1. How Virginia records are organized
Virginia divides records among state agencies, courts, counties and independent cities. An independent city is a separate local jurisdiction, so the city address matters when choosing an assessor, treasurer, police department or court. Fairfax City and Fairfax County are different jurisdictions, as are Roanoke City and Roanoke County. Richmond City should not be confused with Richmond County in the Northern Neck.
The Virginia court system supplies court directories and online case-information services. Virginia State Police maintains the criminal-history repository and the Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry. The Department of Corrections maintains state custody and supervision information, the Department of Health issues vital certificates, and the State Corporation Commission maintains business-entity filings.
Locally, circuit court clerks maintain recorded land instruments, marriage licenses, probate records and circuit-court files. Assessors or commissioners of the revenue maintain valuation and tax-assessment information, while treasurers handle tax collections. Sheriffs, police departments and regional jail authorities maintain their own records. A regional jail may serve several localities without being part of the state prison system.
SearchSystems has kept track of where Virginia records are held since 1997. Its Virginia category and locality pages help identify the office behind a search rather than representing a single statewide personal-information database. Use a case number, parcel identifier, deed-book reference, business ID or license number whenever available. A name-only result is a lead that needs comparison with other details, not a reliable identity match by itself.
2. Virginia FOIA: who can request records and when to expect an answer
The Virginia Freedom of Information Act, Va. Code § 2.2-3700 and following, gives access rights to Virginia citizens and specified representatives of news media serving the Commonwealth. The custodian may ask for the requester's name and legal address. This eligibility rule does not make every public website resident-only or override another statute that allows any person to inspect a particular record.
Under § 2.2-3704, a request must identify existing records with reasonable specificity. It need not mention FOIA. The ordinary response period is five working days. The public body must supply the records or respond in writing that records are withheld, partly withheld, cannot be found or do not exist, or cannot practically be supplied or evaluated within that period.
The FOIA Council's June 2026 public-records reference explains the required responses. A withholding response must identify the applicable statutory authority. If the office knows another public body has the requested records, its no-record response must provide that body's contact information. Failure to respond is treated as a denial and a violation, not as an indefinite extension.
A timely explanation of practical difficulty generally permits seven additional working days. Requests for criminal investigative files under Section 2.2-3706.1 have a separate 60-working-day extension provision. Extraordinary volume can also lead to a court-approved extension after the required efforts to reach an arrangement. Do not apply the ordinary seven-day extension mechanically to every police investigative-file request.
The Council's July 2026 records-access guidance explains the charging and estimate rules. Fees must reflect reasonable actual costs of accessing, searching, duplicating or supplying records, with reasonable efforts to minimize cost. General overhead and unrelated expenses cannot be added. Ask for an advance estimate and specify a spending limit. If anticipated charges exceed $200, the body may require a deposit up to the estimate, credited to the final bill. The response clock is paused while awaiting a requested deposit or the requester's response to a cost estimate. Answer the notice explicitly so the office knows whether to proceed or narrow the search.
The Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council provides assistance and advisory guidance. Enforcement may involve a petition under Section 2.2-3713; the Council is not a substitute for a court order. Keep the original request, acknowledgment, estimate and denial so the issue is clear. Court records, vital certificates and protected criminal-history material also have specific access laws and procedures.
A Virginia FOIA request concerns existing records of public business, including qualifying email and electronic files. It does not require an agency to answer a questionnaire or create a new investigative report. Specify the contracts, payment records, correspondence or permit documents you need. Where a request would be expensive, ask whether an existing report, narrower date range or already released file answers the same question. Keep the custodian's production decision separate from your interpretation of what the documents show.
3. Courts: statewide criminal searches and locality case files
The judiciary's Case Status and Information page is the central starting point. The Online Case Information System supports statewide searching of adult criminal matters in juvenile and domestic relations district courts, criminal and traffic matters in general district courts, and participating circuit-court cases. It is not a complete statewide search of every civil or juvenile matter.
Use the circuit-court case-information system for participating locality searches and the general district court system for district-court cases. Select the court that actually handled the matter. Fairfax Circuit Court operates a separate eCaseSearch service; a missing statewide result should lead to a court-specific check rather than a conclusion that no case exists.
Online results can supply a case number, parties, hearing dates, charges or disposition. They do not necessarily provide every pleading, exhibit or signed order. Request the actual document from the clerk when its wording matters, and ask for certification if a receiving agency requires it. Confidential juvenile matters, sealed cases and protected documents may be unavailable even though other court information is public.
Circuit-clerk records are generally open to inspection by any person under § 17.1-208, subject to statutory exceptions. Section 17.1-275 governs clerk fees. For example, the Richmond Circuit Court Clerk lists $0.50 per page and an additional $2 for a certified copy. Confirm the document, page count, payment method and delivery charge with the responsible clerk.
Appellate research uses the Court of Appeals case system, Supreme Court case system and published appellate opinions. An opinion explains the appellate ruling but does not reproduce the entire lower-court file. For older matters, the Library of Virginia's Chancery Records Index can provide historical case material. Its Burned Jurisdiction Database indexes surviving copies of documents from localities that suffered record losses, often preserved as exhibits in another case. It is a route to surviving evidence, not a reconstruction of every destroyed file.
Federal cases use PACER and the appropriate court: the Eastern District of Virginia, Western District of Virginia, Eastern District Bankruptcy Court, Western District Bankruptcy Court or Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. PACER generally charges $0.10 per page and waives charges when the quarterly total is $30 or less. The Virginia court records directory connects these separate systems.
Historical chancery research has two coverage questions: whether the locality is indexed and whether the relevant case has digital images. The Library of Virginia's collection page distinguishes those categories and identifies material temporarily closed for conservation or processing. Establish the historical locality and year before ordering. A family name may appear in witness testimony or an attached deed even when it is not one of the case's principal party names; inspect the available case documents rather than stopping with the index caption.
4. State Police criminal-history checks
The Virginia State Police criminal-record service is a formal request process, not an instant public name-search database. Individuals and other users who do not qualify for a different authorized form generally use SP-167. The subject's consent and required notarized signatures matter: this is not a way to order an unrestricted background report on someone without following the form's authorization requirements.
The SP-167 instructions list $15 for a criminal-history search and $20 for a combined criminal-history and sex-offender-registry search. The State Police form generator prepares a form to print and submit; it does not itself return the record. An optional notary service is a separate charge.
Ordinary name-based SP-167 processing reports Virginia convictions. The instructions explain that a fingerprint card is needed when requesting the broader Virginia charges, dismissals and pending-charge information through that route. A no-conviction result does not rule out an arrest record. The instructions distinguish the result wording for name searches, fingerprint searches and particular authorized purposes.
State Police describes roughly 15 business days after receipt of a mailed request, with its FAQ allowing 15 to 20 business days. It offers no expedited or same-day processing. A hand-delivered form does not turn the service into a same-day record check. Follow the current payment instructions; the published directions do not accept personal checks.
SP-230 is for qualifying Virginia employers and other authorized entities and does not require notarization. National fingerprint checks for qualifying organizations caring for children, older adults or people with disabilities require the appropriate separate authorization and setup. A Virginia-only result does not establish a nationwide history. The Virginia criminal records directory helps distinguish repository checks from local incident records and court dispositions.
For an inaccurate repository entry, use the Civil and Applicant Records Exchange guidance. A person who believes someone else's record has been attributed to them can initiate a fingerprint-based record challenge through law enforcement. The agency distinguishes that identity challenge from correcting an outcome or other information contributed to the repository. CCRE coordinates corrections with the contributing criminal-justice agency and does not accept a replacement account of the case from an unrelated private source. Preserve the court's disposition and identify the arresting agency when reporting the error.
Choose the purpose before completing a request. An ordinary employment inquiry, an international-use record and a statutorily authorized national fingerprint check do not necessarily use identical paperwork. The receiving organization should identify the product it requires. A search of Virginia court cases may help locate supporting documents, but it cannot take the place of a formal State Police response when that response is specifically required.
5. Arrest reports, jail custody, supervision and warrants
The VADOC Inmate and Supervisee Locator covers people in state correctional custody and people under state probation or parole supervision. Search by name or the seven-digit DOC identifier. The locator is updated daily, but the department warns that displayed information can be delayed or inaccurate. A supervision result does not mean the person is currently in a prison cell.
