How to Search Henrico County Court Records
Start at the official Virginia court systems, not a third-party site. The Virginia Judiciary runs the tools that hold Henrico case status data, and the right tool depends on the court. Circuit Court cases, General District Court cases, and Juvenile and Domestic Relations cases each have their own access path. The free statewide Online Case Information System, known as OCIS 2.0, gives broad access to criminal and traffic case data. General District Court Case Information covers most Henrico traffic, misdemeanor, small claims, and landlord-tenant matters.
Before you start, gather what you have. A case number gives the cleanest result. A full legal name works too, though common names return many cases. You will also want to know roughly when the case was filed and which court level handled it.
The Virginia Courts online services page is the best official hub for moving between these tools.
The Virginia Courts online services page lists OCIS, Circuit Court Case Information, General District Court Case Information, payment tools, and fee calculators in one place.
From that hub a Henrico user can pick the correct system and avoid paying on the wrong page, since OCIS itself does not take payments.
- Open the Virginia Courts online services page and choose the system that fits your court level.
- Pick the court. Use Circuit Court for felonies, divorce, and major civil cases; General District Court for traffic, misdemeanors, and small claims.
- Search by case number when you have it, since that is the most exact path.
- Search by name or hearing date if you have no case number, then narrow by court and date.
- For a full file or a certified copy, contact the Henrico Circuit Court Clerk, because the online systems show case status, not every scanned document.
The Henrico County Court System
Virginia does not use a district court as its main trial court. In Henrico, the Circuit Court is the court of record and the broadest trial court. It hears felonies, divorce, probate-related matters through the Clerk, and most civil cases above the lower court limits. Henrico sits in the 14th Judicial Circuit of Virginia. The General District Court, in the 14th Judicial District, is a lower court for traffic, misdemeanors, felony preliminary hearings, and lower-dollar civil claims.
The Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court handles a separate set of family and juvenile matters. Appeals move up the ladder by case type.
Case flow: General District Court › Circuit Court › Court of Appeals of Virginia › Supreme Court of Virginia
| Court | Role | Main Case Types |
|---|---|---|
| Henrico Circuit Court | Court of record, broadest trial court | Felonies, divorce, major civil, probate authority, appeals from lower courts |
| Henrico General District Court | Lower trial court | Traffic, misdemeanors, felony preliminary hearings, small claims, landlord-tenant |
| Henrico J&DR District Court | Juvenile and family court | Custody, visitation, support, juvenile delinquency, family criminal matters |
| Court of Appeals of Virginia | Intermediate appellate court | Appeals from circuit courts within its jurisdiction |
| Supreme Court of Virginia | Highest state court | Final state appellate authority in many matters |
The official Henrico Circuit Court profile names the clerk, the chief judge, and the terms of court.
The Henrico Circuit Court profile on the Virginia Courts site lists Clerk Heidi S. Barshinger, Chief Judge Randall G. Johnson Jr., and the court address.
That same page is where you confirm circuit terms, which begin the second Monday of several months for criminal matters.
Circuit Court vs General District Court
People often mix up the two main trial courts. This comparison keeps them straight.
| Feature | Circuit Court | General District Court |
|---|---|---|
| Court of record | Yes | No |
| Civil claim range | Above $25,000; shared $4,500 to $25,000 | Up to $4,500 exclusive; shared to $25,000 |
| Criminal cases | Felonies, appealed misdemeanors | Misdemeanors, felony preliminary hearings |
| Family | Divorce and annulment | None (J&DR handles family) |
| Jury trials | Yes | No |
Where to Go on the Henrico Courts Campus
The court buildings cluster along East Parham Road in the Western Government Center area. The addresses sit close together, which trips up first-time visitors. The Courts Building at 4309 East Parham Road holds the Circuit Court, the General District Court, and the Circuit Court Clerk. The Juvenile and Domestic Relations court is a short distance away at 4201 East Parham Road. The Sheriff and Jail West are at 4317 East Parham Road, and county government sits at 4301 East Parham Road.
Match the address to your task. For probate, land records, marriage license pickup, or the Clerk's public counter, use 4309 East Parham Road and look for Room 240.
One detail matters before you arrive: phones and electronics are not allowed inside the Courts Building.
The county posts an official courthouse rules order for the 4309 East Parham Road building, which sets the safety and decorum rules for all visitors.
Plan extra time to park, pass security screening, and reach the upper floors before any hearing or appointment.
