Fairfax County Court Records Lookup

The following is for information purposes only

Located in northern Virginia, Fairfax County was created in 1742 and named after Thomas Fairfax, who owned the Northern Neck Proprietary. The county is home to over 1.15 million residents. Fairfax City is its county seat and also an independent city. The county court system consists of the Circuit Court, General District Court, and Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court.

The Fairfax Circuit Court is part of the 19th Judicial Circuit of Virginia and the largest trial court in the state. It has general jurisdiction over civil and criminal cases beyond the jurisdiction of the other courts in the county. The court's criminal jurisdiction covers all felony offenses punishable by incarceration for a year or more. Furthermore, it shares civil jurisdiction with the General District Courts over civil claims involving $4,501 to $50,000 but has exclusive jurisdiction in civil cases involving more than $50,000. Other matters within the jurisdiction of the Circuit Court include probate cases, divorce, disputes over property, adoptions, and attachments. Fairfax County is also home to a General District Court that conducts its proceedings in the cities of Fairfax, Herndon, and Vienna. The court has civil jurisdiction over claims of up to $25,000. However, it may hear claims of double the amount in eviction, personal injury, and wrongful death cases. The General District Court also handles small claims of up to $5,000, misdemeanor criminal offenses, traffic cases, and preliminary felony hearings. Finally, the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court handles cases on custody, support, child abuse, juvenile delinquency, juvenile dependency, domestic violence, and other family and juvenile matters.

According to reports from the Fairfax County Police Department, the county recorded 10,466 crimes against persons and 18,216 property crimes in 2023. In the same year, the Virginia Judiciary Annual Report revealed that the Circuit Court had 20,435 civil case dispositions and 3,769 criminal dispositions. Similarly, the General District Court resolved 29,936 civil cases and 25,182 criminal cases. The Circuit Court has a Clerk who maintains all case records for the court. Researchers have numerous options for accessing these records. One option is to check out the records in person at the Courthouse, the Offsite Records Center, or the Historic Records Center for cases before 1913. Also, anyone may request civil and criminal records by completing the online File Review Request Form or sending a written request to the courthouse by mail. To access probate records, contact the court's Probate Department. The Circuit Court also grants online access to its case records through the eCaseSearch and Docket Search portals. Similarly, interested parties can request records of the General District Court from the Court's Clerk by phone, email, postal mail, or in person. These records are also available online on the Case Information System. Adoption records and all case records of the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court are sealed and are only accessible to parties and attorneys in the case upon fulfilling certain conditions, such as providing a valid government ID.

In summary, the Circuit Court, General District Court, and Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court constitute the judicial system in Fairfax County. These resolve several kinds of legal disputes in accordance with the law. Members of the public can also access court records for different purposes, including for future reference, to institute appeals, and to study case precedents.