Recent local bookings may require a county, city or regional-jail search instead. Dinwiddie County's Meherrin River Regional Jail information, the Blue Ridge Regional Jail Authority and the Roanoke County inmate inquiry provide local routes. Danville's police activity reports separate recent arrests, incident summaries, warrants and arrest photographs. The arrest and incident reports cover a published seven-day period. Check the period and custody status; an arrest report is not a conviction record or a complete lifetime history.
Warrant publications also vary. Smithfield's outstanding-warrant page concerns that locality. James City County's most-wanted page, York County public-information reports, Hampton's wanted list and Newport News outstanding warrants provide separate local publications. The VADOC most-wanted page addresses correctional fugitives rather than all warrants issued statewide.
Other links lead to agency information rather than a current warrant list. Use the Arlington Sheriff's Office, Petersburg Bureau of Police, Richmond County Sheriff's Office, Norfolk Police, Portsmouth Police or Radford Police for the correct local contact. Petersburg is an independent city, not a Dinwiddie County warrant database.
Read publication dates before relying on news pages. Harrisonburg police news and Richmond's Crime of the Week are announcements with their own dates and scope. They do not establish that every person named in an older release remains wanted. The Staunton Police Department supplies another locality-specific agency contact.
Use the Virginia wants and warrants directory to locate the responsible office. Confirm current status with that office. Lists can change after service, recall or correction, and a similarly named person may not be the subject of the record.
A request for basic felony incident information is different from a request for the whole investigative file. Virginia's law-enforcement disclosure statute identifies releasable incident details, while investigative files have separate access limits, victim-notification requirements and requester categories. Even a closed investigation is not automatically a public download of all witness statements or evidence. Identify the incident number and the specific record sought; a jail's booking screen and the investigating agency's file are separate records.
6. Vital records: $15 through health offices, $17 at DMV
The Virginia Office of Vital Records issues state birth, death, marriage and divorce certificates. Effective July 1, 2026, the standard fee is $15 for each certified copy or search when no copy is produced. A search that does not locate a record is not refundable. The state office currently describes standard processing as approximately two weeks, separate from postal delivery and any additional work needed to resolve an application.
Eligible customers can also request Virginia certificates at full-service DMV offices. The DMV vital-record service charges a $17 search fee. Bring the required identification and applicant information. If DMV cannot locate or print the record, it forwards the application to Vital Records for further research; same-visit issuance is therefore not guaranteed.
Virginia's vital-record FAQ explains eligibility and historical coverage. Birth records become public 100 years after the event; death, marriage and divorce records become public after 25 years. During the restricted period, eligible immediate family includes parents, a current spouse, children, siblings and grandparents, with appropriate identification. Other legal authority or a qualifying interest must be evaluated under the applicable rule.
The state's genealogy instructions describe holdings that include births and deaths from 1853 through 1896 and from June 1912 onward, marriage records from 1853 and divorce records from 1918. The gap in statewide birth and death registration matters when searching an event around 1900. For a recent death, a person outside the immediate family with a direct and tangible interest may qualify for a verification of death rather than a full certified certificate.
For the actual marriage-license record, contact the circuit court clerk that issued the license. For the complete divorce decree, contact the circuit court that granted the divorce. The Virginia Beach Circuit Court Clerk is one local route. A state divorce certificate and a decree containing the court's orders are different documents; ask the receiving organization which one it needs.
Historical family research can also use the Fairfax County Cemetery Survey and Loudoun County cemetery database. Cemetery entries can identify a burial site or provide a date clue, but they are not substitutes for certified vital records. The Virginia vital records directory connects state, local and archival resources.
For older events, distinguish the date range of the state's holdings from the range of a particular online index. Virginia's genealogy instructions describe an index of births and deaths from 1912, divorces from 1918 and marriages from 1936, subject to the public-access age limits. Earlier marriage records may still exist even though they are outside that index. The Library of Virginia's collections and research resources connect archival descriptions and digitized material. Record the locality, event date and collection reference so the next request identifies a document rather than repeating a broad surname search.
7. Deeds, assessments, property maps and tax accounts
Virginia records deeds and other land instruments through circuit court clerks. Start with the jurisdiction where the land lies, then search the grantor or grantee index using names, dates and a deed-book/page or instrument number. Arlington's recorded-document search is one local example. Remote access arrangements vary; some clerks require a subscription even when records can be inspected at the courthouse.
