Information for Help with Searches |
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This is the Online Case Information System for general district courts in Virginia. There is a general district court in each city and county in Virginia, and this System will require you to search by individual court. To begin your search for a case, select the general district court from the drop-down menu to the left. You can search for cases using the plaintiff or defendant's name, the case number, or the hearing date. Use the links below the court drop-down menu to select the search method. Information on service of process and reports due in a case is available when entered into the Case Information System by the general district court. You may search for information on service of process in a case, such as a summons or subpoena, by entering the name of the person served. If the general district court enters this information into the System, it will be found under "Service/Process" in the "Case Details" of your search results. Information related to "Reports" in a civil case, such as a bill of particulars or grounds of defense, will be available under "Reports" when entered into the System by the general district court. For information on making an online payment, please read " How to Pay Traffic Tickets and Other Offenses." |
| Field Description | |
| Court | The name of the court in which the case was or will be heard. The system can only search one court at a time. |
| Search By Name | The name of the plaintiff or defendant as it appears on the summons/warrant. For search syntax help click here. |
| Search by Case Number | The case number of the case you want to view. For search syntax help click here. |
| Search by Hearing Date | The hearing date of the case you want to view. For search syntax help click here. |
| Data Status | The status of the data you wish to view. You can select Current, Archived or All. |
| Reports Due | Reports Due for a case are located on the case details page when conducting a search by case number. |
| Service/Process | Service/Process for a case is located on the case details page when conducting a search. |
| Search Syntax | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The syntax for the different searches is as follows:
Name Search The "Search by Name" option will return all results for the name entered. For best results, enter the name as it appears on the summons/warrant or civil pleading.
Wildcard Search Usage Wildcard Search The wildcard feature allows you to increase the extent of a search by using the symbol "*" to replace individual letters, or sequences of letters, within the 'first name' and 'last name' fields. This is useful if you are unsure of the spelling, or cannot find what you are looking for with the usual spelling of a name. How to use the wildcard The wildcard can be substituted for a character anywhere within the name, including the first letter. You can also use several wildcards in a name in combination with one another. Entries in the field must contain a minimum of two characters, in addition to the wildcard. A last name is required for all name searches. For example, if you search for LINDS*Y, you might find LINDSEY or LINDSAY. Or, if you search for *DONALD you might find DONALD, O'DONALD or MACDONALD. Case Number Search Search cases by case number.
Hearing Date Search Search cases by hearing date.
Service/Process Search (Using Name) Search service/process using name. This option will return all results for the name entered. To use the "Service/Process Search (Using Name)" search option, you must enter a last name.
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| Data Status Field |
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You may select the "Data Status" when conducting a Search by Name. The default Data
Status for name searches is "Current".
Current When searching for general district court cases, the term "Current" refers to those cases that were entered or heard after January 2007. If you are unsure about the date of a case, conduct the search using "All". Archived When searching for general district court cases, the term "Archived" refers to those cases that were entered or heard before January 2007. If you are unsure about the date of the case, conduct the search using "All". |
| Viewing Case Details |
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Single Case Details
You can view the case details for a single case by clicking the case number on the search results page. Alternatively, you can mark the checkbox to the left of the case number on the search results page, and then click on the "Display Case Details" button located at the bottom of the page. Multiple Case Details You can view the case details for multiple cases by marking the checkbox to the left of each case number on the search results page for which you want to see the details. Click on the "Display Case Details" button at the bottom to see the case details. You can view the case details for each case marked by clicking on the "Next" button located at the bottom of the page. |