Land Records General Information



Background Information

The Land Records department is located on the third floor of the Fairfax County Courthouse at 4110 Chain Bridge Road in Fairfax. The department records documents from property transactions in Fairfax County and the City of Fairfax. Customers submit over-the-counter land documents (separated into batches of no more than 20 sets) for recording from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The recording line closes at 4 p.m. and all remaining batches of documents that have not been recorded, are returned to the customer. Over-the-counter documents cannot be left overnight and customers must be present when their documents are being recorded in case any questions arise. All documents must include the Fairfax Land Records' cover sheet. The department is open to the public for research from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, and is designed for the public to do its own research. For Land Records questions, call (703) 691-7320 and press 3 and then 4.

The mailing address for the Land Records department is:

Fairfax Circuit Court
4110 Chain Bridge Road
Fairfax, VA 22030
Attention: Land Records

All Documents presented for recordation at the Land Records department must be signed and original notarized documents. Forms for Certificates of Satisfaction, Certificates of Partial Satisfaction, Certificates of Transfer, Memoranda for Mechanic's Lien, Releases of Mechanics' Lien, Authorization for Partial or Full Release of Judgment Lien and Releases of Lis Pendens are available at the Land Records office and some may be downloaded from the link to the Virginia Judicial System Web site below.

Real property transactions involving property located within the City of Falls Church must be recorded with the Arlington County Circuit Court.


Land Records Research

Land records are public documents and individuals who need information must do their own research. Clerks are available to aid you with your research, but they cannot do it for you. For assistance with extensive land record's research, you should consider hiring a local title company or an attorney familiar with Land Records.

The Land Records documents have all been converted from microfilm and books into digital images. These images may be retrieved and researched at public computer terminals in the Research Room or via the web by subscription to the Court Public Access Network (CPAN - see below for subscription information). The Research Room is open to the public from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Documents from 1742 to the present are available for retrieval and deed books prior to 1945 are maintained in the Historic Records Center located at 4000 Chain Bridge Road, Suite 1600.

The Land Records department of the Circuit Court does not record nor maintain information regarding the assessed value of real estate. Real estate information is available via the Internet at iCare website or with a subscription to CPAN. Any questions regarding real property taxes, assessments, or property owner, should be directed to the Department of Tax Administration, Real Estate Division at 703-222-8234 or their website.


Land Records Forms

You may download the forms below from the Virginia Judicial System Web site:


 Obtaining Copies of Land Records

To order copies of deeds and other land records, you must know the instrument number or deed book and page number reference of the document. You may obtain the deed book and page number reference by searching the land records in the Land Records Research Room or through a subscription to CPAN (see below for subscription information). Subscribers to CPAN are able to make non-certified copies from their own computer.

To obtain a copy in person, go to the Land Records Division on the third floor of the Fairfax County Courthouse, Suite 317. The fee for a certified copy is $2.00 per document and $0.50 per page. The court does not accept personal checks. Acceptable forms of payment: cash, Circuit Court debit or credit card, business check, law firm/attorney check, cashier's check or money order payable to Clerk of the Court.  Visa and MasterCard are also accepted with a 4% processing fee.

To obtain a copy by mail, the customer must either complete the Land Records Copy Request FormPDF icon or prepare a written request providing the instrument number and/or deed book and page number of the document. The fee for a certified copy is $2.00 per document and $0.50 per page. Mail the form/request, payment and a self-addressed, stamped envelope of sufficient size to the address listed below. The court does not accept personal checks and cash and credit card payments are not accepted through the mail. Acceptable forms of payment: business check, attorney/law firm check, money order or cashier's check made payable to Clerk of the Court. The copy will be mailed within two weeks from receipt of the request. Mail the request to:

John T. Frey
Fairfax Circuit Court
4110 Chain Bridge Road, Suite 317
Fairfax, VA 22030
Attn: Land Records Copies

Certificate of Satisfaction for Trust/Mortgage

To release a trust or mortgage from record, an original and notarized Certificate of Satisfaction signed by the lender or the settlement agent who has paid the obligation must be recorded in the Land Records department. All information on the form must be completed in full. Most lenders will mail the Certificate of Satisfaction form directly to Land Records, however some will mail the form to the borrowers with instructions how to record the document. It is then the borrower's responsibility to make sure the document is recorded in Land Records.

Certificate of Satisfaction forms are available from the Land Records department or may be downloaded from the above link to the Virginia Judicial System Web site.

A return address or box number should be inserted in the margin of the first page of the Certificate of Satisfaction as well as a tax map number. The tax map number can be obtained from a current assessment notice or from the Department of Tax Administration at 703-222-8234 or their website. Please provide a self-addressed, stamped envelope of sufficient size for return of the recorded document(s). Documents will be returned to the address or box provided.


 Court Public Access Network (CPAN)

Internet access to Land Records' documents is available through the Court's Public Access Network (CPAN). All information pertaining to the CPAN (Court Public Access Network) subscription service is available on the CPAN Application page

If you have questions about CPAN, you may call the Circuit Court IT Department at (703) 246-2366 or send e-mail inquiries to ccrhelp@fairfaxcounty.gov.


Documents

  • Alpha Book Conversion Chart PDF icon
    The conversion chart is used to help Land Records' patrons research documents in CARS recorded prior to 1943.
  • Land Records Recordation Taxes and Fees PDF icon
    Please click here for the recordation taxes and fees for land records. These taxes and fees are established by the Code of Virginia. §58.1-801 et. seq.



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