Making the Most of Virginia Public Records

Making the most of Virginia public records will require you to have a guide or referral. You can conduct Internet searches of many government agencies for free but you will spend a lot of time looking at irrelevant links and websites if you have no idea where to start.
 

If conducting a background check, you will first need to obtain some basic information on the individual for which you are seeking public records. Virginia records are easier to obtain if you know some addresses where that person has previously lived.

There are three general types of public records in Virginia:

1. Virginia criminal records that include files on registered sex offenders, past convictions or current information on current inmates in a particular prison. These records can help you investigate individuals such as prospective employees and perform background checks.

2. Non-criminal public records in Virginia such as census records, consumer protection information or legislation minutes. You may find these records helpful when researching a product or political candidate.

3. Real estate records like property appraisals, ownership and taxes. These types of records can be useful when buying or selling a home.

Find Virginia public court records from local government agencies

City and county clerks in Virginia can frequently provide a great deal of current information on an individual when you know their name and address.
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Virginia’s Judicial System has links to all the district courts in Virginia and also allows a site search. The Commonwealth of Virginia displays a list of websites for its various government entities including cities and counties.

Learn more about the laws regarding Virginia state public records

The records that are publicly available vary widely by state. You will want to have at least a general idea of what information you can expect to find before conducting your search.
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The Office of the Attorney General has a link to the Virginia Freedom of Information Act and also offers a range of other online services. The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles offers a variety of motor vehicle services online including a request of driving records.

Perform searches to access Virginia public records

Many cities and counties in Virginia maintain a variety of records on individuals and property that are freely available to the general public.
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My Virginia Genealogy has a variety of court records available in Patrick County for genealogical research. Fairfax County allows you to conduct a property search by number, unit and street. You can also sort the results.

• Exhaust sources for free Virginia court records before you consider paying for them. Sites that charge a fee may only provide information you could obtain elsewhere for free. Fortunately, libraries frequently subscribe to services that you would normally need to pay a fee to access. You should also bear in mind that many public records are simply not available online.