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The Fairfax County General District
Court is located in Virginia's 19th Judicial District
serving the County of Fairfax, the City of Fairfax, and
the Towns of Herndon, Vienna and Clifton. The number of
judges and their salaries are set by Virginia's General
Assembly and provided for in the Code of Virginia. The
11 judges of the Fairfax County General District Court
are headed by a chief judge who is elected by the judges
to serve for a period of two years. This position is currently
held by Chief Judge Donald P. McDonough. District Courts
in Virginia operate under the administrative guidance
of the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme
Court of the Commonwealth of Virginia and the Committee
on District Courts, which determines the staff and salary
needs of each court. Currently, the Fairfax County General
District Court has 82 state employees and is headed by
the Clerk of Court, Nancy L. Lake.
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The Fairfax County General District
Court has jurisdiction over statutory misdemeanors, violations
of local ordinances, traffic infractions, preliminary
hearings in felony charges, civil lawsuits where the amount
at issue is $15,000 or less, and mental commitment hearings.
The court has three divisions: Civil/Small Claims, Criminal
and Traffic. A Court Services Unit also serves the court
providing supervised release options for defendants pending
trial and probation services after conviction.
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The Court's address is:
The Fairfax County General District
Court
4110 Chain Bridge Road
Fairfax, Virginia 22030
The Judicial Center is located in the
City of Fairfax behind the historical courthouse and directly
to the left of 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 50 cents per half hour. A small
surface parking lot located between the Massey Building
and the Judicial Center provides accessible parking spaces
for those with a DMV permit or plates.
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The clerical office hours are from 8
a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
General District Court Closings for
2008:
Tuesday, January 01 - New Year's Day
Friday, January 18 - Lee/Jackson Day
Monday, January 21 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Monday, February 18 - Presidents' Day
Monday, May 26 - Memorial Day
Friday, July 4 - Independence Day
Monday, September 1 - Labor Day
Monday, October 13 - Columbus Day
Tuesday, November 11 - Veterans' Day
Wednesday, November 26 - Close at Noon - Thanksgiving Holiday
Thursday, November 27 - Thanksgiving Day
Friday, November 28 - Thanksgiving Holiday
Wednesday, December 24 - Close at Noon - Christmas Holiday
Thursday, December 25 - Christmas Day
Friday, December 26 - Christmas Holiday
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Judges' Chambers, Room 232, 703-246-2153
Clerk of Court, Room 232, 703-246-2153
The clerical offices may be reached
by using the Court’s automated information line at the
following numbers:
Traffic Division 703-246-3764
Criminal Division 703-691-7320
Civil Division 703-691-7320
This information line can help you determine
which court you need and transfer you to a clerk during
court business hours between the hours of 8 a.m. and 3:15
p.m.
TTY for all offices, for hearing impaired
only, 703-934-1296
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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 Judicial Center. Felonies and misdemeanors charged
under the State Code are heard at the Judicial Center
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 the Judicial Center on days when court
is scheduled only.
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10455 Armstrong Street, 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.
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765 Lynn Street, Herndon, Virginia 22070
Phone: 703-435-6838 in Herndon on Wednesdays
only, 703-691-7320 in Judicial Center for criminal cases
or 703-246-3764 for traffic cases
Court: Wednesdays only, 9:30 a.m.
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127 S. Center Street, Vienna, Virginia 22180
Phone: 703-255-6312 in Vienna on Mondays
only, 703-691-7320 in Judicial Center for criminal cases
or 703-246-3764 for traffic cases
Court: Mondays only, 9:30 a.m.
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All
trials at the district court level are heard by a judge.
The cases to be heard each day are listed on a docket
sheet which is posted outside the divisional clerk's office
(Civil, Criminal, Small Claims, Traffic) located on the
first or second floor of the Judicial Center. Cases are
listed alphabetically by the defendant's and plaintiff's
last name. The courtroom assignment is listed next to
each name.
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 Judicial
Center.
Prisoner Arraignment Docket:
8:30 a.m., Monday through Friday, in Courtroom 5E. These
are video arraignments and are open to the public.
Arraignment and Motions Docket:
9:30 a.m., Monday through Friday, in Courtroom 2H or 2F.
Regular Criminal Docket: 9:30
a.m., Monday through Friday, in Courtroom 2G
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)
Regular and Contested
Dockets: 9:30 a.m., Fridays only, in Courtroom 2F
or 2E. (Also, 2 p.m. on Thursdays as needed in Courtroom
2A.)
Regular Traffic
Docket: 9:30 a.m., Monday through Friday, in Courtrooms
1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 2H.
Sentencing/Non-Compliant Docket:
2 p.m., first and third Thursdays of each month in
various courtrooms. (If scheduled Thursday falls on a
holiday, then re-scheduled to next Thursday)
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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 703-246-4500.
If you reside outside of Fairfax County,
the Virginia State Bar Association also maintains a Lawyer
Referral Service at 800-552-7977.
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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.
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The Fairfax County
General District Court does not accept any pleadings,
documents, or requests sent by fax. Items directed to
the Court's attention should be sent by United States
postal mail, other mail services, or by personal delivery.
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Landlord/Tenant cases are scheduled
for hearing on Fridays at 9:30a.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 288.
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General District Court case information
is available online for all civil cases and for certain
criminal and traffic cases (those that are pending, those
that were concluded after January 12, 2001 and those that
were concluded prior to January 12, 2001 that had unpaid
fines and costs) at
the following web site:
http://www.courts.state.va.us
- Under Case Information click
on "General District Courts"
- Select Fairfax County General District from drop down
and click Begin
- Select Traffic, Criminal or
Civil and click Continue
- You can then search for your
case by Name or using the Case Number
- When you have finished using the application click
the "LOGOFF" button.
- You can return to our Fairfax County General District
Court homepage by clicking on Virginia Courts
- Click on General District Courts
- Click on Fairfax County
Note: Do not use the "Back"
button on your browser within this application.
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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 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 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.
To pay in person, you will need
to come to the Clerk's Office located on the first floor
of the Judicial Center (Room 176) for traffic tickets
or on the second floor (Room 239) 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
(703-691-7320) 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 6:30a.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. There is a $1.50 processing fee per pre-payable
offense when paying through the internet.
To pay by mail, please mail your
check, money order or "credit
card information". You
can fill out and print this form using Adobe Acrobat Reader.
To obtain a free copy of the Adobe Acrobat Reader, follow
this link:
Mail your payment to:
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. Rolled nickels, dimes and quarters may be
accepted if the payee's name and phone number are written
on each roll of coins offered as payment. Unrolled loose
pennies are not accepted as payment in any amount except
as needed to make exact change up to one dollar. As with
other coins, rolled pennies may be accepted if the payee's
name and phone number are written on each roll of coins.
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
15 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.
List
of prepayable offenses
More
information about DMV assessed points
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Unlike the State of Maryland,
General District Court judges in the Commonwealth of Virginia
do not have the authority to adjust or reduce 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 1-800-435-5137 or
visit the DMV
Web site.
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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., however,
we will not accept continuance requests, copy
requests, or other official communications related to
specific cases via email. 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.
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Hours:
Offices and Phone Numbers:
Court Sessions:
Inclement Weather Policy:
