Virginia Criminal Records

This guide explains how to find Virginia criminal records, arrest records, court records, inmate information, and the public sex offender registry, and how Virginia's background-check and record-sealing laws work. It was last reviewed in June 2026 using official Virginia sources, and it points you to the state and county agencies that hold each type of record. You can also start a name search using the tool on this page.

How do I look up a criminal record in Virginia?

There are three realistic ways to access Virginia criminal-record information:

• Virginia State Police name search. The Central Criminal Records Exchange (CCRE), operated by the Virginia State Police (VSP), handles statewide criminal history requests. Members of the public submit Form SP-167 (notarized) by mail and pay a $15 fee. The VSP processes requests in roughly 15 business days and returns conviction history associated with that name. See the VSP Criminal Record Check page for forms and mailing instructions.
• Court records at the local level. Virginia's general district courts, circuit courts, and the statewide Online Case Information System (OCIS) are publicly searchable and free to use (see the court-records question below).
• An online people-search tool like the one on this page, which compiles public-record data from many sources into one report. These tools are for personal knowledge only and are not a substitute for an official VSP record check or an FCRA-compliant background check.

A name-based search can return results that belong to someone else; the VSP's official submission process is the most authoritative way to verify a record belongs to a specific person.

Are Virginia criminal records public?

It depends on which record. The statewide criminal history database held by the VSP is not broadly open to the public; it is released to authorized agencies, employers with a statutory right, and individuals requesting their own record. Court case records, on the other hand, are presumptively public under Chapter 37 of Title 2.2 of the Code of Virginia (the Virginia Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA). That means you can look up individual court cases in general district courts, circuit courts, and the statewide OCIS portal. Records that have been sealed or expunged, juvenile records, records related to an ongoing investigation, and certain victim and witness information are generally withheld.

Where can I look up arrest records in Virginia?

Arrest records are kept by the agency that made the arrest, typically a city or county police department or a county sheriff. Many Virginia sheriffs publish a current jail roster online showing recent bookings. The VSP criminal history database does not show arrests that did not lead to a conviction or that have been sealed. An arrest record is different from a criminal record: it documents that someone was taken into custody, not that they were found guilty of anything.

How do I find court records in Virginia?

Virginia has several online case search tools run by the state judiciary, all free to use:

• Online Case Information System (OCIS). The OCIS portal covers adult criminal cases in juvenile and domestic relations district courts, criminal and traffic cases in general district courts, and select circuit courts, all searchable by name.
• General District Courts. The General District Court case information system lets you search by name, case number, or hearing date across Virginia's general district courts.
• Circuit Courts. The Circuit Court Case Information system covers most Virginia circuit courts (each searched individually). Note that Fairfax County Circuit Court maintains its own separate system (see the Fairfax County section below).

To pull a specific case file or certified copies, contact the clerk of the court where the case was filed. You can also request records through a formal FOIA request.

How do I look up warrants in Virginia?

Warrants are issued by courts and held at the county or city level. The easiest place to check for an outstanding warrant is the circuit court clerk or general district court clerk in the jurisdiction where charges would have been filed. Some sheriffs' offices post warrant information online. Active warrants can also surface in third-party background reports, but the issuing court is the authoritative source. You can search court case records statewide using the OCIS and Circuit Court portals above.

Do arrests show up on background checks in Virginia?

For employment, tenant, and credit screening run through a consumer reporting agency, the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) controls what can be reported. Under the FCRA, arrests that did not lead to a conviction generally cannot be reported once they are more than seven years old. Virginia does not have its own stricter state law capping arrest reporting, so FCRA is the primary rule. Convictions can be reported indefinitely under federal law unless the record has been sealed under Virginia's Clean Slate Act (effective July 1, 2026), in which case sealed convictions will not appear on a background check.

How far back does a criminal background check go in Virginia?

Virginia has no state law limiting how far back an employer can look at convictions, so prior convictions can generally be reported for any length of time under the FCRA. The seven-year FCRA limit applies mainly to non-conviction information such as arrests that did not lead to a conviction. Key points for Virginia:

• Convictions can be reported indefinitely unless sealed under Virginia's Clean Slate law.
• Arrests without a conviction are generally not reportable after seven years under the FCRA.
• Virginia's Clean Slate Act (Virginia Code § 19.2-392.6), fully effective July 1, 2026, allows automatic sealing of certain qualifying convictions after a seven-year waiting period with no subsequent convictions. Once sealed, those records will not appear on most background checks.
• Virginia does not have a "ban the box" law that applies statewide to private employers.