Assessments and taxes are separate. An assessor or commissioner of the revenue maintains parcel descriptions and values; a treasurer maintains the tax account. An assessed-owner entry is useful for locating a parcel, but it does not replace the recorded chain of deeds. Use the recorded documents directory for instruments and the property records directory for assessment, mapping and tax services.
For an assessed parcel, examples include Patrick County's commissioner of the revenue, Bath County property cards, Bedford County's commissioner and Fauquier County real-estate information. Compare those records with tax-account services such as Bath County taxes, Campbell County taxes, Culpeper County taxes and Greene County taxes. A valuation page and a payment receipt answer different questions.
Map-based research includes Bedford County GIS, Augusta County GIS, Clarke County mapping, Culpeper County online assessment services, Dinwiddie County GIS and Franklin County GIS. Craig County's official GIS viewer supplies parcel and geographic research through the mapping service linked by the county. Map outlines assist with location but do not establish a surveyed boundary.
In Frederick County, distinguish the Planning Access Terminal, county GIS and treasurer. Likewise, Gloucester real-estate tax information and Gloucester GIS serve different purposes. Goochland's map viewers, Hanover's parcel map and Hanover's tax portal can help connect a location with the correct account. Verify whether the tax category concerns real estate or personal property.
Other locality routes include Henry County GIS, Isle of Wight assessments, James City County property information, King George property and tax records, King William real-estate cards and Louisa County tax maps. Mathews cadastral maps provide mapping information, while Middlesex property cards and Middlesex tax accounts separate assessed details from payment information.
For additional searches, use Montgomery County GIS, New Kent online payments, Northampton maps, Orange County GIS and Orange County payment instructions. Page County's tax-account application should be treated as a tax service rather than a GIS map. Pittsylvania County's maps and GIS page separates its mapping portal from real-estate data and identifies which department handles assessment, addressing and permitting questions.
In Powhatan, compare GIS information with the tax-account portal. Prince Edward property cards, Prince George assessments and Prince George maps provide additional parcel research. Roanoke County separates assessments, property mapping and tax information. Use the parcel identifier across systems and check each system's update date.
Tax research also includes Russell County, Shenandoah County and the Warren County treasurer. The Sussex County property-card search identifies assessed-property details; obtain the recorded instrument separately when researching a transfer. Surry County mapping and York County maps supply geographic context. York's personal-property tax page concerns that tax category, not proof of a real-estate tax payment.
Independent-city property searches are equally local. Use Falls Church real-property data, Fredericksburg's parcel viewer, Williamsburg assessments, Alexandria assessments and Alexandria interactive maps. The Blacksburg mapping portal is a town resource; distinguish town information from Montgomery County records. Charlottesville's assessor and Fairfax City's property search cover their respective cities, not the surrounding counties.
Hampton offers a parcel viewer, Harrisonburg provides property information and mapping resources, and Lynchburg has a parcel viewer. For Manassas Park use the city assessor. Newport News separates assessment searches from maps, while Norfolk AIR and its city information page explain Norfolk's property system.
The Petersburg assessor, Portsmouth assessor and Portsmouth treasurer illustrate the distinction between valuation and collection. Additional city resources include Radford GIS, Roanoke City mapping, Salem property searches, Staunton maps, Suffolk's assessor, Virginia Beach property searches and Winchester real-estate tax information. For every locality, retain the assessment year, parcel identifier and recording reference rather than assuming all databases update together.
For the instrument itself, Virginia's Secure Remote Access land-record system serves participating circuit clerks. Users must arrange access with the appropriate clerk; a public parcel map login is not an SRA subscription. Request the recorded deed or deed of trust by instrument number or book and page. A current assessment owner field cannot establish whether every lien has been released, and a judgment search is not the same as a search of all instruments in the land-record series.
Older land research can use the Library of Virginia's Land Office Patents and Grants collection. It covers patents from 1623 to 1774, grants from 1779 to February 2000, and separate Northern Neck material. Those are historical grants and related records, not a present-day assessment database. Follow later transfers in the relevant circuit clerk's records when tracing the chain from an early grant to a modern parcel.
