Printer
TextFairfax County General District Court
19th Judicial District of Virginia
The court that most people have contact with is the general district court. The general district court handles criminal misdemeanors, violations of local ordinances, traffic infractions, and preliminary hearings in felony charges.
General district courts also have exclusive authority to hear civil cases with claims of $4,500 or less and share authority with the circuit courts to hear cases with claims between $4,500 and $25,000. Examples of civil cases are landlord and tenant disputes, contract disputes and personal injury actions.
There is a general district court in each city and county in Virginia. General district court judges are elected by the General Assembly for 6 year terms.
The Fairfax County General District Court has three divisions: Civil/Small Claims, Criminal, and Traffic. A Court Services Division also serves the court by providing supervised release options for defendants pending trial and probation services after conviction.
Judges
Hon. Penney S. Azcarate
Hon. Michael J. Cassidy
Hon. Stewart P. Davis
Hon. Thomas E. Gallahue
Hon. Lisa A. Mayne
Hon. Donald P. McDonough *
Hon. William J. Minor, Jr.
Hon. Mitchell I. Mutnick
Hon. Ian M. O’Flaherty
Hon. Mark C. Simmons
* Denotes Chief Judge
Clerk
Nancy L. Lake
Email: gdcmail@fairfaxcounty.gov
Hours
The clerical offices are open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Office phone hours are from 8 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Phone
The clerical offices of the Fairfax County General District Court may be reached by using the Court’s automated information line at the following numbers:
Traffic Division: 703-246-3764;
Fax: 703-352-7581
Criminal Division: 703-691-7320, Press 4, 3; or 703-246-3305
Civil Division: 703-691-7320, Press 4, 1; Small Claims: 4, 2; or 703-246-3012
Court Services Division: 703-691-7320, press 4, 4; or 703-246-7530
Clerk of Court: 703-246-2153
TTY for all offices, for hearing impaired only: 711
Location
The Court's address is:
Fairfax County General District Court, 4110 Chain Bridge Road Fairfax, Virginia 22030
The Fairfax County Courthouse is located in the City of Fairfax near the tall Massey Building. This is just south of the intersection of Rt. 123 (Chain Bridge Road) and Rt. 236 (Main Street or Little River Turnpike).
Public parking is available in Garage B located on Page Avenue, between West Street and Judicial Drive, for a charge of $2.00 per hour with a $10.00 daily maximum. The garage utilizes a pay on foot system for faster exiting. Please remember to take your ticket with you and pay at the parking lobby kiosk before returning to your vehicle. Please allow plenty of time to find parking.
A small surface parking lot located in front of the Massey Building provides accessible parking spaces for those with a DMV permit or plates. Additional permit parking is available in Garage A, located directly behind the Massey Building, but you must ask security to admit you to this restricted lot.
On your day of court, plan to arrive at least 30 minutes before your assigned court time. It can take awhile to get into the parking garage and may take 20 minutes or more to walk to the Courthouse from the garage and then you must pass through the security check point and metal detectors at the door of the Courthouse. If at all possible, leave your cell phone in your car. Cell phones that have cameras (or look like they have cameras) must be left at the security check point and this slows down the line considerably.
Parking
Public Parking Garage Information:
- Cost = $2 per hour (or any portion thereof) up to a maximum of $10 per day.
- ATM machines are available inside the courthouse for those needing cash.
- A credit/debit card system is available at the pay-on-foot stations (kiosks) on the ground floor and 4th floor level of the parking garage.
- Must pay before returning to your vehicle by bringing your timed parking stub to a pay station located in the garage. There are no cashier booths at the exit gates, you must go to a pay station.
- If you have lost your parking stub, you will be charged from the time the garage opens at 6:00 a.m.
- Hours of operation: 6:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m., Monday - Friday
- There is a manned attendant's booth on the ground floor only.
- Jurors who have had their parking stubs validated must still see the attendant before returning to their car to exit.
City and Town Courts
Fairfax County General District Court judges hear cases in three additional courthouses for the City of Fairfax and the Towns of Herndon and Vienna. Only traffic and criminal misdemeanors and infractions are heard at these courthouses; all civil cases are heard at the Fairfax County Courthouse. Felonies and misdemeanors charged under the State Code are heard at the Fairfax County Courthouse also. The City of Fairfax has its own court clerical office, while the Towns of Herndon and Vienna are staffed by clerks who travel from Fairfax only on days when court is scheduled.
City of Fairfax - 10455 Armstrong Street, Room 1, Fairfax, Virginia 22030.
Phone: 703-385-7866, Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday - Friday
Court: Tuesdays and Thursday only, 9:30 a.m.
