Search Virginia Public Records - Free Government Databases
Free links to official Virginia state and county government records — courts, criminal histories, vital records, property, voter, business, and licenses across all 95 counties.
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: Official background checks run through the Virginia State Police (VSP); the Virginia criminal records page covers the current fee and request process.
Vital records: Birth, death, marriage, and divorce certificates are issued by the Virginia Office of Vital Records 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 State Corporation Commission operates the official business-entity search.
Population
8,811,195
Households
3,365,732
Median Income
$89,931
Median Home Value
$383,700
Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2024 Population Estimates Program; 2022 ACS 5-year)
Virginia Public Records at a Glance
Virginia complicates geography before it complicates records: 38 independent cities operate outside county government entirely, so Richmond city and Henrico County, for example, keep entirely separate books. Court dockets are strong — the judiciary's online case information covers circuit and district courts across nearly the whole state, indexed on our Virginia court records page. The State Police run a consent-based criminal history program; the public route is the court docket search. Birth and death certificates come from the Office of Vital Records, with DMV offices able to print many of them — a Virginia convenience. Circuit court clerks record deeds jurisdiction by jurisdiction. Corporations file with the State Corporation Commission, not a secretary of state. 296 official sources below.
Official Databases
296
County Pages
98
Record Categories
8
Directory Since
1997
Figures reflect sources indexed in this directory and the latest official reports. Content reviewed July 30, 2026 by the SearchSystems editorial team.
Virginia Guides
Step-by-step pages for the searches people actually run:
The Library of Virginia's guide to 'burned' counties — jurisdictions whose courthouse records were destroyed, mostly in the Civil War — and the surviving substitutes for each. Essential before assuming a Virginia record is lost.
Virginia General District Courts case record query system. Select a court, then search by name, case number, hearing date, or search for service of process records.
Use this case management system for the Supreme Court of Virginia to search for Virginia Supreme Court case records by petitioner, respondent, or case number.
U.S. Eastern District of Virginia Bankruptcy case records, documents, and dockets. PACER required. Note: PACER charges $0.10/page; the first $30 per quarter is free.
Civil & Criminal case record database for the U.S. Eastern District of Virginia. PACER account required. Note: PACER charges $0.10/page; the first $30 per quarter is free.
Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals PACER database search and document copies. Access requires registration. Note: PACER charges $0.10/page; the first $30 per quarter is free.
Bankruptcy Case database for the U.S. Western District of Virginia by name. PACER registration required. Note: PACER charges $0.10/page; the first $30 per quarter is free.
U.S. Western District of Virginia records for Federal civil & criminal case filings. PACER account required. Note: PACER charges $0.10/page; the first $30 per quarter is free.
Library of Virginia archives of cases filed in circuit county clerk offices. Include divorces, estate records, resolution of land disputes, and business partnership settlements.
Provided by the Smithfield, Virginia Police Department. Browse photos of most wanted criminals & view information including name, age, physical description, charges, and last known address.
Provided by the Richmond County Sheriff's Office. Browse photos of most wanted criminals & view information including name, age, charges, and last known address.
Provided by the Radford, Virginia Police Department. Browse photos of most wanted criminals & view information including name, physical description, charges, and last known address.
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.
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.
Register with iCRIS to use their service to search their Pulaski County recorded documents for divorces, divorce decrees, and marriage dissolutions by document number, book & page, date, document type, name, and/or date.
Search Virginia acupuncture licenses by license #, social security #, occupation, business name, individual name or zip code. Provides name, address, license #, license status and expiration date.
Search for licensed Architects in Virginia by license number, name, or zip code. Results include name, license number, address, and certification dates.
Provided by the Virginia Department of Social Services. Search this database of licensed child care facilities by facility name, location, zip code, and type of care.
Search the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services for private security businesses by business name, trade name, ID number, or category. Provides contact information for each business.
Search the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control database by license number, establishment type, establishment, city, city/county, and/or zip code for licensed Retail establishments. Search by license number for Banquet licensees.
Search this City of Covington, Virginia Interactive Geographic Information System (GIS) interactive mapping service for property information and GIS maps.
Search for property information using this GIS map of Martinsville, Virginia. Tip: Select “Searches” on the top menu to search by owner name, parcel number, etc.
Search for City of Waynesboro, Virginia property records by owner's name, map number or street address to view information including owners name, tax map number, address, acres and value type.
Search the Assessor's database of Williamsburg, Virginia by owner, street name, property type or map number to view information including map, map number, address, physical and legal descriptions, acreage, zoning and sales info.
