Chesterfield County Circuit Court Clerk Records

The Chesterfield Circuit Court Clerk

The current Clerk of the Circuit Court is Hon. Amanda L. Pohl. The clerk is an elected officer, not a court employee, and the office is the administrative arm of the Circuit Court. It sits on the second floor of the main Courts Building, with the public Record Room on the ground floor. Public service hours run Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The office handles records that date back to 1749, the year the county was created.

The county's Clerk of the Circuit Court page lays out the clerk's duties, records, marriage, probate, and copy-request details.

The contact card below gives the main office details.

More Than 800 Clerk Duties

Under the Code of Virginia, the Circuit Court Clerk carries more than 800 statutory responsibilities. They fall into three groups: judicial, non-judicial, and fiscal. The breadth is why the same office shows up in court, land, marriage, and probate records.

Judicial duties center on the court itself. The clerk is the custodian of Circuit Court records, manages filings and pleadings, manages jury trials, maintains and disposes of civil and criminal evidence, receipts criminal fines and costs, collects and disburses victim restitution, and provides case data and court documents. Non-judicial duties reach outside the courtroom. The clerk records and maintains deeds, wills, and other land records, qualifies fiduciaries such as executors and conservators, issues marriage licenses and concealed handgun permits, and administers oaths for ministers, notaries, and officials.

Fiscal duties round out the list. The clerk maintains and invests trust, equity, and condemnation funds and collects fines, costs, restitution, recordation taxes, and other statutory fees. So a single visit to this office might touch a lawsuit, a land deed, and a marriage license all at once.

The clerk also cannot give legal advice, and that limit matters. Staff can tell you a fee, a filing step, or where a record sits. They cannot tell you what to file, whether a claim is valid, or how to draft a pleading. A person who needs that guidance should use an attorney, legal aid, or the Virginia self-help resources rather than ask the clerk for legal direction.

Records and Online Indexes

The clerk keeps both paper and online access points. The Record Room on the ground floor holds the official records. Online indexes are available around the clock for several record types. Circuit Court Case Data covers civil and criminal records from 1990 to current. Land Records cover deeds from 1967 to current and wills from 1994 to current.

Free access to the indexes is online, but secure remote access to the actual land-record images requires registration with the clerk. The official land records can also be reviewed in person. For the case-file search itself, see the Chesterfield County court records page, and for the wills and estate side, the probate records page.

One point worth stating plainly is that the online systems show data, not full documents. A name or case search returns case information, while the pleadings, orders, deeds, and wills themselves come from the Record Room or a copy request. So the index is a finding aid that tells you a record exists and where to ask for the official version.

Circuit Clerk vs District Court Clerk

Chesterfield has more than one court clerk, and they handle different records. The Circuit Court Clerk is the elected clerk for the court of record. The district courts have their own clerks for their own cases. Mixing them up sends a request to the wrong counter.

The Circuit Court page covers how these courts and their clerks divide the work across the county.

How to Request a Certified Copy

A certified copy is the version accepted for legal use, while a plain copy works for personal reference. The clerk takes copy requests by phone, by mail, or in person. The key first step is a fee quote, since the page count sets the price. Use these steps.

1. Call the right division for a fee quote: civil 804-717-6981, criminal 804-717-6980, land records 804-717-6982, or general 804-748-1241.
2. Give the record subject's name, the document type, and the date if known.
3. Choose a plain copy or a certified copy.
4. Pay by phone with a card, plus the processing fee, or mail a check or money order after the quote.
5. For a mailed return, include a self-addressed stamped envelope.

Mail requests go to Circuit Court Clerk, P.O. Box 125, Chesterfield, VA 23832-0909. Never mail cash for a court debt. An in-person request is handled at the Record Room during the 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. public service hours on weekdays. Because deputies screen everyone at the courthouse door, plan to leave weapons and unneeded electronics behind, and allow time for parking and the security line before a record-room visit.

Clerk Records Request Fields

A copy request asks for a set of details so staff can find the record and quote a fee. Having them ready speeds the call. The table lists what to provide.

Note: Credit cards are accepted for most payments, but not for expungement filings.

Clerk Fees and Payment Rules

The clerk's fees are set by statute, not invented locally. Plain copies are $0.50 per page, and certification adds $2 per document. Payment can be cash, check, credit card, or money order. A $2 convenience fee applies to credit-card transactions under Code of Virginia § 17.1-275(A)(27). A returned or dishonored payment costs $50 or 10 percent of the transaction, whichever is greater, under § 17.1-275(A)(28). The table lists common clerk fees.

Checks and money orders should be payable to the Chesterfield Circuit Court Clerk, and a government photo ID is required for a personal check. For the marriage and copy fees in context, see the marriage and divorce records page.

Federal Court Records and the Clerk's Limits

The Circuit Court Clerk handles state court records, not federal ones. Some Chesterfield matters land in federal court, which keeps separate records. The county is in the Richmond Division of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Federal criminal cases are handled by the U.S. Attorney's Office for that district, not the county clerk.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia serves the district, including Chesterfield.

It has divisions across the state, with a Richmond office that covers the local area.

The EDVA contact page lists division phone numbers. For state case files and dockets, though, the right office is the Circuit Court Clerk, and the Circuit Court page explains the court itself.

Related Chesterfield Record Searches

The clerk's office connects to most records on the site. The court records page covers case searches, the probate records page covers wills and estates, the marriage and divorce records page covers clerk-issued licenses, and the public records page explains the FOIA-versus-clerk split for Chesterfield records.