General District Court Procedures & Forms

The procedures listed here are common to the operation of all divisions of the Court.

• Attorney of Record Policy
• Email and Fax Policy
• Foreign Counsel
• Inmate Hearing Procedure
• Payment Plans for Court Fines and Costs
  • Note: As of July 1, 2019, the DMV is no longer suspending driver's licenses for failure to pay.  Entering a payment plan still prevents an unpaid balance from accruing interest and/or being sent to collections.
• Records Retention Policy
• Remote Hearing Policy

The procedures below generally apply to both Civil and Small Claims cases.  In some instances, the policy differs slightly depending on the type of case - each page will list those differences where needed.

Please note the following procedures:

• Filing a Civil Action - The "Before you File" section details the procedure to reserve a court date and time that must be followed.
• Governor's Budget Amendment HB7001 Eviction Moratorium - Unlawful Detainer & Writs of Eviction Procedures
• Protective Orders - The Court is currently accepting Protective Order Petitions via email.
• Statement in Lieu of Notarization

The rest of the Court's Civil procedures follow:

• Appeals - Civil Cases
• Assignment of Judgment
• Bankruptcy Dismissals
• Checking for Service Returns
• Contested Cases
• Continuances
• Copy Requests
• Dismissal and Non-Suit of Pending Civil Cases
• Filing a Civil Action
  • Includes procedures and guidelines for filing a Civil or Small Claims action, as well as an explanation of the jurisdictions of each.
• Filing Forms and Fees
• Judgment on the Affidavit & Vacated Judgments
• Limitation on Number of Cases
• Long Trials
• Mediation
• Motions and Demurrers
• Protective Orders
• Representation
• Requests for Attorney's Fees and Interest
• Satisfactions of Judgment
• Service of Process
• Show Cause and Capias
• Transfer of Jurisdiction

• Appeals - Criminal Cases
• Continuances - Criminal Cases
• Copy Requests
• Discovery Orders
• Fines Options Program
• Preliminary Hearing Continuance Policy
• Restricted Licenses - Drug Violations and Underage Alcohol Possession

• Appeals - Traffic Cases
• Continuances - Traffic Cases
• Copy Requests
• Discovery Orders
• Letter to Judge/Proof of Compliance
• Missed Court Date
  • Describes options available to you if you have missed your traffic court date.
• Parking Tickets
• Preliminary Hearing Continuance Policy
• Restricted Licenses - Reckless Driving/DWI Charges
• Requesting a Trial in an Accident Case

Listed below are the local forms developed by the Fairfax County General District Court.  Statewide forms (DC-XXX forms) are available via the state's forms page, located here.

• Appearance of Counsel
  • For Criminal and Traffic Cases
  • For Civil Cases
• Bed to Bed Order
  • Example Bed to Bed Order
• Bond Reduction Motion Form
• Civil Motion Form
• Civil Request for Court Action
• Continuance Request Form
  • For Criminal Cases
  • For Traffic Cases
• Credit Card Payment Form
• Discovery Order
  • With Commonwealth Attorney
  • Without Commonwealth Attorney
• Unlawful Detainer Disposition
  • Unlawful Detainer Disposition Instructions