Find Court Docket Records in Arlington County

Arlington County court docket records are maintained by the Clerk of the 17th Judicial Circuit Court at 1425 North Courthouse Road in Arlington, Virginia. The Clerk's Office keeps docket entries for civil cases, felony criminal proceedings, land records, probate matters, and divorce filings that come before the Circuit Court. You can search Arlington docket records free through the Virginia Judicial System's online case portal, or visit the courthouse in person to use public access terminals during regular office hours. Arlington is an urban county with no incorporated municipalities, and all circuit court business flows through a single courthouse location.

Arlington Circuit Court Clerk's Office

The Clerk of the Circuit Court for Arlington County is Hon. Paul F. Ferguson. The office is located at 1425 North Courthouse Road, Suite 2400, Second Floor, Arlington, VA 22201. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. You can reach the office by phone at (703) 228-7010. The full listing of contact details and court schedules appears on the Arlington Circuit Court page at vacourts.gov.

The Clerk's Office is responsible for all records of the Arlington Circuit Court. This includes civil case files, felony criminal records, land instruments such as deeds and deeds of trust, wills and estate filings, marriage licenses, and all court orders and judgments. Public access terminals are available in the office during regular hours. For land records, the office provides online access through the Secure Remote Access system, which is available to attorneys, title companies, and other authorized users. The general public can access land records during business hours at the courthouse. You can find additional information on the Arlington County land records page.

Court terms begin the first Monday of January, March, May, July, September, and November at 2:00 PM. Civil Motions Day is held every Friday at 10:00 AM. Fiduciary matters and uncontested wills are set at 9:30 AM on Friday mornings. Evidentiary criminal motions are set at 9:30 AM on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of each month. Grand Jury convenes the last Monday of the month. Ore tenus hearings run Monday through Thursday at 9:30 AM, and bench warrant arraignments can be heard Monday through Friday at 9:30 AM.

Note: Commissioners in Chancery are used in partition cases and for judgment debtor interrogatories in Arlington Circuit Court.

Searching Arlington Court Dockets Online

The primary tool for online docket access is the Virginia Circuit Court Case Information System. Select "Arlington County Circuit" from the jurisdiction dropdown to search. From there you can search by party name, case number, or hearing date. Results are real time and reflect the current state of any active docket. The system shows case type, filing date, party names, scheduled hearings, and final disposition for closed matters.

Each case in the system includes tabs for Name List, Pleadings/Orders, and Services. The Services tab shows how process was served using method codes: BU (business), CN (cancelled), CS (certificate of service), FM (family member), IP (in person), MA (mailed), NF (not found), NS (not served), OP (order of publication), PO (posted), and RA (registered agent). This information is useful for tracking whether a party has been properly served in a civil case. The Clerk's Office uses the same online system to answer public inquiries about case status, so information is consistent between what you see online and what staff can tell you by phone.

Arlington General District Court Dockets

Arlington General District Court is part of the 17th Judicial District of Virginia. The Clerk of Court is Brian P. Henshaw. The office is at the same courthouse address: 1425 North Courthouse Road, Suite 2400, Arlington, VA 22201. Office hours are 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM Monday through Friday. The main phone number is (703) 228-7900. You can view the court details at the Arlington General District Court page on vacourts.gov.

The General District Court handles traffic violations, misdemeanor criminal cases, preliminary hearings for felonies, and civil cases with amounts in controversy up to $25,000. Small claims cases of $4,500 or less are heard exclusively in this court. Docket records from General District Court are separate from Circuit Court records and are searchable through the Virginia General District Court Online Case Information System. Both sets of dockets are public records.

Arlington County Docket Records Explained

A court docket is the official log of every action taken in a case. In Arlington County, circuit court dockets record when a complaint is filed, when service of process is completed, when motions are submitted and heard, and when the judge issues orders or a final judgment. For criminal cases, the docket tracks the arraignment, bail hearing, preliminary motions, trial date, verdict, and sentencing. Every document filed with the Clerk becomes part of the docket record.

Land records are also indexed in the Clerk's system and cover deeds, deeds of trust, mortgages, liens, and plats. Arlington's land records date back to the county's establishment, and many older records are available through the Secure Remote Access system for title research. The public can view land records in person at the courthouse. For those researching property ownership or lien history, the Arlington land records page explains the tools available and how to use the grantor-grantee index to locate a specific instrument.

Most court records in Arlington are open to the public under Virginia Code § 17.1-208. That statute requires the Clerk to allow any person to inspect records in the office during business hours. The Clerk must also provide copies when asked, subject to the fees set in state law.

FOIA and Public Access to Arlington Court Records

The Virginia Freedom of Information Act, § 2.2-3700, establishes that all public records are open by default. Courts are covered by FOIA and must respond to record requests within five business days. For most docket records, no formal FOIA request is needed since the information is available on public terminals and through the online portal. If a record is not immediately accessible, you can submit a written request and the Clerk must acknowledge it within five days.

For a sealed document or a record restricted by court order, a more formal process applies. The Virginia courts public records page explains how to submit a request to the judicial branch and what to expect in terms of response time and any fees. Juvenile cases and mental health commitment records are sealed by law and are not available through FOIA.

Note: Arlington Circuit Court records available through the online case portal reflect real-time data, so no additional request is needed to see current docket entries for open cases.

Copy and Recording Fees in Arlington County

Copy fees for Arlington County court records are set by Virginia Code § 17.1-275. Standard copies cost $0.50 per page. Certified copies carry an additional $2.00 per document fee. If a judge's certificate must also be attached, that adds another $0.50. These fees apply to both civil and criminal case documents.

Recording fees for land instruments follow a page-count schedule. Documents of 10 pages or fewer cost $18 to record. Instruments running 11 to 30 pages cost $32. Documents of 31 or more pages carry a $52 recording fee. Civil filing fees scale with the amount in controversy: cases under $50,000 carry a $100 clerk's fee, cases between $50,000 and $100,000 carry $200, cases between $100,000 and $500,000 carry $250, and cases over $500,000 carry $300. The Clerk's Office accepts cash, check, and credit card payments at the counter.

Land Records and Historic Filings in Arlington

Arlington County Clerk maintains land records dating to the county's earliest formation. These records include deeds, deeds of trust, mortgages, liens, subdivision plats, and other property instruments. Attorneys, title companies, and real estate professionals with accounts in the Secure Remote Access system can search land records remotely. Members of the general public can access these same records during business hours using the public terminals in the Clerk's Office at 1425 North Courthouse Road.

For older records, the Library of Virginia in Richmond holds additional materials including microfilm and digitized documents from many Virginia localities. The Library's Chancery Records Index covers equity cases from Arlington, and its collections include deed books and other instruments that may not appear in the online circuit court portal. The Library is open to researchers during regular business hours and can be contacted at (804) 692-3888.

The statutory framework for maintaining and preserving clerk records is found in Title 17.1 of the Code of Virginia, which sets requirements for all courts of record in Virginia, including the Arlington Circuit Court.

Nearby Counties

Arlington County borders Fairfax County to the west and south and the independent cities of Alexandria and Falls Church to the south, each with their own court clerk offices.