About Virginia Official Records
Virginia splits its public records across a patchwork of courts, clerks, and state offices. The Commonwealth has 133 counties and cities that each run their own Circuit Court Clerk's office. Add in the state agencies based in Richmond and things get tangled fast. One wrong phone call can send you in circles for half a day. We put this site together so you can skip that runaround and land on the right office from the start.
Why We Built This Site
Virginia's Freedom of Information Act gives residents broad access to government records. That part is straightforward. The hard part is knowing which office keeps the record you need. Circuit Court Clerks handle land records, probate, and civil filings. The Virginia Department of Health manages birth and death certificates. The State Police run criminal background checks. And those are just the big ones.
Our goal is simple. We pull together the key contact details, filing steps, and online tools for each office into one place. When a search portal or database is open to the public, we link you straight to it.
What You Will Find Here
- County and City Pages: Addresses, phone numbers, office hours, and mailing info for Circuit Court Clerks across all of Virginia's counties and independent cities
- City Guides: Which court handles filings for each major Virginia city and the fastest way to reach the clerk's office that serves your area
- Record Type Overviews: Plain-language breakdowns of different public records in Virginia, who can request them, and what rules or limits apply
- Search Tools: Connections to outside search platforms that tap into public records databases
What We Cannot Do
This is a privately run website. We have no connection to any Virginia government office at any level. There are clear limits to what we can help with:
- File paperwork or send records requests to a court or agency for you
- Hand out certified copies of any official document, whether it is a court order, vital record, or anything else
- Give legal advice or walk you through how to handle a case
- Promise that every phone number, address, or set of office hours listed on this site is still correct right now
Only the issuing government office can provide certified copies with an official seal. We can help you figure out which office that is, but the actual document has to come from them directly.
Search Partners
Some pages on this site include links to paid search tools operated by third-party companies. Those companies set their own prices and manage their own billing. If you click through and use one of those services, we may earn a referral fee. That revenue is part of how we fund this site so it stays free for everyone. We do not control what those tools charge or what shows up in their results.
Keeping Information Current
Clerk offices change their hours. Phone lines get reassigned. A courthouse might move to a new building across the street. We do our best to stay on top of all that, but gaps happen. Before you make a trip to any office, call ahead first. A quick phone call beats driving 30 minutes to a locked door.
See something wrong or out of date? Head to our Contact page and let us know. We will look into it and get the fix up.
Get in Touch
Questions, suggestions, or spotted an error? Visit our Contact page and send us a note. We read every message.