How to Search Chesterfield County Court Records
Chesterfield does not run one single county database for court records. The search uses official Virginia judiciary systems instead. For statewide adult criminal and traffic cases, the Virginia Judiciary Online Case Information System 2.0, known as OCIS, lets you search by name, case number, or hearing date. For General District Court matters, the older General District Court Online Case Information System asks you to pick one court first. For Circuit Court civil and criminal cases, the county links to Circuit Court Case Data covering 1990 to current. Land records and the wills index sit on the Circuit Court Clerk's secure remote access site.
The state's Case Status and Information page ties these tools together in one place.
From there you can branch to OCIS, the General District system, Circuit Court case data, or secure land records before you run a name or case search. Have the full name as it shows on a citation, summons, or court paper. A case number helps too. Use these steps for most lookups.
- Decide the case type and court. Felonies and larger civil suits sit in Circuit Court. Traffic, misdemeanors, and small claims sit in General District Court.
- For criminal and traffic matters, open OCIS 2.0, accept the terms, then choose Search By Name, Case Number, or Hearing Date.
- Open the Court filter and select Chesterfield Circuit Court, Chesterfield General District Court, or CHESTERFIELD COUNTY J&DR COURT.
- For General District civil, traffic, criminal, or service data, use the General District Court system and select Chesterfield General District Court.
- For an official copy, call the right Circuit Court Clerk division for a fee quote before you pay.
Online case data is informational. The official court record controls if the two ever conflict.
Chesterfield County Court Records Search Fields
OCIS uses a small set of search fields. You pick one search mode, then narrow by court. A name search needs at least two characters per name and works best with the name as it appears on the court paper. A case number search needs one specific court, since the format itself does not name the court. The screen below shows the OCIS criteria panel.
Virginia's OCIS search screen is the main statewide tool for adult criminal and traffic cases.
The table breaks down what each field does and how to format it.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes / Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search By | Button panel | Yes | Name, Case Number, or Hearing Date. |
| Name | Text | For name search | At least two characters per name; use the name as written on the citation or summons. |
| Case Number | Text | For case-number search | Formats like GT12345678-90 or CR12345678-90; requires one specific court. |
| Hearing Date | Date | For hearing-date search | MM/DD/YYYY; a pop-up calendar is allowed. |
| Court Level | Checkbox filter | Optional | All levels, Circuit Court, General District Court, or J&DR Court. |
| Court | Multi-select filter | Optional for name search | All Courts or pick the Chesterfield courts you want. |
Note: OCIS does not take payments, so fines and costs are paid through separate Virginia online payment systems.
Types of Chesterfield County Court Records
The records you can find depend on the court that handled the case. Circuit Court is the court of record. It holds felony files, civil suits over the district court limit, divorce decrees, wills, and land records. The General District Court holds traffic tickets, misdemeanors, garnishments, and small claims up to $5,000. The Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court holds juvenile and family matters, and most of those are closed to the public.
The Circuit Court civil docket alone covers a wide range of case types, shown on the county's Circuit Court civil page.
That page covers divorce, name changes, adoptions, guardianships, and property disputes, all filed on the civil side. Common record types include:
- Criminal records - felonies in Circuit Court, misdemeanors in General District Court, indictments, and sentencing orders.
- Civil records - suits over money or property, name changes, guardianships, and will or estate disputes.
- Family and divorce records - divorce decrees and final orders filed in Circuit Court.
- Probate records - wills, estate files, and fiduciary qualification through the Circuit Court Clerk.
- Traffic records - tickets, prepayable offenses, and citation data from the district courts.
- Land records - deeds, plats, and judgments indexed by the clerk.
Deeds are indexed from 1967 to current and wills from 1994 to current on the clerk's land records site.
Free index access is open online, but secure remote access to actual deed and will images needs registration with the Circuit Court Clerk.
