How to Search Virginia Public Records

Virginia's court, criminal, vital, property, voter, and licensing records are maintained across state agencies and the 95 counties listed below. Use the tabs to filter by record type, or jump directly to any source.

  • Courts: The Supreme Court of Virginia sits at the top of the system; trial-court business is handled by the Circuit Court, General District Court, Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court. Most courts publish dockets and case lookups online.
  • Criminal history: The state's criminal-history repository handles official background checks. Fees and procedures are set by the state agency — see the linked official source.
  • Vital records: Birth, death, marriage, and divorce certificates are issued by the state Department of Health (or equivalent) and may also be available locally.
  • Property & recorded documents: Maintained at the county level by the Assessor, Recorder, or Clerk's office.
  • Business filings: The Secretary of State (or equivalent) operates the official business-entity search.
Population
8,811,195
Households
3,324,700
Median Income
$87,249
Median Home Value
$339,800

Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2024 Population Estimates Program; 2022 ACS 5-year)

Wants & Warrants Databases

28 official Virginia wants & warrants sources.

Wants & Warrants

Smithfield Most Wanted
Official Free
The meaning of SITE is the spatial location of an actual or planned structure or set of structures (such as a building, town, or monuments). How to use site in a sentence. Cite, Sight, and Site
Smithfield Warrants
Official Free
Provided by Smithfield, Virginia Police: Browse this list of persons with outstanding warrants.
Virginia | Probation & Parole Fugitives
Official Free
Virginia Department of Corrections list of wanted probation and parole fugitives.
SITE Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
Official Free
Browse the Albemarle County, Virginia Stoppers listing of most wanted criminals. View information including name, physical description, charges, and last known address.
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Arlington County Most Wanted
Official Free
Provided by the Arlington County Sheriff's Office. Browse photos of most wanted criminals & view information including name and date of birth.
Arlington County Most Wanted - Crime Solvers
Official Free
Browse the Arlington County Crime Solvers listing of most wanted criminals. View photos of the suspects and news releases with crime descriptions.
Carroll County Polling Locations
Official Free
Provided by the Carroll County, Virginia Supervisor of Elections. Browse polling places by district and address.
Dinwiddie County Most Wanted
Official Free
Browse the Petersburg/Dinwiddie Crime Solvers list of Most Wanted. Provides name, picture, description, last known address and crime.
Goochland County | Most Wanted
Official Free
Goochland County Sheriff's Office most wanted.
Hanover County | Inmates
Official Free
Hanover County / Pamunkey Regional Jail inmate search.
James City County | Most Wanted
Official Free
Most wanted James City County fugitives.
Richmond County Most Wanted
Official Free
Provided by the Richmond County Sheriff's Office. Browse photos of most wanted criminals & view information including name, age, charges, and last known address.
Rockingham County | Most Wanted
Official Free
List of most wanted persons from the Rockingham County Sheriff's Office.
Washington County | Warrants
Official Free
Click on the "Active Warrants" button to view the Washington County Sheriff's Office current list.
Westmoreland County | Most Wanted
Official Free
Westmoreland County Sheriff Office arrest warrants.
York County Warrants
Official Free
Browse a York County, Virginia Sheriff's Department pdf file containing an alphabetical list of active warrants in that area.
Danville Most Wanted
Official Free
Browse this Danville, Virginia Police Department list of most wanted criminals.
Hampton Warrants
Official Free
Provided by Hampton, Virginia Police: Browse this alphabetical listing of outstanding warrants.
Harrisonburg Most Wanted
Official Free
Browse this Harrisonburg, Virginia Police Department list of Most Wanted fugitives by name and photo.
Newport News Warrants
Official Free
Browse this Newport News Police Department list by name for persons who have outstanding warrants in the City of Newport News.
Norfolk | Warrants
Official Free
Norfolk Police Department list of active warrants.
Portsmouth Most Wanted
Official Free
Provided by the Portsmouth Police Department. Browse photos of most wanted criminals & view information including name, age, address, and charges.
Radford Most Wanted
Official Free
Provided by the Radford, Virginia Police Department. Browse photos of most wanted criminals & view information including name, physical description, charges, and last known address.
Richmond Crime of the Week - Crime Stoppers
Official Free
Provided by the Richmond Police Department and Crime Stoppers. Browse the current "Crime of the Week" listing or view the archives from the current year.
🌐 rva.gov
Richmond Most Wanted
Official Free
See the most wanted fugitives in Richmond, Virginia in this police database.
🌐 rva.gov
Roanoke Crimes / Most Wanted
Official Free
Browse this Roanoke, Virginia Police listing of recent crimes. Includes some most wanted posters.
Staunton Most Wanted
Official Free
Provided by the Staunton, Virginia Police Department. Browse photos of most wanted criminals & view information including name, age, physical description, charges, and last known address.
Virginia Beach Warrant Search
Official Free
Search for active warrants in Virginia Beach, Virginia by name, partial name, warrant type, charge code, or description.

Virginia Counties

95 Virginia counties are indexed on SearchSystems.net — top 28 counties shown below. Browse the full directory or click any county for local court, sheriff, recorder and assessor links.

Frequently Asked Questions

Virginia's official criminal-history repository is operated by the state law-enforcement agency. Free public access to a complete criminal history is generally not available; an official background check typically requires fingerprints and a fee. Countie-level court records can be searched at no cost through individual court websites.

Virginia's court system is headed by the Supreme Court of Virginia. Trial-court business is handled by the Circuit Court, General District Court, Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court. Many Virginia courts publish docket searches and case lookups online — see the Court Records tab above for direct links.

The Virginia Secretary of State (or equivalent agency) operates the official business-entity search. You can typically search corporations, LLCs, LPs, and other registered entities by name or registration number. See the Licenses or Business tab above.

The Assessor determines property values for tax purposes. The Recorder (or Clerk-Recorder) records deeds, mortgages, liens, and other property documents. Some county offices combine these roles, others keep them separate. Check the specific county page for details.

Virginia vital records (birth, death, marriage, divorce certificates) are issued by the state Department of Health (or equivalent) and, in many cases, by local county clerks. Fees and ID requirements are set by the issuing agency.

Most county-level property and recorded-document searches are free for basic information through the Assessor or Recorder website. Certified copies of deeds typically have a per-page fee. Direct links are in the Property Records tab above.

The Virginia sex offender registry is maintained by the state law-enforcement agency under the Sex Offender Registration and Community Notification Act. The registry is searchable by name, ZIP code, or address.

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