Town of Herndon- 765 Lynn Street, Herndon, Virginia 22070
Phone: For Criminal case information, call 703-246-3305, for Traffic case information, call 703-246-3764.
Court: Wednesdays only, 9:30 a.m.
Town of Vienna- 127 Center Street, S., Vienna, Virginia 22180
Phone: For Criminal case information, call 703-246-3305, for Traffic case information, call 703-246-3764.
Court: Mondays only, 9:30 a.m.
2013 Holidays for the General District Court
The Fairfax County General District Court will be closed during the following upcoming holidays in 2013:
Friday, January 18 - Lee/Jackson Day
Monday, January 21 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Monday, February 18 - George Washington Day
Monday, May 27 - Memorial Day
Thursday, July 4 - Independence Day
Friday, July 5 - Independence Holiday
Monday, September 2 - Labor Day
Monday, October 14 - Columbus Day
Monday, November 11 - Veterans Day
Wednesday, November 27 - Close at Noon
Thursday - Friday, Nov. 28 & 29 - Thanksgiving Holiday
Tuesday ,Wednesday, Thursday December 24, 25, 26 - Christmas Holiday
Tuesday, December 31 - New Year Holiday
Wednesday, January 1 - Holiday
Note: The Court publishes a closing calendar, available at all Clerical Offices, that also lists dates when clerical offices are open, but no court sessions are scheduled. These closings may vary by division and are subject to change. Additionally, there is a separate calendar that lists dates available for scheduling Small Claims and Civil Foreclosures. During late December, additional unlawful detainer dates are often assigned and regular civil docket dates may be curtailed. Please check with the Civil and Small Claims Division to verify available dates before assigning return dates on new civil filings.
Court Schedule
All trials at the district court level are heard by a judge. The cases to be heard each day are listed on electronic monitors near the clerk's office or courtrooms. (Civil, Criminal, Small Claims, Traffic) located on the first and second floor of the Courthouse. Cases are listed alphabetically by the defendant's and plaintiffs last name. The courtroom assignment is listed next to each name.
Civil
Regular and Contested Docket: 9:30 a.m., Monday through Friday, in Courtrooms 2A and 2B, respectively. All civil cases arising in Fairfax City, Fairfax County, Herndon, and Vienna are heard at the Fairfax County Courthouse.
Criminal
Prisoner Advisement Docket: 8:30 a.m., Monday through Friday, in Courtroom 2K. These advisements are conducted by video link and are open to the public.
Criminal Bond Motions: 8:30 a.m., Monday through Friday, in Courtroom 2G.
Motions Docket: 9:30 a.m., Monday through Friday, in Courtroom 2J.
Advisements for Defendants released on bond: 10:30 a.m., Monday through Friday, in Courtroom 2J.
Regular Criminal Docket: 9:30 a.m., Monday through Friday, in Courtroom 2K.
Preliminary Hearing Docket: 2 p.m., Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, in various courtrooms.
Sentencing Docket: 2 p.m., third Thursday of each month in various courtrooms. (If third Thursday falls on a holiday, then fourth Thursday)
Small Claims
Regular and Contested Dockets: 9:30 a.m., Fridays only, in Courtroom 2G. (Additional dockets may be added as needed)
Traffic
Traffic Bond Motions: 8:30 a.m., Monday through Friday, in Courtroom 2G.
Regular Traffic Docket: 9:30 a.m., Monday through Friday, in Courtrooms 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, and 2H.
Sentencing/Non-Compliant Docket: 2 p.m., first and fourth Thursdays of each month in various courtrooms. (If scheduled Thursday falls on a holiday, then re-scheduled to next Thursday)
Continuance Policy
CIVIL – Consent by clerk; opposed by motion.
CRIMINAL – Misdemeanors by judge or motion. Felonies by judge with Commonwealth’s Attorney’s agreement.
TRAFFIC – Infractions – 1st by clerk or by automated phone system at (703)246-3764, 2nd by judge. Misdemeanors by judge or motion
DWI Continuance Policy:
- All DWI continuance requests filed by defendants or defense counsel must be signed by the prosecutor as either "agreed" or "objected to". If an objection is raised, a brief reason should be noted on the continuance request.
- All DWI continuance requests must be filed in the Traffic Clerk's Office by 3:00 p.m., at least two business days before the scheduled court date.
- The Clerk's Office will forward all requests with an objection to Judges' Chambers where they will be reviewed by a judge between 8:15-8:30 a.m. on the following morning.
- Defense counsel may file a motion if the request is denied.
