Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 23, 2026 and September 24, 2026.
Richmond County, Virginia, has about 9,200 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). In Virginia the public criminal record is the court file, kept by the Circuit Court Clerk; the statewide criminal history kept by the Virginia State Police is released only to its subject and to the employers and agencies the law allows. This guide says where each record of a criminal case from Richmond County is kept and how it is seen.
This guide covers the court file, the statewide record, local arrest records, the prosecutor, sex offender registry, records requests, directory links and common questions.
Related guides: Richmond County public records, Richmond County arrest records, Richmond County warrants, Richmond County inmate search, Richmond County court records, Virginia arrest records and Virginia inmate search.
Criminal Cases in the Richmond Circuit Court
In Virginia the public criminal record is the court file. Criminal cases from Richmond County are heard by the Richmond Circuit Court, which hears felonies, divorces, the larger civil cases and appeals from the district courts; the General District Court takes misdemeanors, traffic cases and smaller civil cases; the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court takes family and juvenile cases, and the file of each case is kept by the Circuit Court Clerk.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at rva.gov/office-circuit-court-clerk/records (page title: Records | Richmond), phone 804-646-7000, 400 North 9th Street Richmond, VA 23219, Monday - Friday Hours: 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Statewide, Online Case Information System is the Virginia courts' free statewide case search.
The Virginia Criminal History and Your Own Copy
Virginia does not let the public search another person's statewide criminal history. The record kept by the Virginia State Police goes to the person it belongs to and to employers and agencies the law authorizes; for everyone else the court file in the Richmond Circuit Court is the public record.
To see your own record, the route is a request to the State Police Central Criminal Records Exchange; a check on someone else needs their signed consent.
Arrest Records Kept Locally in Richmond County
The Sheriff | Richmond keeps the arrest records in Richmond County: the report and the booking record of each arrest stay with the agency that made it, separate from the court file and from the state repository.
The FBI's agency list also places one more agency in Richmond County: the Richmond County State Police (state police); it keeps the records of its own arrests.
The agencies and their counts, year by year, are in Richmond County arrest records.
The Commonwealth's Attorney for Richmond County
Charges in Richmond County are filed by the Commonwealth's Attorney, which reviews the arrests of every agency in the county and brings the cases in the Richmond Circuit Court or the General District Court.
The office's page SearchSystems verified is at rva.gov/commonwealths-attorney/about (page title: About | Richmond), phone 804-646-7000, 900 E Broad St Richmond, VA 23219, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
The Sex Offender Registry for Richmond County
Registered sex offenders living in Richmond County are listed on the Virginia Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry, run by the Virginia State Police. The registry is public and can be searched online.
Registration itself is done in person with the local agency where the registrant lives: the sheriff's office, or the city police in a city with its own department.
Asking an Agency in Richmond County for a Record
An arrest report, a booking record or a local criminal history letter comes from the agency that holds it, not from the court.
Under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act a county office must answer a request within 5 working days, and it may charge the actual cost of searching and copying. The county records request page SearchSystems verified is at rva.gov/FOIA (page title: Freedom of Information Act | Richmond).
More Official Criminal Records Pages for Richmond County
The SearchSystems directory, online since 1997, lists the official pages for Richmond County and Virginia. These criminal records pages from its Richmond County listing were opened again on October 2, 2026 and each one still answers:
- Weekly City Crime Stats (rva.gov)
Frequently Asked Questions
Are criminal records public in Richmond County?
The court files of criminal cases in the Richmond Circuit Court are public and can be looked up through the court. The statewide criminal history kept by the Virginia State Police is not public; you can get your own. The arrest report itself is released by the agency that made the arrest, under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act.
Can I search Richmond County criminal cases online?
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at rva.gov/office-circuit-court-clerk/records (page title: Records | Richmond). Statewide, Online Case Information System is the Virginia courts' free statewide case search.
How do I get my own Virginia criminal history?
Through a request to the State Police Central Criminal Records Exchange; a check on someone else needs their signed consent.
Who prosecutes crimes in Richmond County?
The Commonwealth's Attorney, reached at 804-646-7000, which files its cases in the Richmond Circuit Court or the General District Court.
Is this the official Richmond County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.