Henrico Circuit Court & Clerk
4309 East Parham Road, Room 240
Henrico, VA 23228
(804) 501-4202
Henrico General District Court
4309 East Parham Road
Henrico, VA 23228
Civil (804) 501-4727
Types of Court Records Available in Henrico County
Henrico court records split by court and by case type. The Circuit Court holds felony files, major civil suits, divorce decrees, wills, judgments, and land records. The General District Court holds traffic, misdemeanor, small claims, and landlord-tenant files. Juvenile and family files sit with the J&DR court and carry tighter access rules.
Most case status data is public, but document images often are not posted online for free.
- Criminal records - felony files in Circuit Court; misdemeanors and preliminary hearings in General District Court.
- Civil records - warrants in debt, unlawful detainers, contract suits, and judgments.
- Family and divorce records - divorce and annulment are Circuit Court matters.
- Probate records - wills, estate qualification, and fiduciary filings through the Clerk.
- Traffic records - infractions, DUID, and traffic safety dockets in General District Court.
The General District Court is where most Henrico residents see the court system, since traffic and misdemeanor cases are common.
The Henrico General District Court profile lists the clerk, the judges, and the full docket schedule for traffic, civil, and criminal dockets.
For a full breakdown of each record type, the Henrico County court records page covers the search portals in detail.
What Henrico County Court Records Show
A public case result in the Virginia systems shows a standard set of fields. The exact look changes by court level, but the core data stays the same. Below is what you can expect to see in a typical Henrico case status record. Full pleadings, orders, and exhibits usually require a clerk copy request.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Court / Locality | Court name and locality, such as Henrico Circuit or Henrico General District. |
| Case Number | Court-generated identifier; format differs by court level. |
| Parties | Plaintiff and defendant, or Commonwealth and defendant; juvenile names are restricted. |
| Charges / Cause | Charge description or civil case type where public. |
| Filing / Hearing Date | Date fields shown by court level. |
| Disposition | Pending, dismissed, convicted, nolle prosequi, or similar status. |
| Financial | Fines, costs, and payment eligibility in General District cases. |
Note: Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, and juvenile details are redacted from public court records.
Public Access Laws for Henrico County Court Records
Virginia court records are open by default, but the access rules are layered. The Virginia Freedom of Information Act covers public bodies, while court files also have their own statutes and clerk rules. Henrico's FOIA page states that records are presumed open and that exemptions are read narrowly. For court files, the specific court-record statutes often matter more than FOIA.
A few key laws shape what you can see and copy.
Key Statutes:
Va. Code § 2.2-3700 et seq. - the Virginia FOIA; public records are presumed open and a requester may ask for cost estimates first.
Va. Code § 17.1-208 - lets the public inspect records in the circuit court clerk's office except where law restricts access.
Va. Code § 16.1-69.54:1 - governs inspection and copying of General District Court records.
The Henrico County public records page explains how to file a request and what the county can charge.
Records That Are Restricted or Confidential
Not every court record is open. Juvenile court files are restricted under Va. Code § 16.1-305, so the general public usually cannot view them. Adoption files, sealed records, and expunged records are also closed to ordinary searches. Sensitive details such as Social Security numbers and victim information are redacted from public files.
The Juvenile and Domestic Relations court handles most of these confidential matters.
The Henrico J&DR Court profile shows the court's clerk, judges, and docket structure for juvenile and family cases.
To view a sealed record, a person usually must be a party, an attorney, or someone with a court order, and adult expungement runs through the Circuit Court.
Specialty Courts in Henrico County
Henrico runs an adult Drug Court, also called a Recovery Court. The county received a federal grant in June 2002 to set up the program and later marked its first graduation. It serves offenders with substance use issues and blends court supervision, treatment, drug testing, and structured phases. Sanctions and incentives keep participants on track, and graduation follows sustained compliance.
Virginia Courts keeps a statewide Directory of Recovery Courts, which is the best official source for whether a docket is active.
Eligibility depends on charge type, criminal history, and treatment needs. Confirm current rules through the Commonwealth's Attorney, defense counsel, and the court. Official sources reviewed identify the Henrico Recovery and Drug Court; a separate veterans, DWI, or mental health docket was not confirmed in those sources.
Henrico County Sheriff and Jail
The Henrico County Sheriff's Office runs the local jail and is led by Sheriff Alisa A. Gregory, who was first elected in November 2019 and re-elected in November 2023. The office runs two facilities. Regional Jail West, at 4317 East Parham Road, is a maximum-security jail and the Sheriff's headquarters. Regional Jail East sits on 76 acres in New Kent County and is described by the county as the first campus-style jail in the Commonwealth.