Environmental records add another layer to property research. DEQ's pollution-report search accepts an incident number, date range and city or county. Its data guidance explains that downloadable incident summaries do not include the supporting agency documents. Those documents require a separate records request. The guidance identifies a five-year retention period for associated incident files, so an older database entry may survive after its supporting documents are no longer available. A report entry is a starting point for the agency file, not a determination of a property's current environmental condition.
8. Business filings and professional licenses
Virginia's business-entity registry belongs to the State Corporation Commission, not the Secretary of the Commonwealth. The Clerk's Information System provides entity searches, filings and document requests. Match the entity ID, legal name and status before relying on a result. A registered agent's address is an official contact address, not necessarily the location where the business operates.
The SCC's certificates and copies instructions explain that noncertified images of filings made on or after January 1, 1997 are generally available free online. Good-standing certificates for corporations cost $6. LLCs and other eligible entities use the appropriate certificate of fact of existence or registration. Online certified document-copy requests also carry a $6 charge. Select the document the recipient actually requires.
For occupations regulated by the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation, use the DPOR license lookup. Select the credential relevant to the work, such as contractor, real-estate or engineering licensing. Health professions use the Department of Health Professions license search, and accountants use the Board of Accountancy verification portal. A business registration does not substitute for the individual or firm credential required by a licensing board.
Financial and insurance checks have their own systems: SCC regulated financial institutions, insurance agencies, insurance agents and insurance companies. Review the particular license or authorization and any available disciplinary document, rather than treating the mere appearance of a name as proof that every activity is authorized.
The Department of Criminal Justice Services verification tool serves regulated credentials such as bail-related licenses, while its private-security program explains security-business and individual requirements. The federal appraiser registry supplies another credential resource. For childcare, use the Virginia Department of Education's facility-search instructions to reach the current search and inspect the provider's available inspection history.
Virginia ABC's license-search tool addresses alcohol-licensing questions. Match the licensed premises and license category rather than relying only on a familiar business name. The Virginia licenses directory helps choose the regulator by activity. Save the license number and check status, expiration and any restrictions on the record.
Health-license status and disciplinary history are related but separate checks. DHP's case-decision history search filters published decisions by board and date range. Read the decision itself, including its effective date and any later order. The ordinary license search includes some expired records, so use its current-license filter when that is the question. A name appearing in the search does not by itself establish that the credential is active.
DHP's subscriber-service instructions distinguish occasional public verification from regular or high-volume license checking. The free lookup has usage limits; organizations should use the agency's designated data services rather than treating the individual lookup as an unrestricted bulk-download service. A monitoring alert identifies a record change and should lead to review of the current official status or order.
Childcare searches also reward a narrow, well-chosen query. The state's instructions recommend searching a distinctive part of a provider's name when punctuation or spelling prevents a match. A facility record can show its licensed or exempt category, capacity, inspector, inspection dates, violations and any available plan of correction. Read the inspection associated with the relevant date and contact the listed inspector about missing context. A business-entity result from the SCC cannot supply that licensing and inspection history.
9. Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry
Virginia State Police operates the Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry under Chapter 9 of Title 9.1. The public service allows searches for covered registrants and provides information about tier levels and governing statutes. Read the identifying details, offense information and displayed update information before treating a result as a match.
The registry expressly states that inclusion is not an individualized State Police assessment of current dangerousness or the likelihood of reoffending. A registration tier has a statutory function and should not be turned into an unsupported personal risk score. An address reflects reported registration information; questions about its accuracy belong with the responsible agency.
Use the registry's current search and notification features rather than an old downloaded list. Registry information does not replace a complete criminal-history report or the court's disposition. Registration, removal and verification requirements depend on the applicable law and case history, so a general web result should not be used to calculate someone's eligibility for removal.
10. Unclaimed property and automatic VA Cash Now payments
The Treasury's vaMoneySearch service is the official free route to search for unclaimed funds and begin a claim. Search previous names, business names and old addresses as well as current details. The reported holder and address can help distinguish your property from that of someone with a similar name.
Under VA Cash Now, Treasury can return qualifying single-owner property worth up to $5,000 automatically when taxpayer and address details match. Its instructions describe a notification letter followed by a check within 45 days. This does not mean every property under $5,000 will qualify for automatic payment.
