tenant, lower-level civil cases, and felony preliminary proceedings.
4. Check Circuit Court. Felonies, divorce, higher-value civil matters, and District Court appeals can belong there.
5. Check the local Circuit Clerk system. Not every Circuit Court participates in the same online search platform.
6. Do not expect ordinary juvenile/family records in a public statewide search.
7. Check whether the record could have been lawfully sealed. Virginia’s 2026 criminal-sealing framework can change public visibility.
8. For appellate matters, use ACMS.
9. For deeds, recorded judgments, marriage licenses, or wills, use SRA/local land records.
10. For federal matters, use PACER.
11. For older files, call the Clerk. Ask whether the record is onsite, offsite, paper, microfilm, archived, or maintained in another system.

Identity verification before attributing a Virginia court case to a person

A public name-search result is a possible match—not identity proof.

• confirm the exact court;
• confirm the city or county;
• compare the complete name;
• check middle name or initial where available;
• check suffix;
• confirm case number;
• confirm filing or hearing period;
• check party role;
• compare attorney information where relevant; and
• do not attribute the case if substantial uncertainty remains.

Virginia party-role decoder

What should you do after you find the Virginia case?

Sealed, juvenile and sensitive records

• Do not attempt to bypass criminal-record sealing.
• Do not reconstruct sealed cases from data brokers or web archives.
• Do not expose confidential juvenile information.
• Do not publish Social Security numbers.
• Do not publish financial-account numbers.
• Do not unnecessarily republish full dates of birth.
• Do not expose protected victim contact information.
• Do not treat a restricted J&DR file as publicly searchable merely because a party name is known.

Public-Court-Records.us is not an FCRA consumer-reporting service

Public-Court-Records.us is not a Consumer Reporting Agency and does not provide FCRA consumer reports for employment, tenant screening, credit, insurance, or other covered eligibility decisions.

A Virginia court case search is designed to locate judicial case information. It is not fingerprint-level identity verification and it should not be converted into a consumer-screening product.

Official Virginia sources reviewed

• Virginia Case Status and Information — OCIS statewide coverage, Circuit Court search, General District search, J&DR adult criminal access, appellate search and SRA routing.
• Virginia Judiciary Online Services — current statewide online-service structure.
• Virginia General District Court — misdemeanor, traffic, preliminary felony proceedings and current civil jurisdiction.
• Virginia Circuit Court — felony, divorce, civil and appellate jurisdiction plus case-information routes.
• Virginia Judicial Self-Help — Find a Case — Circuit Court online-search limitations and J&DR confidentiality warning.
• Juvenile & Domestic Relations District Court — J&DR jurisdiction.
• Virginia Code § 16.1-305 — juvenile record confidentiality and limited public-access exceptions.
• Virginia Code § 16.1-305.01 — child and spousal support case-file access.
• Virginia Date of Birth Confirmation — SCC-registration, subscription and express-consent requirements.
• Virginia Secure Remote Access — COVERS land records, free-index availability and subscriber image access.
• Virginia Judiciary — Requesting Public Records — distinction between administrative records and court case records.
• Virginia Code § 17.1-208 — Circuit Court Clerk record inspection.
• Virginia Code § 17.1-275 — Circuit Clerk copy charges and other clerk fees.
• Virginia Code § 16.1-69.48:2 — District Court copying-fee limit.
• Virginia Criminal Sealing Forms — current petition and sealed-record access forms.
• Virginia Code § 19.2-392.6 — automatic sealing of qualifying convictions.
• Virginia Code § 19.2-392.7 — automatic-sealing process.
• Court of Appeals of Virginia — current Clerk contact, address and hours.
• Supreme Court of Virginia — current Clerk contact, address and hours.
• U.S. District Court — Eastern District of Virginia — federal divisions and courthouse information.
• U.S. District Court — Western District of Virginia — federal divisions and courthouse information.
• PACER Pricing — current federal electronic-record fees and billing thresholds.

Research review date: August 30, 2026. Court participation, criminal-record visibility, sealing status, local Clerk procedures, fees, office hours, payment rules, and individual case information can change after publication. Verify time-sensitive or transactional information with the official court.

Frequently asked questions about Virginia court records

1. Can I search Virginia court records statewide by name?

Virginia’s OCIS 2.0 provides a statewide search for adult criminal information in J&DR Courts, criminal and traffic cases in General District Courts, and criminal information from select Circuit Courts. It is not a universal statewide search for every civil, divorce, juvenile, land-record, or Circuit Court case.

2. How do I search a Virginia General District Court case?

Use Virginia’s General District Court Case Information system, choose the locality, and search by name, case number, or hearing date. The system includes civil, criminal, and traffic cases. For eligible offenses, payment functions are also handled through the locality-based system.

3. Why can’t I find a Virginia Circuit Court case in the statewide search?

Not every Circuit Court case is available through one statewide system. OCIS includes criminal information from select Circuit Courts, while Circuit Court Case Information provides locality-based civil and criminal searching for participating courts. Some Circuit Clerks use their own local systems.

4. Where do I search a Virginia felony case?

Felonies are tried in Circuit Court. A felony may first appear in General District Court during preliminary proceedings, so a complete search can require reviewing the General District stage and then the corresponding Circuit Court case.

5. Can I search Virginia juvenile or custody cases online by name?

Ordinary juvenile, custody, visitation, support, and other protected J&DR case files are subject to substantial confidentiality restrictions and are not publicly searchable in the same way as General District or Circuit cases. OCIS can display certain adult criminal information from J&DR Courts, which is a different category.

6. How much does a Virginia Circuit Court copy cost?

Virginia Code § 17.1-275 currently provides a general charge of $0.50 per page or electronic image for a Circuit Clerk copy when no different specific fee provision applies. Specialized services may have different charges, so confirm the fee with the local Clerk.

7. How much can a Virginia District Court Clerk charge for copies?

Virginia Code § 16.1-69.48:2 allows a District Court Clerk to set the fee, but the charge may not exceed $1 for the first two pages and $0.50 for each page after that when the copy is not otherwise specifically provided for.

8. Why did a Virginia criminal case disappear from public search?

Possible explanations include selecting the wrong court, a felony moving from General District to Circuit Court, a participating-court limitation, or lawful criminal-record sealing. Virginia’s current statutes provide automatic and petition-based sealing processes for qualifying records.

9. Where do I search Virginia Court of Appeals, Supreme Court, and federal cases?

The Court of Appeals of Virginia and Supreme Court of Virginia use separate Appellate Case Management System searches. Federal cases use PACER and may belong to the Eastern or Western District of Virginia.

10. Can Virginia court records from this site be used for employment or tenant screening?

No. Public-Court-Records.us is not a Consumer Reporting Agency and should not be treated as an FCRA consumer-reporting service for employment, housing, credit, insurance, or similar eligibility decisions. An online court-name match also does not establish identity by itself.