What Chesterfield County Court Records Show
A Chesterfield case result holds a set list of fields. Online systems show case data, not full document images. For the actual order, decree, or pleading, you request a copy from the clerk. Case numbers carry a code that tells you the court and case type. A CR prefix points to Circuit criminal, GC to General District criminal, GT to General District traffic, and JA to a J&DR adult criminal matter.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case Number | Court and case type, such as CR23F00055-00 or GT25008443-00. |
| Filing / Offense Date | When the charge or filing was recorded. |
| Parties | Defendant in criminal cases; plaintiff and defendant in civil cases. |
| Charge / Cause | The current or amended charge with its code section. |
| Hearing | The next or most relevant court date. |
| Disposition | Conviction, dismissal, nolle prosequi, or amended result. |
Click a case number in OCIS to open more detail. The case detail view adds defendant, charge, appeal, hearing, disposition, and service-of-process sections where they apply. J&DR courts do not show complainant names or service data.
A few terms come up again and again in a Chesterfield case file. Knowing them helps you read a result without a lawyer.
- Disposition
- How a charge or case ended, such as a conviction, a dismissal, or a nolle prosequi.
- Nolle prosequi
- The prosecutor's formal choice not to go forward on a charge.
- Continuance
- A postponement of a hearing or trial to a later date.
- Judgment
- The court's final, enforceable decision in a civil case or money matter.
Public Access Framework for Chesterfield County Court Records
Virginia splits access between two paths. County agency and police records run through the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. Court and clerk records run through court-specific statutes. The Chesterfield Clerk notes that records already open through the clerk are exempt from FOIA, so a request for a deed, judgment, or will goes to the clerk's copy process, not a FOIA letter. For a county email or a police administrative record, FOIA is the right tool. The Virginia Judicial System self-help site explains which case types you can view online.
The Virginia court self-help portal covers find-a-case, divorce, probate, traffic, and small claims topics.
It notes that General District and Circuit cases appear online by court, while J&DR cases do not. Under Virginia Code § 17.1-208, court of record files are open to inspection and copying, with stated exceptions. The same statute requires a compliant request to be answered within a reasonable period, no later than 30 days.
The wider Virginia Freedom of Information Act favors open government records and narrow exemptions for executive-branch material.
Note: Use the clerk's copy process for open court, land, and will records; use FOIA for county agency and police administrative records.
Records That Are Sealed or Confidential in Chesterfield County
Not every file is open. Juvenile court and juvenile law-enforcement records are protected under Virginia Code § 16.1-305 and § 16.1-301. Adoption files are kept in the most confidential way, and the county releases no adoption information by phone. Protective orders, civil commitments, and mental health proceedings are left out of the online systems. Sealed and expunged records do not appear as ordinary public records. Personal data such as Social Security and bank account numbers is redacted.
To clear an eligible record, a person petitions the Circuit Court. Traditional expungement under Virginia Code § 19.2-392.2 mostly covers charges that ended without a conviction, such as an acquittal, a dismissal, or a nolle prosequi. Virginia's newer sealing framework under § 19.2-392.5 covers some other records, but sealing is not the same as destruction. Certain agencies may still see a sealed record under the law. For the full process, the Chesterfield County arrest records page covers expungement and sealing in more depth.
In-Person Court Record Requests
The Record Room sits on the ground floor of the main Courts Building. Public service hours run Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Bring the case number, the party name, the document type, and the date if you know it. Plain copies cost $0.50 per page. Certified copies add $2 per document. Call the right division first for a fee quote, since the page count sets the total. Civil copy requests go to 804-717-6981, criminal to 804-717-6980, and land records to 804-717-6982.
Chesterfield Circuit Court Clerk
9500 Courthouse Road, 2nd Floor
Chesterfield, VA 23832
804-748-1241
Mon-Fri 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
Deputies screen everyone at the courthouse door. Leave weapons and unneeded electronics behind, since cell phones and smart watches are flagged at entry. For the clerk's full duties and copy steps, see the Clerk of the Circuit Court page.