Fairfax county general district court case information

Q: How do I find court records in Virginia?

Please call 804-371-9141 or email sccinfo@scc.virginia.gov with general questions and records requests. You may visit the Document Control Center to review case documents. The Document Control Center is in the Clerks Office, on the 1st floor of the SCCs headquarters at 1300 East Main Street, in downtown Richmond.

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Table of Contents Show

Before Applying for Access
Getting Started
Making Changes to an Existing Account
Department Resources
Related Resources
Correcting a Virginia Birth Certificate
Case Status Team
Interpreter Information
Can you look up court cases in Virginia?
How do I find court records in Virginia?
How do I find someone's charges in Virginia?
How do I find local court cases?

Overview

CPAN is a subscriber-based internet service that allows users to access the constantly growing database of official Circuit Court records, from 1742 to the present. CPAN subscribers typically include land professionals, such as title examiners, law offices, mortgage companies, banks, the Commissioner of Accounts and county agencies.

CPAN Subscription Information

Information available on CPAN includes:

Land Record Documents
Judgment Documents
Administration of Estate (Fiduciary/Probate) Documents
Marriage License Documents
Notary Documents

Charter Documents
Financing Statement Documents
Trade Name Documents
Circuit Court Criminal & Civil Case Information
Zoning & Land Development Information
Real Estate Assessment Information

Before Applying for Access

Please note:

Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge are the only browsers currently supported for accessing CPAN.
Only original documents printed on letter-size paper will be accepted.
Please do not use correction fluid or tape; if any corrections are made, they must be initialed by both the individual who signed the application and the notary.
Ensure that your business name is consistent throughout all forms.

Mail or Bring Forms to:

Fairfax Circuit Court
Attn: IT Department (CPAN) – Suite 322
4110 Chain Bridge Road
Fairfax, VA 22030

Getting Started

For a new account (not adding users), whether as an individual or as a business, please submit

all three

of the following:

CPAN Entity Agreement
- If applying as an individual: Use your own name as the name of the business, and list yourself as the only authorized user on page 7.
- Only authorized users listed on page 7 or added via letterhead may access CPAN. Sharing of accounts is prohibited.
CPAN User Agreement (For each user)
Check or money order for $150 per user.
- Payable to: "Fairfax Circuit Court"
- Once activated, invoices will be mailed out on a quarterly basis at a rate of $150 per user.

Making Changes to an Existing Account

For adding or removing users to/from an existing CPAN account, please submit all of the following:

Letterhead Memo requesting the addition and/or removal of users by name.
CPAN User Agreement (For each additional user)
Check or money order for $150 per each net additional user (If adding one user and removing one user within the same memo, this would be a net change of zero and would not require any money.)
- Payable to: "Fairfax Circuit Court"

To cancel an existing account and all users:

Letterhead Memo or E-mail requesting the cancellation

Support

For assistance, please contact our HelpDesk by email at or phone at (703) 246-2366 (TTY 711).

Overview

The General District Court decides civil cases in which the amount in question does not exceed $25,000, except for personal injury and wrongful death cases in which the amount in question does not exceed $50,000. In addition, unlawful detainer (eviction) suits that include a request for rent for commercial or agricultural property can be heard by the general district court even if the amount of rent requested is more than $25,000.

A suit is begun by filing a civil warrant or complaint with the clerk of the court and paying a filing fee.

Small claims cases are civil cases in which the plaintiff is seeking a money judgment up to $5,000 or recovery of personal property valued up to $5,000. There are no attorneys in small claims court.

Below are the most common topics in the Civil Division. These pages explain the Court's procedures regarding these topics. Court employees will assist you when possible, but they are not employed as attorneys and cannot give legal advice.

Home
Circuit Court
General Information - Civil Case

Department Resources

Correcting a Virginia Birth Certificate

You may request certain corrections to a birth certificate through Virginia’s Division of Vital Records. If the request is denied, you can file a request in Circuit Court.

Case Status Team

The Case Status Team works with parties to schedule cases according to individualized timelines established by the court. The goal is to afford every litigant access to the courts to resolve their dispute by trial or settlement fairly and efficiently.

Interpreter Information

Many persons who come before the courts are partially or completely excluded from full participation in the proceedings due to limited English proficiency or a speech or hearing impairment. It is essential that the resulting communication barrier be removed, as far as possible, so that these persons are placed in the same position as similarly situated persons for whom there is no such barrier

Can you look up court cases in Virginia?

Cases may be searched by locality using name, case number, or hearing date. Online secure remote access to circuit court land records (as defined in Virginia Code §17.1-292) such as deeds, marriage licenses, judgments, and wills for select courts. Note: Registration with the local Circuit Court Clerk is required.

How do I find court records in Virginia?

Please call 804-371-9141 or email [email protected] with general questions and records requests. You may visit the Document Control Center to review case documents. The Document Control Center is in the Clerk's Office, on the 1st floor of the SCC's headquarters at 1300 East Main Street, in downtown Richmond.

How do I find someone's charges in Virginia?

The central custodian of criminal records is the Virginia State Police. The same grants official access to check statewide criminal history records. Commonly, public requesters of criminal record history checks must complete an SP-167 request form.

How do I find local court cases?

PACER allows anyone with an account to search and locate appellate, district, and bankruptcy court case and docket information. Register for a PACER account. Use the PACER Case Locator if you are not sure which specific federal court the case was filed.