Procedures
The Court publishes a booklet entitled " Administrative Procedures of the Fairfax County General District Court Governing Court Practice and Procedures " which outlines general information concerning the Court's procedures. You can view the file using Adobe Acrobat Reader. To obtain a free copy of the Adobe Acrobat Reader, follow this link: Get Adobe Reader
Legal Questions
Court employees can answer procedural questions and assist you with completing various court forms, however, they are not attorneys and cannot give legal advice.
If you have a legal question and do not know the name of an attorney, you may want to call the Fairfax County Bar Associations' Lawyer Referral Service at 703-246-3780 between the hours of 9am and 4pm, Monday through Friday. For a fee of $40, the Referral Service will give you the name and phone number of an attorney in your area who will consult with you for up to half an hour. The attorney will not represent you for this fee, but will attempt to answer your legal questions and advise you on how to best proceed with your case. The fee may be prepaid by Visa or Mastercard over the phone or you may pay at the attorney's office.
Free legal aid is available on civil cases for qualified individuals with low income through Legal Services of Northern Virginia (LSNV). The phone number in Fairfax for LSNV is 703-504-9141.
If you reside outside of Fairfax County, the Virginia State Bar Association also maintains a Lawyer Referral Service at 800-552-7977.
Interpreters
Interpreters for speech or hearing impaired persons and non-English speaking individuals will be provided free of charge in the General District Court. Spanish interpreters are available to assist in the courtrooms on a daily basis. Korean and Vietnamese interpreters are also available daily for the 9:30 a.m. criminal and traffic dockets. All other interpreters will be scheduled as needed by advance notice to the Court Services Division or to the individual Clerk’s Office:
- Court Services – 703-246-7530
- Civil Division – 703-246-3012
- Criminal Division – 703-246-3305
- Traffic Division – 703-246-3764
If any attorney, officer, or party is aware that an interpreter will be needed for a language other than Spanish, they should contact the appropriate court division as early as possible but no later than three working days before the first court date. Interpreters for speech-impaired or hearing-impaired individuals should be requested at least two weeks in advance of the court date.
For Civil or Small Claims cases, any attorney or party to a suit who is aware that an interpreter for any language will be needed for trial should contact the Civil Clerk’s Office as soon as possible. Interpreters for Civil and Small Claims cases are scheduled only as needed.
With advance notice to the Spanish Language Coordinator (703-246-3585) or Court Services Division (703-246-7530), interpreters can be provided for court appointed attorney-client interviews of incarcerated defendants or clients out on bond. Contact the Court Services Division for more information concerning this service. The Court does not provide interpreters to assist in translation of documents.
Court Appointed Counsel
In all felony cases, and in Class I and Class II misdemeanor cases, the courtroom judge will inform the defendant of his right to counsel and ask if the defendant plans to hire counsel or requests a court appointed attorney.
If any defendant desires court appointed counsel, he shall immediately be interviewed by Court Services personnel in Room 203 to determine if he qualifies for the same. In Fairfax City, the Town of Vienna, and the Town of Herndon, an available clerk will conduct the interview. Following the interview, the case will be called again in the courtroom and the judge will either approve or deny the request based on whether or not the defendant qualifies. If the defendant qualifies, counsel shall be appointed and the defendant so informed. If the defendant does not qualify, he shall be permitted the right to retain counsel or may sign a waiver to proceed without an attorney.
The Court Services Division is responsible for assigning court appointed cases to either the Public Defender or private attorneys. The Division maintains a list of attorneys who are qualified with the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission and have indicated their willingness to serve as court appointed counsel in Fairfax. For further information, contact Court Services at 703-246-7530.
Prior to the court date, any defendant desiring court appointed counsel may be interviewed by Court Services personnel in Room 203 at least ten business days prior to trial, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m., Monday through Friday.
Inclement Weather Policy
The General District Court rarely closes due to inclement weather. Interested parties should listen to television and radio announcements to specifically state that the Fairfax County General District Court is closed. If it is announced that Fairfax County Government offices (not the schools) are closed, then the General District Court will be closed also. Court closings, upcoming holidays, and other changes and updates pertaining to the General District Court may also be obtained by calling the GDC Announcement Line at 703-246-2377.
Fax Policy
Facsimile machines are located in each of the Clerk's Offices in the General District Court, however, they are intended primarily for the Court's use in sending out items to various agencies. In the Traffic Division, the fax machine is in heavy use and may not be available to receive incoming mail. In the other divisions, the fax machines are not frequently monitored so items may not receive immediate attention. The Court prefers that correspondence and other items be sent by postal mail or dropped off at the counter in the proper division. Please call the individual Clerk's Office for permission before sending anything by fax. Documents which require an original signature should not be faxed to the Court.