Property above that amount, multiple-owner property and business or heir claims require the ordinary claim process and supporting documentation. An estate claim may require proof of authority to act for the estate, not merely proof of relationship. Follow the requirements supplied for the particular claim and retain the claim number. There is no need to pay a private intermediary to use the state's free search and claim service.
Treasury's unclaimed-property program page distinguishes owner claims from reports submitted by businesses holding unclaimed assets. Use the owner or heir route when trying to recover money; the holder-reporting forms perform a different function. Treasury requires an appointment for an in-person visit. Search and assemble the claim's evidence first so the visit or correspondence addresses a specific property reference.
11. Driving records and voter information
The Virginia DMV record service offers different transcript types. A personal-use driving record can contain up to 11 years, an employment, school or military record up to seven years, and an insurance record up to five years. Select the purpose the receiving organization requires rather than assuming every transcript contains the same history.
The current DMV fee schedule lists $8 online or $9 through other request channels for an ordinary driving or vehicle record, plus $5 for certification. Requests may be made online, by mail or at a customer-service center, subject to the record and authorization requirements. A vehicle record reflects the requester's ownership period rather than an unrestricted dossier on every prior owner.
DMV's nongovernmental access rules explain the limits on disclosure of personal DMV information. Requests for another person's record require the appropriate consent or permitted basis. A public-records request does not remove those restrictions. The DMV instructions identify the form and information needed for a particular request.
For elections, use the Virginia voter-information portal to check your own registration and related voting information. Local election offices maintain jurisdiction-specific polling information, including Carroll County registration services, Isle of Wight polling places, New Kent districts and precincts and Patrick County voting precincts. These are election resources, not warrant or property databases. The Virginia voter records directory connects additional official services.
A separate vehicle-history request can retrieve prior titling transactions without disclosing former owners' names. DMV lists an $8 research charge covering the first retrieved document and $3 for each additional document, and says title documents more than ten years old are unavailable. Include the VIN, title number, make and year. This is a different product from the ordinary vehicle transcript covering your own ownership period.
Virginia's election-list service is restricted to qualified persons or entities under the relevant election statutes. It offers specified voter and participation lists, with a charge based on the requested data. The department verifies eligibility before supplying an invoice and prohibits posting the supplied registered-voter information online as a searchable list or database. Participation history does not reveal a voter's ballot choices. The public voter-list maintenance reports instead explain administrative maintenance activity and are not a substitute for an individual registration lookup.
12. Requesting records that are not searchable online
Begin by identifying the actual custodian. For a deed, request the circuit court clerk's recorded instrument; for a tax receipt, contact the treasurer; for a police incident, contact the agency that created the report. A regional jail, city police department and county sheriff can each hold different records about the same event.
Describe the existing document, date range and identifying number. A useful request might say: "Please provide the final contract and amendments for [project] approved between [dates], electronically if available. Please notify me before costs exceed $25. For any withheld portion, please identify the applicable legal exemption and provide the remaining public material." Adapt the wording for the record rather than sending a broad request for everything about a person.
Ask for the format you can use and specify whether certification is needed. A plain scan may be enough for research but unsuitable for a court filing or benefit application. For old records, give the former name, historical jurisdiction and approximate year; boundary changes, indexing practices and record losses can affect where the record survives.
Keep the reply and search details. If the office finds no record, ask whether it searched the relevant years and whether another custodian or archive may hold it. If it withholds a located record, request the specific legal basis. Distinguishing those situations makes a follow-up more useful and prevents repeated fees for the same unsuccessful search.
Before paying for a new environmental-record search, check DEQ's FOIA and previously released records service. Beginning May 28, 2026, the agency made requests and released records available publicly through its enhanced portal. A previously fulfilled request may already contain the permit or correspondence you need. For a new request, select the regional office responsible for the facility; use Central Office for statewide requests. Include a facility name, address and permit or incident number rather than asking for every environmental record in an entire county.
13. Detailed Virginia search guides
The Virginia arrest records guide explains how local arrest information differs from conviction reporting, and the background-check guide compares formal State Police request routes. Use the inmate-search guide for custody and supervision research and the people-search guide for matching identifying details across public systems.
