Search Virginia People Records
A Virginia people search pulls data from public records held by courts, clerks, sheriffs, and state agencies. You can look up a person by name across the Commonwealth using free state tools and county portals. The Virginia people search process relies on court case data, land records, marriage licenses, FOIA files, and state licensing rolls. Most of these sources are open under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. This page walks you through where to look, how to search, and what records you can expect to find.
Virginia People Search Overview
Where to Start a Virginia People Search
The fastest way to begin a Virginia people search is the state's Virginia Judiciary Online Case Information System. It lets you look up court cases by name in circuit courts and general district courts across the state. The system covers both civil and criminal case data. You can search one court at a time or run a statewide search for criminal and traffic cases. Results show party names, case numbers, hearing dates, charges, and dispositions.
Virginia has 120 circuit courts. Most use the Supreme Court Case Management System, which feeds the online portal in real time. Circuit courts handle felonies, civil claims over $25,000, divorce, probate, and land records. The Virginia Circuit Court page lists every clerk with phone numbers and hours. The Virginia General District Court page covers misdemeanor and small civil cases.
Each county also keeps its own land records, FOIA portal, and sheriff's records. When the statewide tools fall short, the next stop is the county clerk or county FOIA officer.
The Virginia Judiciary Case Information portal is the main hub for statewide people search lookups through court records. The screenshot below shows the entry point for that system.
From this page you can pick a court type and run a name search across participating courts. It is free and open to the public.
Note: Juvenile, adoption, and sealed case files stay out of the public record, so they will not show up in a Virginia people search through the state portal.
How to Run a People Search in Virginia
Start with a full name. A first and last name gets the best result in most tools. If the name is common, add a middle initial, a date of birth, or a county. The state case info tool lets you pick a court or search all courts at once for criminal and traffic cases. Circuit court civil cases are searched one court at a time.
For land records and marriage licenses, go to the clerk of the circuit court in the county where the person lived or filed. Most clerks run a free index search and charge per page for copies. Plain copies usually cost 50 cents per page. Certified copies run $2 per document. Some clerks offer subscription-based secure remote access to deed images and court files.
For a basic people lookup using business ownership data, use the Virginia State Corporation Commission Clerk's Information System. CIS shows business entities, registered agents, and officers. It helps when the person owns or runs a company in Virginia.
You can also pull licensing records from the Virginia Department of Health Professions. The DHP license lookup shows any active or past license for doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and dozens of other regulated jobs. This is a good step in a people search when you need to confirm a person's trade or check their record with the state board.
Court Records in a Virginia People Search
Court files are the backbone of most people searches in Virginia. Under Virginia Code § 17.1-208, circuit court records are open for public inspection with limited exceptions. Clerks keep case files for felonies, civil suits, divorces, and estates. Most clerks let you view files at a public access terminal for free.
The statewide Circuit Court Case Information System lets you search by name or case number for 118 of the 120 circuit courts. The two exceptions are Alexandria and Fairfax, which run their own tools. Fairfax launched its free eCaseSearch tool in July 2024. It covers civil and criminal cases back to October 2004.
Fairfax County's eCaseSearch tool is one of the more useful local people search portals in Virginia. The screenshot below shows what the free lookup page looks like.
You can search by party name, case number, or hearing date. Results go back about 20 years for most case types.
General district courts handle traffic and misdemeanor cases. Use the General District Court Online Case Information System to search these cases by name or case number. No fee is charged.
The Virginia Supreme Court places limits on what can be posted online. Under § 17.1-293, some identifiers get redacted from the public case view. Social security numbers, bank account numbers, and minor children's names are kept out.
Note: The statewide case system does not show juvenile or domestic relations cases. Those files stay with the JDR court and have restricted access by law.
Virginia FOIA and People Search
The Virginia Freedom of Information Act gives Commonwealth residents and media the right to get public records. Under Virginia Code § 2.2-3704, every public body must respond to a written request within five working days. The body can give you the records, deny them with a cited reason, or ask for seven more days.
Each county and each state agency names a FOIA officer. You file the request with that person. The request has to name the records with reasonable detail. Public bodies may charge their actual cost, but they cannot profit from the work. If the cost will top $200, they can ask for a deposit first. The Virginia FOIA Council offers free help with requests and appeals.
Counties like Chesterfield run their own FOIA request pages where you can submit a people search records request online. Here is Chesterfield's portal as an example.
Most larger counties have a similar online form. Smaller counties may ask you to email or mail the request instead.
Criminal records have their own rule. Under § 2.2-3706, police must release basic criminal incident info like names of adults charged, dates, and charges. Full investigative files are not required to be released while a case is open. As of July 1, 2022, closed investigative files may be released at the agency's discretion.
For FOIA requests to state police, you can also use the FOIA statute index to see every exemption. Most counties run a public-facing request portal. Fairfax, Chesterfield, and Arlington all accept online FOIA submissions.
Vital Records and Person Lookup
Virginia vital records are handled by the Virginia Department of Health Office of Vital Records. Birth, death, marriage, and divorce records go to this office from across the state.
These records have strict access limits. Under Chapter 7 of Title 32.1, birth records stay closed for 100 years. Death records are closed for 25 years. Marriage and divorce records become public 25 years after the event. Before those dates, only the person on the record or a close family member can get a certified copy.
The Richmond Circuit Court Clerk's office is one example of a local office that handles vital record requests tied to a people search. Their court records page shows what is available.
Some clerks hold older marriage records on file. You can search by name at the circuit court where the license was issued. Copies cost $2.50 each in most counties.
For older records, the Library of Virginia has marriage and death records from the 1800s in its archive. Those older records support genealogy work and help with a historical people search.
Land Records in a Virginia People Search
Deed books show who owns property. They are one of the best ways to confirm a person's address and trace their property history. Each circuit court clerk keeps the land record index for the county. Most clerks post a free online index that goes back to at least 1967. Deed images usually require a paid subscription.
Typical paid access runs from $240 to $500 per year. Pay-per-use options are common for people who only need one or two documents. Images cost around 50 cents per page. Many counties also offer a free property notification service that emails you when a new document is filed under your name. This helps spot deed fraud.
Chesterfield County's land records portal is a good example of what counties offer for property-based people search lookups.
You can search deeds by grantor or grantee name. The index is free. Document images may need a paid subscription depending on the county.
Property assessment data is separate from the deed index but also public. County real estate assessment sites let you search by address or owner name. Results show parcel ID, sale history, assessed value, and owner name. These tools support quick lookups during a Virginia people search.
Legal Help and People Search Support
If you hit a wall during a Virginia people search, the Virginia FOIA Advisory Council can walk you through the rules. Their staff attorneys answer calls and emails for free. You do not have to be a lawyer to ask.
For court forms and self-help, the Virginia Courts home page is the best place to start. The judiciary publishes standard forms, case lookup tools, and court contact info. The Virginia Supreme Court opinions page holds every published case opinion. These can help trace court history for a named person.
Browse Virginia People Search by County
Pick a county to find clerk contacts, court portals, FOIA officers, and lookup tools. Each county page lists the local people search resources you need.
People Search in Major Virginia Cities
These cities get the most people search traffic in Virginia. Pick one to see local court info and FOIA resources.