The public inmate search shows identity, booking date, facility, and inmate ID. It does not list charges or dispositions.
For the full roster details, see the Henrico County inmate records page, and for active-warrant questions, see the warrant records page.
Marriage, Divorce, and Probate Records
The Circuit Court Clerk issues marriage licenses, keeps divorce files, and handles probate. Marriage licenses are issued in Room 240, and the fee is $33. Divorce is a Circuit Court matter, so divorce decrees are filed there. Probate runs through the Clerk by appointment. The marriage and divorce records and probate records pages cover each process step by step.
The Clerk's office is the records hub for all three.
The Henrico Circuit Court Clerk homepage describes the Clerk's duties, online records, and the contact form for civil, criminal, probate, and land questions.
Probate brings up a few terms that confuse families, so here are the basics.
- Testator
- The person who made the will.
- Executor
- The person named in a will to administer the estate.
- Administrator
- The person appointed when no executor qualifies.
- Conservator
- The person appointed to make financial decisions for an adult who cannot.
Henrico County Court Records Fees
Fees at the Clerk's office are modest for most public copies. The plain copy fee is set per page, and certified marriage copies have their own rates. Attorneys who want remote case access pay a yearly subscription. The table below lists the fees the county publishes.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Plain copy per page | $0.50 |
| Marriage license | $33.00 |
| Certified marriage copy picked up | $2.50 |
| Certified marriage copy by mail without SASE | $3.00 |
| Land-record paper filing per instrument | $5.00 |
| OCRA attorney remote access | $150 per year |
A 2% transaction fee applies to credit card payments for marriage and probate. The Circuit Court Clerk page lists the division phone numbers for copy requests.
How to Interpret Henrico County Court Records
Court records use shorthand that can confuse first-time readers. A charge is not the same as a conviction. The disposition field tells you the outcome, and the words there matter. "Nolle prosequi" means the prosecutor chose not to pursue the charge for now. "Dismissed" means the case ended without a conviction. "Capias" points to an arrest order, often after a missed court date.
Read the whole record, not just one field.
A pending case shows no final outcome yet, so an open charge does not prove guilt. When a result looks unclear, the safest step is to call the clerk's division that holds the file and confirm what the codes mean for that case type.
Accuracy and Record Limitations
Online court data can lag behind the paper file. A clerk may enter an order a few days after a hearing, and a continuance can move a date after the system already showed it. Names get misspelled, and common names produce false matches. Treat an online result as a starting point, not the final word.
Note: Confirm any hearing date, deadline, or disposition with the clerk's office or your attorney before you act on what an online search shows.
History of Henrico County Courts
Henrico is one of Virginia's oldest jurisdictions, and its court records reach back to the colonial era. The Library of Virginia's Henrico collection includes Orphan's Court material from 1677 to 1739 along with old deeds and wills. One record set covers the proceedings of commissioners who dealt with Henrico records destroyed by the British between 1774 and 1782, a reminder that some early files were lost and rebuilt.
The Clerk of the Circuit Court has always been central to keeping these records.
Census figures give the modern scale of the county the courts serve.
The Census QuickFacts page for Henrico County lists a 2020 population of 334,389 and a land area of 233.68 square miles.
That population is served by the same court campus on East Parham Road, now backed by digital land records and statewide case systems.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I search Henrico County court records online?
Use the official Virginia Courts online services. OCIS 2.0 gives statewide access to certain criminal and traffic data. General District Court Case Information covers many Henrico traffic, misdemeanor, civil, and landlord-tenant cases. Circuit Court Case Information covers participating circuit cases. For full documents, certified copies, or older files, contact the Henrico Circuit Court Clerk.
Is Henrico's Circuit Court the same as District Court?
No. In Virginia, the Circuit Court is the main court of record and the broadest trial court. The General District Court is a lower court for traffic, misdemeanors, and lower-dollar civil claims. The J&DR Court is separate for juvenile and family matters. Henrico's primary trial court should not be called a district court.
Can I bring a phone into the Henrico Courts Building?
No. Henrico warns that cell phones and other electronic devices are prohibited in the Courts Building at 4309 East Parham Road. Leave prohibited items outside and allow extra time for security screening before any hearing or clerk appointment.
More on the Henrico County Court Records FAQ page.