The birth-certificate guide develops ordering and eligibility requirements, while the death-records guide distinguishes the available death-record products. The business-search guide explains SCC entity research and document requests.
For more detail on access, use the Virginia public-records-law guide. The sex-offender-registry guide expands on the registry's coverage, and the unclaimed-property guide explains the steps from a potential match to an automatic payment or documented claim.
14. County starting points and local property tools
The Fairfax County directory connects local court and administrative resources. For property, compare county assessment information with MyFairfax tax services. Use the Prince William County directory for its local offices and the Loudoun County directory with Loudoun assessments and WebLogis mapping for parcel research.
The Chesterfield County directory includes routes such as real-estate assessment data. The Henrico County directory complements Henrico GIS open data. In Arlington County, compare the property search with the circuit clerk's recorded documents when checking an ownership change.
For Stafford County, use county mapping for geography and tax search and payment services for the account. In Spotsylvania County, the 2026 assessment search and GIS viewer provide complementary parcel information. Always check the assessment year rather than assuming an older bookmark displays the current value.
Additional locality starting points include Essex County, Accomack County and Accomack GIS. The Albemarle, Alleghany, Amelia, Amherst and Appomattox county directories provide routes to their local records offices. An office request may reach older documents that the public online index does not cover.
15. Virginia changes affecting searches in 2026
Virginia's expanded criminal-record sealing laws took effect July 1, 2026. They provide automatic and petition-based processes for qualifying records under § 19.2-392.5 and following. Eligibility depends on the offense, disposition and statutory conditions; the change does not mean all old cases disappear or every eligible record becomes unavailable immediately.
Sealing restricts public availability while preserving records for authorized uses. A case that once appeared in a public search may later be unavailable. Use current official records and the applicable court process for a sealing question rather than treating an old copied result as a permanent statement of public status.
The standard vital-record certificate or search fee increased to $15 on July 1, 2026. DMV's current fee is $17. Older forms and reference pages may still display the former $12 health-department fee, so confirm the current amount before mailing an application.
Another July 1 change allows adult adoptees born in Virginia to request their original birth certificate without obtaining a court order. The applicant must submit the required application, identification and fee to Vital Records. This is a specific access route for the adult adoptee, not a general opening of all adoption files to the public.
For petition-based sealing, Section 19.2-392.12 directs filing to the circuit court in the county or city where the case was disposed of, even when the original matter was handled by a district court. It provides for forwarding the petitioner's Virginia and national criminal history to that circuit court and does not charge court fees for filing the petition under that section. This is not a blanket waiver of every related expense. State Police publishes separate criminal-history submission guides for Fairfax Circuit Court and other Virginia circuit courts; choose the one matching the petition's court.
16. Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is Virginia FOIA available to everyone nationwide? A: Its enforceable access rights cover Virginia citizens and specified news-media representatives. Other laws and public online systems can provide broader access. For example, nonconfidential circuit-clerk records are generally open to inspection by any person under § 17.1-208.
Q: Can I get an instant Virginia State Police background check online? A: The public SP-167 process generates a form for submission and requires the appropriate consent and notarization. The ordinary criminal-history fee is $15, and State Police describes about 15 business days after receipt, with its FAQ allowing 15 to 20 business days. Online court information is a separate service.
Q: How much does a Virginia birth or death certificate cost in 2026? A: Since July 1, the standard health-department certificate or search costs $15. DMV charges $17 for its vital-record search service. Eligibility, identification and possible additional delivery charges still apply, and an unsuccessful search is not automatically refundable.
Q: Where are Virginia deeds recorded? A: With the circuit court clerk serving the jurisdiction where the property lies. Assessor and treasurer searches provide valuation and tax information, but they do not replace the recorded deed or its certification.
Q: Does a missing online court result mean no criminal record exists? A: No. Coverage varies by court and case type, and sealed or confidential information may be unavailable. Fairfax Circuit Court uses a separate search. Confirm the court, date range and identifiers before drawing a conclusion from an empty result.
Q: Will Virginia automatically send my unclaimed money? A: VA Cash Now can pay qualifying single-owner property worth up to $5,000 after matching taxpayer and address information. Other properties, including business and heir claims, require the ordinary free claim process through vaMoneySearch. A potential match still requires proof that the property belongs to the claimant.