Search the Arlington County, Virginia Department of Real Estate Assessments for property information by real property code (RPC), street address, trade name, or economic unit.
Real estate tax query, personal property tax query, utilities search, real estate taxes paid, and personal property taxes paid. Provided by the Bath County Treasurer.
Campbell County, Virginia property database by parcel ID, owner, tax ID, address or property description to view corresponding info, structural details, land use, zoning, assessment and recent sales.
Search the Chesterfield County, Virginia property assessment database by address, parcel ID, subdivision or account # to view corresponding info, legal description, book/page, zoning, acreage, sales, assessment and map.
Culpeper County GIS map property records search, including town and county boundaries, aerial images, polling locations, voting districts, school districts, and more.
Search the Fairfax County, Virginia Department of Tax Administration for property information by street address or tax map reference number and view interactive GIS map information.
Gloucester County, Virginia Commissioner of Revenue's real estate land book by owner, map number, RPC number or account number to view corresponding info, districts, acreage, valuation, taxes, book/page and recording date.
Search this Gloucester County, Virginia Geographic Information Service (GIS) for property and interactive tax map information by tax map number, RPC number, or address.
Personal and real estate property tax records, tax prepayment service, utility payments, and tax payment history searches from the Lunenburg County Treasurer's Office.
New Kent County Treasurer's Office Property tax records, tax payment histories, tax payments and prepayments service, utility bill search and payments, and vehicle decal purchase options.
Real estate and personal property tax records, tax payments, tax payment histories, taxes paid, and real estate tax book searches from the Shenandoah County Treasurer's Office.
Search the assessor's database of Alexandria, Virginia by property address, map number or data bank number to view information including owner, address, map number, legal description, assessment date/value and sales date.
Provided by Manassas Park, Virginia Assessor: Search property records by name, address or parcel number to view summary information, improvements, sketches and photos (if available).
Search the assessor's database of Newport News, Virginia by address or parcel ID to view information including parcel ID, owner history, assessment history, physical and legal descriptions, acreage and zoning.
Use this City of Newport News, Virginia interactive GIS maps service to search for property, fire stations, hospitals, police stations, museums, parks, voting precincts, etc. Includes addresses and aerial photographs.
Search the Norfolk, Virginia assessor database by address or account number to view corresponding info, year built, book/page, zoning, legal description, sales and assessment.
Search the Petersburg, Virginia assessor database by house number, street name, parcel ID # or use code to view corresponding info, owner, legal description, acreage, zoning, physical details, book/page, valuation and sale price/date.
Search the Portsmouth Virginia assessor database by address or map/parcel # to view corresponding info, legal description, zoning, physical details, book/page and assessment.
These are tax delinquent properties throughout the city for which we are NOW TAKING BIDS or which will be available to bid on at the next public auction.
Search this City of Salem, Virginia Geographic Information Service (GIS) for property information and view interactive maps. Search for property information by street name or tax number.
98 Virginia counties are indexed on SearchSystems.net — top 14 counties shown below. Browse the full directory or click any county for local court, sheriff, recorder and assessor links.
Virginia keeps public records at three levels: federal (FBI, federal courts via PACER), state (court of last resort, state police, department of health, secretary of state), and county-level (sheriffs, clerks, recorders, assessors). Each county maintains its own court, criminal-justice, property, and vital-records offices linked from the county pages below.
Where do I start a Virginia court-case search?▼
For statewide trial-court information, start at the Virginia Court System: www.vacourts.gov. Virginia federal cases are searched through PACER. For local case dockets, see the Court Records tab and the county page for your area.
How do I get an official Virginia background check?▼
Virginia's official statewide criminal-history check is run by the Virginia State Police (VSP) at vsp.virginia.gov. Most state-level checks require fingerprints and a fee. A nationwide FBI Identity History Summary is available separately.
Where do I obtain Virginia birth, death, or marriage certificates?▼
Certified Virginia vital records are issued by the Official Virginia Vital Records at www.vdh.virginia.gov. Recent local events (births, deaths, marriages) can often also be requested from the county clerk or local registrar where the event was filed.
What does it cost to access Virginia public records?▼
Most online record indexes in Virginia are free to search; fees apply for certified copies, fingerprint background checks, full document images at the recorder, and statewide bulk data. Each agency publishes its current fee schedule — for example the Virginia Court System (courts), the Official Virginia Vital Records (vital records), the Official Virginia Voter Records (elections), and the Official Virginia Professional & Occupational Licenses (licenses).