Search Norfolk Criminal History

Norfolk criminal history records are filed and kept at the Norfolk Circuit Court and Norfolk General District Court at 150 St. Paul's Boulevard. Norfolk is an independent city in the 4th Judicial Circuit with its own court system separate from any county. Criminal records here include felony case files, misdemeanor dockets, arrest information, and sentencing orders. You can search many of these records online or visit the clerk's office in person during regular hours.

Norfolk Circuit Court Criminal Records

The Norfolk Circuit Court is one of the busiest courts in Virginia. It handles all felony cases filed in the city and keeps the official records for those proceedings. Hon. George E. Schaefer serves as Clerk of Court. The clerk can be reached at (757) 389-8942 or by email at gschaefer@circuitcourtva.us. The office is on the 7th Floor at 150 St. Paul's Boulevard, Norfolk, VA 23510. Hours are 8:45 AM to 4:45 PM, Monday through Friday.

The Norfolk Circuit Court maintains criminal case files going back to at least 1996 in its online OCRA system, with civil records stretching back to 1833. OCRA (Officer of the Court Remote Access) is available to Virginia State Bar members for a subscription fee. Group 1 access costs $600 per year or $50 per month. Group 2, which includes criminal and civil case files, is $600 per year (annual only). Full access to all records costs $900 per year. More details are at norfolkcircuitcourt.us.

Members of the public who are not attorneys can inspect public criminal records in person at the clerk's office. Copies cost $0.50 per page, and certified copies carry an extra $2.50 fee according to the City of Norfolk courts information page at norfolk.gov/1579/Courts.

The Norfolk Circuit Court official page on the Virginia judiciary website lists contact information, office hours, and links to online case tools.

The 4th Judicial Circuit court at 150 St. Paul's Boulevard processes all felony criminal cases for the City of Norfolk.

Norfolk General District Court

The Norfolk General District Court is the 4th Judicial District of Virginia. It sits at the same address as the Circuit Court, at 150 St. Paul's Boulevard. This court handles misdemeanors, traffic violations, and preliminary hearings for felony charges. It does not conduct jury trials. All cases here are heard by a judge. When a defendant wants a jury trial on a misdemeanor, the case gets appealed to the Circuit Court.

General District Court records for misdemeanor cases and traffic matters are searchable online through the Virginia judiciary's GDC case information system. Select Norfolk from the list to pull up cases. Appeals from this court go to the Circuit Court and are tried fresh, as if no prior hearing occurred. The General District Court website is at vacourts.gov/courts/gd/Norfolk/home.html.

The Norfolk Circuit Court's own website provides attorney access tools, OCRA subscription information, and details on secure remote access to land records and court documents.

Attorneys subscribed to OCRA can access criminal case files from January 1, 1996 to the present through this secure portal.

Norfolk Police Department Records

The Norfolk Police Department handles law enforcement for the city and maintains arrest records and incident reports. Arrests made by the NPD feed into the criminal history database at the state level through the Virginia State Police CCRE. Local arrest records can be requested from the police department's records division using a FOIA request. Virginia law gives agencies up to five working days to respond.

Arrest records and court records are different things. An arrest record shows that someone was taken into custody. A court record shows what happened after: charges filed, guilty pleas, trials, verdicts, and sentences. You may need both depending on what you are trying to find. The city's courts overview at norfolk.gov/1579/Courts also has background on how the local court system works.

The City of Norfolk courts page gives an overview of the circuit court, general district court, and juvenile court, including how each type of case flows through the system.

Norfolk's court system at 150 St. Paul's Boulevard includes all three trial courts serving the independent city.

Search Norfolk Criminal History Online

The Virginia judiciary operates several online systems for searching criminal history in Norfolk. The statewide OCIS search at eapps.courts.state.va.us/ocis/search lets you look up adult criminal records across all participating courts in one search. Enter a name and the system returns matching records from general district courts and select circuit courts statewide.

For Norfolk General District Court cases, use the GDC portal at eapps.courts.state.va.us/gdcourts/. Select Norfolk from the court list. The results show case numbers, charges, hearing dates, and dispositions. You can look up misdemeanor cases, traffic matters, and preliminary hearing records.

The main Virginia Courts case information hub is at vacourts.gov/caseinfo/home.html. It explains all available online tools and links to each. Juvenile cases, adoption matters, and sealed records are excluded from all public online searches. For those, a court order is required to gain access.

Virginia State Police Criminal Record Checks

The Virginia State Police Central Criminal Records Exchange (CCRE) holds statewide criminal history for all of Virginia including Norfolk. The CCRE collects data from courts and law enforcement agencies and provides official criminal history reports. These reports are more thorough than a single court's docket search because they pull data from multiple sources across the state.

To get your own criminal history record, submit Form SP-167 with a notarized signature and a $15 fee. Certain authorized agencies use Form SP-230. Mail requests go to the Virginia State Police or to the CARE office at 7700 Midlothian Turnpike, North Chesterfield, VA 23235. Processing typically takes 15 to 20 business days. Full details and downloadable forms are at vsp.virginia.gov/criminal-record-check/.

Note: The VSP CCRE does not handle court records directly. For certified copies of court documents, always go to the court clerk.

VADOC Inmate Locator

The Virginia Department of Corrections maintains a free inmate locator at vadoc.virginia.gov/general-public/inmate-locator/. Use it to find people currently held in state prison after a conviction in Norfolk or anywhere else in Virginia. The search returns facility location and projected release date. People held in the Norfolk City Jail pending trial or serving short sentences are not in this system. Contact the Norfolk Sheriff's Office for local custody inquiries.

Criminal Records Access in Norfolk

Virginia Code § 19.2-389 sets the rules for who can get criminal history record information and how agencies can share it. Most criminal court records in Norfolk are open to the public. That includes case filings, charging documents, court orders, and sentencing records. Virginia Code § 17.1-208 requires circuit court records to be available for public inspection during normal business hours. The Norfolk Circuit Court clerk's office at 150 St. Paul's Boulevard follows this rule.

Juvenile records are not public. Records of proceedings in the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court are sealed under Virginia law. Certain adult records may also be sealed or expunged. Under Virginia Code § 19.2-392.2, a person whose charge was dismissed, nolle prossed, or for whom a not guilty verdict was returned may petition for expungement. Once expunged, the record is removed from public view. Sealed and expunged records do not show up in public court searches.

When you visit the Norfolk Circuit Court to inspect records, bring a photo ID. Staff can help you find a case by name or case number. There is no public terminal search fee. Copies cost $0.50 per page. Certified copies cost an additional $2.50 per document.

Nearby Virginia Cities

These independent cities are close to Norfolk and each maintain their own criminal history records.