How do I find someone in jail or prison in Virginia?

It depends on where the person is held:

• State prison. Use the Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) Inmate and Supervisee Locator to find a person in VADOC custody by name or DOC ID number. The locator also covers parolees and probationers under VADOC supervision. The data is updated daily.
• County or city jail. People awaiting trial or serving sentences of 12 months or less are usually held in a local jail. Check that locality's sheriff's website for an inmate roster or booking search.
• Federal custody. For federal charges, use the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator instead of VADOC.

How do I find out if someone is on probation or parole in Virginia?

State parole and post-release supervision are managed by VADOC's Parole and Community Supervision division, and a person's supervision status may appear in the VADOC Inmate and Supervisee Locator. Probation is managed locally through the court that imposed the sentence, and the sentencing court's records are the best source. Probation lets a person serve a sentence in the community under court-ordered conditions, usually with a supervision officer, instead of being incarcerated.

What crimes are felonies in Virginia?

Virginia divides felonies into six classes under Virginia Code § 18.2-10, from most to least severe:

• Class 1 felony: Life imprisonment and a fine up to $100,000. Examples include capital murder. Adults sentenced to life are not parole-eligible.
• Class 2 felony: 20 years to life imprisonment and a fine up to $100,000. Examples include first-degree murder.
• Class 3 felony: 5 to 20 years imprisonment and a fine up to $100,000.
• Class 4 felony: 2 to 10 years imprisonment and a fine up to $100,000.
• Class 5 felony: 1 to 10 years imprisonment, or at the court's discretion up to 12 months in jail and a fine up to $2,500.
• Class 6 felony: 1 to 5 years imprisonment, or at the court's discretion up to 12 months in jail and a fine up to $2,500.

Actual punishment depends on the specific offense, the defendant's history, and other factors. Virginia abolished the death penalty in March 2021, making it the first Southern state to do so.

What crimes are misdemeanors in Virginia?

Virginia divides misdemeanors into four classes under Virginia Code § 18.2-11:

• Class 1 misdemeanor: Up to 12 months in jail and/or a fine up to $2,500. Examples include a first DUI and simple assault and battery.
• Class 2 misdemeanor: Up to 6 months in jail and/or a fine up to $1,000.
• Class 3 misdemeanor: A fine only, up to $500. No jail time.
• Class 4 misdemeanor: A fine only, up to $250. No jail time.

Misdemeanor sentences are served in local or regional jails rather than state prison.

Are traffic violations crimes in Virginia?

It depends on the offense. Most routine traffic tickets in Virginia are infractions, which carry a fine and no jail time and are generally not classified as criminal offenses. However, some traffic offenses are criminal misdemeanors: reckless driving (Virginia Code § 46.2-862) is a Class 1 misdemeanor and appears on your criminal record. Driving under the influence (DUI) is also a Class 1 misdemeanor for a first offense. These offenses can affect employment background checks and will appear on your driving record.

Is the Virginia sex offender registry public?

Yes. The Virginia State Police operates the Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry (SOR), governed by Chapter 9 of Title 9.1 of the Code of Virginia. The public database is searchable for free at vspsor.com by name, ZIP code, address, city, or county. It shows a registrant's photo, address, workplace, offenses, and other identifying information. The registry covers both violent sex offenders and persons convicted of certain crimes against minors.

Can someone be removed from the Virginia sex offender registry?

In limited cases, yes. Under Virginia Code § 9.1-910, eligible registrants may petition the circuit court for removal, but the waiting periods are long and Tier III offenders are permanently barred:

• Tier I offense: May petition no earlier than 15 years after the date of initial registration or last qualifying conviction.
• Tier II offense: May petition no earlier than 25 years after initial registration or last qualifying conviction.
• Tier III offenses and certain other serious offenses: Not eligible for removal; registration is for life.

All court-ordered treatment, counseling, and restitution must be completed before a petition can be filed. The court must find that the person no longer poses a risk to public safety before granting the petition. Eligibility is fact-specific, so consulting an attorney is advisable.

How do I seal or expunge my criminal record in Virginia?

