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TextLand 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 RecordsAll 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 Historical Records located in Room 315 of the Fairfax County Courthouse .
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:
- Certificate of Partial Satisfaction - Form CC-1501
- Certificate and Affidavit of Satisfaction - Form CC-1505
- Certificate of Release of Memorandum of Lis Pendens - Form CC-1510
- Memorandum For Mechanic's Lien Claimed By General Contractor Under Virginia Code §43-5 - Form CC-1512
- Certificate of Release of Mechanics Lien - Form CC-1515
- Certificate of Transfer - Form CC-1520
- Certificate of Extension of Deed of Trust - Form CC-1525
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 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.
The Copy Center is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. If you already know the instrument number or deed book and page number reference, you may mail a request for a copy of the document(s) to the Fairfax Circuit Court at the address listed above, Attention: Land Records Copy Center. Include a self-addressed, stamped envelope of sufficient size with your request for return of the documents.
Fees for ordering copies are:
$ .50 per page
$2.00 per certificationPayment for copies must be made by cash (not for mailed copy requests), Fairfax Circuit Court debit or credit card, cashier's check, certified check, business check, or money order made payable to the Clerk of the Court. Personal Checks are not Accepted. Visa and Mastercard are also accepted for payment in Land Records. Please note that a 4% surcharge is added when using a credit card.
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 secured by a mortgage or deed of trust 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.
Certificates 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. The recording fee for a Certificate of Satisfaction is $31.00. PERSONAL CHECKS ARE NOT ACCEPTED. Cashier checks, money orders, certified checks and cash (not for mailed requests) are accepted for payment of recording fees.
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 at the CPAN Application page. Please be aware these documents are in Adobe Acrobat format and you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed to be able to view them.
If you have questions about CPAN, you may call the Circuit Court Information Systems staff at (703) 246-2366 or send e-mail inquiries to ccrhelp@fairfaxcounty.gov.
Documents
- Alpha Book Conversion Chart (PDF)*
The conversion chart is used to help Land Records' patrons research documents in CARS recorded prior to 1943.- Land Records Application of Deed Processing Fee (PDF)*
Please click here for a chart outlining how we apply the Deed Processing Fee created by 2004 House Bill 29.- Land Records Recordation Taxes and Fees (PDF)*
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.
* In order to view PDF files, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. To obtain a free copy, follow this link:
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