Landlord/Tenant Cases
Landlord/Tenant cases are scheduled for hearing on Fridays at 9:30 a.m. in the Civil Division of the General District Court. Most often, these cases are filed on an unlawful detainer (DC-421) form requesting possession of the property, plus any rent and/or damages that are due. It is very important to comply with the law when filing an unlawful detainer action, especially in regards to timeliness of service and any notice of termination that must be served prior to the filing of the unlawful detainer. The Court provides a handout on Landlord/Tenant Practice in the Fairfax County General District Court that may be requested at the Civil Clerk's Office in Room 211.
Cases involving foreclosure are heard on their own designated docket at 2:00 p.m., usually on the second and fourth Thursday of each month. A list of foreclosure docket dates is available in the Civil Clerk's Office in Room 211.
Case Information
General District Court case information is available online for all Criminal, Traffic, Civil, and Small Claims cases. Case records are only retained for ten years (see Archives and Records Retention).
For case information, go to:
http://www.courts.state.va.us1. On the left hand side of the page select "Case Status and Information"
2. Select "General District Court"
3. Type the characters shown in the image for verification, read the instructions,and click on Accept
4. For Court, select Fairfax County General District from the drop down menu
5. Select Name Search or Case Number Search for either Traffic/Criminal or Civil. Other options are available.
6. For Name Search, enter your last name and first name. Do not use the middle name.
7. Review "Case Status" . If case is older than one year, select "ALL"
8. Click on "Search"
9. When you have finished using the application click the "LOGOFF" button at the bottom of the pageHints:
If searching by name, do not enter the middle name on your first attempt.
If search fails, try entering only the first two or three letters of the first name.
If search results in too many names, try entering the first letter of the middle name.
For additional search options, click on the Help button and read the instructions for Wildcard Search.
Many cases are not entered into the database until 1-2 weeks after issuance.
Note: Do not use the "Back" button on your browser within this application.
Prepaying a Traffic or Criminal Violation
Most traffic tickets and some criminal violations are prepayable by mail if payment is received by the court at least five days before your court date. You may pay by phone with the court or in person at the Fairfax County Magistrate's Office up to two business days before your court date. You can pay through the Internet up to 3:30 p.m. the day before the court date. Payment can also be made in person at the Clerk's Office in the Fairfax County Courthouse up to one day before your court date. If you decide to prepay your ticket, you will not have to appear on your court date. Please note: If you wish to pay by phone or Internet, please wait until at least two weeks after you received your summons to allow time for the police to forward the information to the court and for court staff to enter the data from your summons. Your summons information is not immediately available to the court.
A 4% credit card processing fee will be added to all credit card transactions.
To pay in person, you will need to come to the Clerk's Office located on the first floor of the Courthouse (Room 106) for traffic tickets or on the second floor (Room 204) for criminal violations during office hours from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
To pay by phone, you may call the Traffic Division (703-246-3764) or the Criminal Division (703-246-3305) and pay by credit card using VISA, MASTERCARD, AMERICAN EXPRESS or DISCOVER. To pay a traffic ticket by credit card using the Court's Interactive Voice Response System between 6:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, you must know your case or summons number. If you do not know your case or summons number you can go to the General District Courts Case Information system online to get your case number.
To pay through the Internet, you can go to www.courts.state.va.us click on General District Courts under Case Information. Follow the instructions and prepay certain violations by credit card using VISA or MASTERCARD. Payments made prior to 3:30 p.m. (Eastern time) will be posted by the start of the next business day. Payments made after 3:30 p.m. (Eastern time) will be posted within two business days.
To pay by mail, please mail your check, money order or "credit card payment". You can fill out the credit card payment form using Adobe Acrobat Reader. To obtain a free copy of the Adobe Acrobat Reader, follow this link: Get Adobe Reader
Mail your payment to:
Fairfax County General District Court
Attn: Traffic (or Criminal) Division
P.O. Box 10157
Fairfax, VA 22038
Payment may be by cash, Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express, money order, or by check payable to the Fairfax County General District Court. The Fairfax County General District Court will not accept unrolled nickels, dimes, and quarters as payment of fines and costs or other fees if the total amount of such coins exceeds five dollars. Unrolled loose pennies are not accepted as payment in any amount except as needed to make exact change up to one dollar. This policy is necessary for the efficient operation of the court and to ensure the best use of staff time to better serve all those having matters before the Court. When paying in person or by mail, a copy of your ticket should be included with your payment so the correct fine will be credited. Fines which remain unpaid after 30 days following the court date will result in DMV suspending your privilege to drive in Virginia. Please call DMV if you have any questions concerning points assessed against your license. General District Court judges do not have authority to reduce points.
