Fairfax County Criminal Records

Fairfax County criminal records are held by the Circuit Court Clerk, the General District Court, the Police Department, and the Sheriff's Office. As Virginia's most populous jurisdiction with over 1.1 million residents, Fairfax County maintains one of the busiest court systems in the state. You can search felony and misdemeanor case records online through the Virginia OCIS system, request documents in person or by mail, or submit a FOIA request to the county. This page covers every major source for criminal records in Fairfax County and explains how each one works.

Fairfax County Circuit Court Records

The Fairfax County Circuit Court Clerk maintains all felony criminal records for the 19th Judicial Circuit. The clerk's office at 4110 Chain Bridge Road in Fairfax handles an average of 3,000 or more felony cases each year. Case files contain the original indictment, all motions filed by both sides, court orders, jury materials, sentencing guidelines worksheets, probation violation reports, and final disposition records. Each case gets a unique number in the format CR-YYYY-XXXXXX.

Fairfax County's Circuit Court is one of the busiest in the Commonwealth, covering Virginia's largest county population. Records from 1980 to the present are stored electronically and can be printed on request. Cases older than ten years may be stored in an off-site archive and can take 3 to 5 business days to retrieve. In-person visitors must show valid photo ID and sign in at the security screening area before accessing the public terminals in the clerk's office.

Fairfax County's Circuit Court maintains all felony criminal case records, accessible online through fairfaxcounty.gov/courts/circuit.

The Circuit Court Clerk accepts in-person requests and processes written records requests for Fairfax County felony cases.

Copy fees are set under Virginia Code § 17.1-275 at $0.50 per page for standard copies and $2.00 per certified document. Credit card payments at Fairfax County courts carry a 4% convenience fee. Mail requests go to Circuit Court Clerk, Attention: Criminal Records, 4110 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax, VA 22030. Include the defendant's full name, date of birth if known, case number if available, approximate dates, and payment for estimated copy costs. Written requests are typically processed within 5 to 10 business days.

General District Court and OCIS

The Fairfax County General District Court handles all Class 1 through Class 4 misdemeanor cases, traffic violations, DWI and DUI charges, and preliminary hearings for felony cases. The court processes more than 50,000 criminal and traffic cases each year. It operates multiple specialized dockets, including a dedicated DWI/DUI docket, a domestic violence docket, and a mental health docket. All of these generate public case records.

The Fairfax County General District Court at fairfaxcounty.gov/courts/gd handles misdemeanor and traffic cases across the county.

Misdemeanor case records are accessible through the Virginia OCIS system and the general district court clerk's office.

The Virginia Online Case Information System (OCIS) gives free public access to Fairfax County General District Court records. Search by name, case number, or hearing date to see charges with Virginia Code sections, court dates, case status, and dispositions. Fairfax County also participates in the Virginia Online Payment System (VJOPS) for paying court fines online. For certified copies or full document access, the General District Court clerk's office is located at 4110 Chain Bridge Road, Suite 120, Fairfax, VA 22030, and is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

Police Records and Jail Records

The Fairfax County Police Department is one of the largest in Virginia, providing law enforcement to the county's 1.1 million residents. The Records and Identification Unit processes arrest records, incident reports, accident reports, and other police documents. The department reports all arrests to the Virginia State Police Central Criminal Records Exchange (CCRE) and participates in regional information-sharing systems.

The Fairfax County Police Department at fairfaxcounty.gov/police handles incident reports and arrest records for the county's 1.1 million residents.

Police records requests in Fairfax County can be submitted online or in person at the Records and Identification Unit.

Records available from the Police Department under FOIA include incident reports, accident reports, and basic arrest information. Ongoing investigations, confidential informant files, and juvenile records are exempt. Police Records Division fees are $15.00 per incident report and $5.00 per accident report, plus $0.50 per page for copies. You can submit requests online, in person at 12099 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax, VA 22035, or by email to police.records@fairfaxcounty.gov. Requests are typically handled within five working days.

The Fairfax County Adult Detention Center (ADC), operated by the Sheriff's Office, is located at 10520 Judicial Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030. The online inmate locator at the Sheriff's website lets you search for current inmates by name. Results show booking date, charges, bond amount, court dates, and scheduled release date. For custody questions, call the Sheriff's Office at (703) 246-2100. The VADOC Inmate Locator covers people transferred to state prisons after sentencing.

FOIA Records Requests in Fairfax County

Fairfax County has a dedicated FOIA program managed by the County Attorney's Office. Each county department has a designated FOIA officer. You can submit requests online, by mail, or by email. The main FOIA office is at 12000 Government Center Parkway, Suite 549, Fairfax, VA 22035. Email: foia@fairfaxcounty.gov. Phone: (703) 324-2530. The county must respond within five working days under Virginia Code § 2.2-3704.

Criminal records available through Fairfax County FOIA include police incident reports with redactions, accident reports, basic arrest information, jail booking and release data, and closed case investigative files. Fees are $0.50 per page for photocopies and $15.00 per hour for search and review time beyond the first hour. Requests expected to cost more than $200 require a cost estimate in advance. The county also maintains a FOIA reading room at fairfaxcounty.gov/foia with frequently requested documents already posted.

If your FOIA request is denied, Fairfax County provides a written explanation of the specific exemption applied. You may appeal to the Virginia FOIA Council or file suit in circuit court within 180 days of the denial.

Expungement of Criminal Records

Virginia's expungement statute at Virginia Code § 19.2-392.2 allows people to petition for removal of arrest and court records under certain conditions. You may qualify if your case ended in acquittal, dismissal, or a nolle prosequi. Petitions for Fairfax County cases are filed at the Fairfax County Circuit Court Clerk's Office. The clerk provides expungement petition forms and can explain the filing process, though they cannot give legal advice.

The petition must include the date of arrest, the arresting agency, the specific charge, the date of final disposition, your date of birth, and the name you used at arrest. A copy gets served on the Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney. The Commonwealth has 21 days to respond. People with no prior criminal record who were arrested on a misdemeanor or civil offense are generally entitled to expungement unless the Commonwealth can show good cause against it. Once the court enters an expungement order, the Circuit Court Clerk sends it to the Virginia State Police and all relevant agencies for record removal.

Note: Most felony convictions do not qualify for expungement under current Virginia law. If you are unsure whether your record qualifies, speaking with an attorney before you file can save time.

Legal Resources in Fairfax County

Fairfax County has a robust network of legal aid and pro bono services compared to most Virginia counties. Several organizations can help residents with criminal records matters, expungement petitions, and FOIA disputes.

Legal Services of Northern Virginia provides free civil legal help to low-income residents of Fairfax County, including assistance with expungement cases and record access issues. The Fairfax Bar Association offers a lawyer referral service for residents who need a paid attorney. The Northern Virginia Pro Bono Law Center coordinates volunteer legal services for qualifying clients.

The Virginia Sex Offender Registry is free to search online at any time by name or area. For a full criminal history check through the state, submit the SP-167 form to the Virginia State Police CCRE with the $15 fee. Forms are available at vsp.virginia.gov/forms. A $20 combo option also runs a registry name check at the same time. Statewide case information is also searchable through OCIS at no cost.

Independent Cities in Fairfax County Area

Two independent cities, Fairfax City and Falls Church, are located within the boundaries of Fairfax County but operate as separate jurisdictions with their own courts and law enforcement. Criminal records from Fairfax City and Falls Church are not filed at the Fairfax County Circuit Court. If you need records from either of those cities, contact their respective clerks' offices directly.

Nearby Counties

Fairfax County borders several major Northern Virginia jurisdictions. If a case was filed in a neighboring county, you will need to contact that county's court system.