Access Virginia Beach Criminal Records

Virginia Beach criminal records come from the city's Circuit Court, General District Court, and Police Department. Virginia Beach is the most populous city in Virginia, and its courts handle thousands of felony and misdemeanor cases each year. The city merged with Princess Anne County in 1963 and now operates as a fully independent city with its own complete judicial system. Arrest data flows from the Virginia Beach Police Department into the statewide Central Criminal Records Exchange. You can search cases online through OCIS or visit the courts in person. This guide walks through every source for Virginia Beach criminal records.

Virginia Beach Circuit Court Criminal Records

The Virginia Beach Circuit Court is the court of record for all felony criminal cases in the city. The Clerk's Office is located at 2425 Nimmo Parkway, Building 10, Virginia Beach, VA 23456. The office operates Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The Circuit Court handles approximately 2,000 or more felony cases each year. The Clerk maintains comprehensive case files including indictments, motions, court orders, jury instructions, sentencing guidelines worksheets, presentence investigation reports, and final disposition orders.

You can visit the public access terminals in the courthouse lobby to search cases and review summaries. For actual document review or certified copies, you go to the clerk's counter. The office uses the Judicial Information Management System for case tracking. Electronic records go back to 1990. Older cases may require an archived file request, which can take more time to pull.

To request records by mail, write to: Circuit Court Clerk, Attention: Criminal Records, 2425 Nimmo Parkway, Building 10, Virginia Beach, VA 23456. Include the defendant's full name and date of birth, case number if you have it, approximate offense date, and what specific documents you need. Processing takes about 7 to 10 business days. Copy fees are $0.50 per page for standard copies, $2.00 per document for certified copies, and $5.00 per document for exemplified copies.

General District Court and Online Case Search

The Virginia Beach General District Court handles misdemeanor criminal cases, traffic violations, and preliminary hearings for felony matters. The court is located at 2501 James Madison Boulevard, Building 1, Virginia Beach, VA 23456. Court hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The General District Court processes approximately 40,000 or more criminal and traffic cases each year. Court information is available at vbgov.com/general-district-court.

The Virginia OCIS system at eapps.courts.state.va.us provides free access to Virginia Beach criminal case records online.

Virginia Beach Circuit Court and General District Court records can be searched online by name or case number through OCIS.

The OCIS system shows case status, disposition, hearing dates, fine amounts, and payment history. Detailed document review requires an in-person visit. Copy fees for General District Court records are also $0.50 per page for standard copies and $2.00 per document for certified copies. The Virginia Beach General District Court also participates in the online payment system for fines and court costs.

Note: OCIS is a free search tool with no login required. It covers most Virginia Beach cases but does not show sealed records or juvenile records.

Virginia Beach Police Department Records

The Virginia Beach Police Department Records Unit maintains all police incident reports, accident reports, arrest records, and investigative files. The Records Unit is located at Police Headquarters, 2509 Princess Anne Road, Building 14, Virginia Beach, VA 23456. The unit operates Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, excluding holidays. The department handles approximately 80,000 or more records requests each year. You can reach the department at vbgov.com/police.

To request records, you can visit the Records Unit in person, mail a request to Virginia Beach Police Department, Attention: Records Unit, 2509 Princess Anne Road, Virginia Beach, VA 23456, email records@vbgov.com, or submit a request online. Fees include $0.50 per page for copies, $8.00 per accident report through BuyCrash.com, and $10.00 per incident report. Extensive searches may incur additional costs after the first hour.

Arrest records include the arrestee's name, date of birth, mugshot, arrest date and location, arresting officers, charges, bond status, and court date. Arrest records are public. The department reports all arrests to the Virginia State Police within 72 hours. Certain sensitive details in incident reports may be redacted under FOIA exemptions.

Virginia's FOIA law at foiacouncil.dls.virginia.gov governs public records access in Virginia Beach.

Virginia Beach offices respond to FOIA requests within five business days and may charge actual costs for document reproduction.

Sheriff's Office and Jail Records

The Virginia Beach Sheriff's Office operates the Virginia Beach Correctional Center at 2501 James Madison Boulevard. The facility houses pre-trial detainees and sentenced inmates serving terms up to one year. The Sheriff's Office provides an online inmate locator at vbgov.com/sheriff. The locator shows current inmates with booking number, charges, bond status, court dates, and housing location.

To visit an inmate, visitors must register online or call (757) 385-4552. A valid photo ID is required for all visits. Visitation schedules are based on housing unit assignments. You can deposit inmate commissary funds online at accesscorrections.com or by phone at (866) 345-1884. The Virginia VINE service at vinelink.vineapps.com lets you register for automated notifications when an offender's custody status changes. VINE is free to use and available for anyone with a valid phone number or email address.

The Virginia Department of Corrections inmate locator at vadoc.virginia.gov covers individuals serving state sentences, not local jail inmates. Use the Sheriff's online locator for Virginia Beach Correctional Center inquiries.

Expungement in Virginia Beach

Virginia Code § 19.2-392.2 gives Virginia Beach residents a path to expunge certain criminal records. The Virginia Beach Circuit Court Clerk accepts expungement petitions and provides forms and filing assistance, though not legal advice. Expungement is available for charges that ended in acquittal, dismissal, or nolle prosequi. It generally does not apply to convictions except in limited circumstances under newer sealing statutes.

To file, you need the arrest date, arresting agency, specific charge, date of final disposition, and your date of birth. After you file, the Commonwealth's Attorney gets a copy and has 21 days to respond. The court then holds a hearing. If the judge finds that continued access to the record causes manifest injustice, an expungement order is entered. For first-time misdemeanor arrests that were dismissed, expungement is generally available unless the Commonwealth shows good cause otherwise. Once the order is entered, the Circuit Court Clerk forwards it to the CCRE and all relevant agencies to seal or remove the records from public access.

Virginia Beach also operates specialized courts including Drug Treatment Court, Mental Health Court, and Veterans Treatment Court. These dockets have their own case management processes. If your case went through one of these programs, the expungement rules are the same, but an attorney familiar with these courts can be helpful.

Legal Help in Virginia Beach

Legal Aid of Eastern Virginia serves the Virginia Beach area. They offer free civil legal services to qualifying residents based on income. Call their intake line to ask about eligibility for help with criminal records matters. LawHelpVirginia at lawhelp.org/va has self-help guides on expungement, FOIA requests, and court procedures in Virginia.

Virginia Free Legal Answers at va.freelegalanswers.org is a free online resource for qualifying residents to ask licensed attorneys legal questions. The Virginia State Bar lawyer referral service is available at 1-800-552-7977. The Virginia Beach Bar Association may also have referral resources for local attorneys. The Virginia Sex Offender Registry at sex-offender.vsp.virginia.gov lets you search for registered offenders in Virginia Beach by name or address.

Virginia Beach Independent City Courts

Virginia Beach is a fully independent city with its own complete court system. It merged with Princess Anne County in 1963. There is no separate county that handles Virginia Beach criminal cases. All felony and misdemeanor cases originating within the city go through Virginia Beach's own Circuit Court and General District Court. This is different from towns and some smaller cities in Virginia that rely on nearby county courts.

Nearby Cities

These cities are near Virginia Beach in the Hampton Roads region. Each has its own criminal courts and records.