Virginia has two distinct paths, governed by Chapter 23.2 of Title 19.2 of the Code of Virginia:

• Expungement (charges that did not result in conviction). Under Virginia Code § 19.2-392.2, a person may petition to expunge records of charges that resulted in an acquittal, nolle prosequi, or dismissal. Expungement destroys or seals those records from public access.
• Automatic sealing of convictions (Clean Slate Act). Under Virginia Code § 19.2-392.6, effective July 1, 2026, certain low-level convictions are automatically sealed after a seven-year waiting period if the person has had no subsequent convictions and no arrests or charges in the past seven years. Qualifying offenses are limited to specific misdemeanors; most felonies and violent offenses do not qualify for automatic sealing.
• Petition-based sealing. Under Virginia Code § 19.2-392.12, a broader range of offenses may be sealed by petition to the circuit court, including some deferred-and-dismissed dispositions.

The Virginia Legal Aid Justice Center and the Code of Virginia Chapter 23.2 are the authoritative references for eligibility details.

Do I need a lawyer to seal my record in Virginia?

You are not legally required to hire a lawyer to petition for expungement or sealing, and the courts publish self-help information. That said, the eligibility rules are technical and were significantly updated in 2021 and again in 2026. A mistake can cost you the chance to clear the record. Many people use an attorney or a free legal-aid organization, especially for petition-based sealing of more serious offenses. Virginia Legal Aid and local legal services organizations can help income-eligible applicants at no cost.

How long does a felony stay on your record in Virginia?

A Virginia felony conviction stays on your record permanently unless you obtain relief under the sealing or expungement statutes. There is no automatic time-based deletion of a conviction from the underlying record. The FCRA "seven-year" rule discussed above limits what a background-check company may report; it does not erase the record itself. Virginia's 2026 Clean Slate automatic sealing covers only a narrow set of qualifying misdemeanors, not felonies, so most felony convictions remain publicly accessible unless sealed by court petition under § 19.2-392.12.

Are juvenile criminal records private in Virginia?

Juvenile court records in Virginia are generally confidential and not available to the public. Under Virginia Code § 16.1-305, juvenile court records are closed, and § 16.1-301 requires law-enforcement agencies to take special precautions to protect juvenile law-enforcement records from unauthorized disclosure. Under § 16.1-306, the clerk of the juvenile and domestic relations district court must destroy records once the person reaches age 19 and five years have elapsed since the last hearing, provided the case did not involve a delinquent act that would be a felony if committed by an adult. Juvenile felony records are retained. Certain serious juvenile offenses can be tried in circuit court as adult cases, in which case those records are public like any adult criminal case.

Fairfax County criminal records

Fairfax County, with more than 1.15 million residents, is the most populous county in Virginia and generates a large share of the state's criminal and court records. The Fairfax County Circuit Court does not use the statewide Virginia Circuit Court Case Information system; it maintains its own free public portal called eCaseSearch, which lets you search criminal and civil cases by name and view hearing dates, charges, and docket information. For general district court cases in Fairfax, use the statewide General District Court online system. To request certified copies of a case file, contact the Fairfax Circuit Court Clerk's office directly.

Official Virginia criminal record sources

• Virginia State Police Criminal Record Check - submit Form SP-167 by mail for a statewide criminal history name search ($15 fee, ~15 business days).
• Virginia Online Case Information System (OCIS) - free statewide search covering adult criminal cases in general district courts, select circuit courts, and JDR courts.
• Virginia Circuit Court Case Information - free search of most Virginia circuit courts individually by name or case number.
• VADOC Inmate and Supervisee Locator - find people in Virginia state prison, on parole, or under VADOC community supervision.
• Virginia Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry - free public search by name, address, or ZIP code, operated by the Virginia State Police.
• Code of Virginia Title 19.2, Chapter 23.2 (Sealing of Records) - the Clean Slate and expungement statutes governing record sealing in Virginia.
• Fairfax County Circuit Court eCaseSearch - free public criminal and civil case search for Virginia's most populous county.

Disclosure: criminal.com may earn a commission when you use the people-search tool on this page, which is powered by a third-party background-check service. Results from such tools are for your personal knowledge only and may not be used to make decisions about employment, housing, credit, tenant screening, or any other purpose covered by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). A mugshot or arrest record is not proof of guilt. This page is general information about Virginia public records, not legal advice; for advice about your situation, consult an attorney. Information was last reviewed in June 2026 and laws may change.