Driving Points are assessed by the Department of Motor Vehicles
Unlike the State of Maryland, General District Court judges in the Commonwealth of Virginia do not have the authority to adjust or reduce driving points. After conviction, the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) determines the amount of demerit points to be assessed according to the severity of the offense. For further information about points, please call 1-888-337-4782 or 1-804-497-7100 or visit the DMV Web site.
Directions to the Courts
To Fairfax Court: (4110 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax, VA)
To Herndon Court: (765 Lynn Street, Herndon, VA)
To Vienna Court: (127 Center Street, S., Vienna, VA)
On your day of court, plan to arrive at least 30 minutes before your assigned court time. It can take awhile to get into the parking garage and may take 20 minutes or more to walk to the Courthouse from the garage and then you must pass through the security check point and metal detectors at the door of the Courthouse. If at all possible, leave your cell phone in your car. Cell phones that have cameras (or look like they have cameras) must be left at the security check point and this slows down the line considerably.
Links
Commonwealth of Virginia brochure on General District Courts
Contact Us
Click here for directions to the court
Email us at gdcmail@fairfaxcounty.gov
Send us your message and we'll write you back. We can answer general questions about court procedures, prepayment amounts, fines owed, etc. If you have a specific request concerning a case that involves an action you need taken, please communicate via regular mail or call us.
If you email us, we will try to answer your message within 2 business days. Note: We will not resend responses or make application to anyone who blocks incoming messages or otherwise requires pre-approval for incoming email.
If you have a question about a specific case we will need the following information in your email:
Full Name (as it appears on your warrant or summons)
Case Number, Summons Number, or Warrant Number
Officer or Complainant Name
Charge
Law Section
Court Date
Driver's License Number(for traffic and criminal cases)
Daytime Phone Number(optional)
Any other information relevant to your question.
Archives and Records Retention
Pursuant to the Code of Virginia, §16.1- 69.55, the Fairfax County General District Court currently retains case records for a period of ten years from the date of judgment or conviction. (Note: criminal sexual offense convictions must now be retained for a period of 50 years from the date of conviction.) Due to a limited amount of space, many General District Court case records are not available in the Fairfax County Courthouse. Instead, they are stored off-site at County Archives, which is located at 6800 Industrial Road, Springfield, Virginia 22151. The Civil/Small Claims Division currently retains approximately seven years of case files in-house, while the Criminal and Traffic Divisions are only able to maintain about three years of records within their offices. Exceptions include driving while intoxicated (DWI) convictions, which are stored in the Traffic Clerk's Office for the entire ten-year retention period, and sexual offenses, which are stored in the Criminal Clerk's Office for the fifty-year retention period.
Archives may be reached by calling 703-658-3875. To request a copy of a court record stored at Archives, you must first call the appropriate Clerk's Office in the General District Court to obtain the Accession Number and Box Number for the specific case. These numbers are assigned based on the conviction or trial date for criminal and traffic cases and on the case docket number for civil and small claims cases. Providing the clerk with this information will help expedite the search for these numbers, which must be provided to Archives.
In accordance with law, at the end of the ten-year retention period, General District Court records and indices are destroyed. Case records on civil and small claims cases that have been dismissed are destroyed following the yearly audit. If a civil judgment remains unsatisfied, it may be extended by docketing an abstract of the judgment in the Circuit Court. This must be done within the ten-year period from the date the judgment was entered in the General District Court.
It is possible that a criminal history of convictions involving criminal and traffic cases that have been destroyed by the Court may still be obtained through the Central Records Division of the Fairfax County Police Department. Central Records is located at 10600 Page Avenue in the City of Fairfax, directly behind the Massey Building and Garage A in the Public Safety Complex. Criminal history record checks cost $10.00 and must be requested in person between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Two forms of identification are required, one of which must be a photo ID. For additional information, call Central Records at 703-246-2272.
Copies
Copies in the General District Court cost 50 cents per page, however, single copies of civil judgments or criminal or traffic charging documents are provided free of charge to civil parties, counsel of record, defendants, prosecutors, public defenders, and law enforcement officers. Cases cannot be copied on their court date until the court session has ended and case files have been returned to the Clerk's Office. Please specify if a certified copy is needed.
Anyone requesting more than five copies at a time will be asked to submit a written copy request for pick-up at a later time or as staffing allows. Larger requests for multiple-case copies will usually be processed within two to five business days. Unusual requests or requests that will require significant staff hours to complete may be referred to Court Administration.
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