Suffolk County Court Records

Suffolk County, VA court records refer to documents resulting from legal trials within the Suffolk City Circuit, General District, and Juvenile & Domestic Relations District Courts. Such documents are part of Virginia court records and encompass civil, criminal, family laws, and probate case records.

Generally, court records contain information about prosecution, conviction, and incarceration of individuals for various civil and criminal offenses. This information includes:

• Complaints/Petitions
• Docket entries
• Names of the plaintiffs and defendants
• Case numbers
• Motions and Orders
• Exhibits/Evidence
• Final judgments
• Trial transcripts.

Suffolk County court records play a significant role in maintaining the laws within the Suffolk City courts’ geographical jurisdiction; they are crucial documents for protecting individuals' rights by ensuring equity and transparency of the county's/city judicial system.

Are Court Records Public in Suffolk County?

Yes, court records are public in Suffolk County. The Virginia Freedom of Information Act grants open access to all documents about government affairs (these include Suffolk City court records). Notwithstanding the broad access to public records, Virginia laws restrict public access to Suffolk City court records if they relate to:

• Adoption
• Juvenile prosecutions
• Family law cases such as child custody and support, domestic relations abuse, or protective orders
• Mental health commitment
• Sealed or Expunged cases.

Suffolk County Court Records Search

Individuals searching for Suffolk City court case files may do so online or offline through any records custodian agency. Suffolk County court records are accessible through the Virginia Courts Case Information Portal or third-party websites with databases on Suffolk City court documents. Record seekers may log in to Suffolk County online repositories and use search tools to look for specific records. Information seekers may also call, fax, mail, or visit the office of the custodians of Suffolk court records to make FOIA requests to access court records.

Suffolk County Courts

The Suffolk County judiciary comprises the Suffolk Circuit, General District, and Juvenile & Domestic Relations District Courts. The Suffolk City Circuit Court is the county's general jurisdiction court. It handles civil and criminal cases beyond the authority of the General District and the Juvenile & Domestic Relations Courts.

In contrast, the General District Court has exclusive and original jurisdiction over claim cases where the amount in dispute is less than $4,500.00 and property claims not greater than $5,000.00. Also, it handles misdemeanors, traffic infractions, ordinance violations, and preliminary hearings for felonies.

The Suffolk City Juvenile & Domestic Relations District Court oversees juvenile, domestic relations (excluding divorce), and criminal cases involving family members.

Below is the contact information for the various Suffolk City courts.

City of Suffolk Circuit Court - 5th Judicial Circuit
Mills E. Godwin Courts Complex
150 North Main St,
P.O. Box 1604,
Suffolk,
VA 23434 -1604
Phone: (757) 514-7800
Fax: (757) 514-7103
Email: CircuitCourt@suffolkva.us

City of Suffolk General District Court - 5th Judicial District
Mills E. Godwin Courts Complex
150 North Main St,
Suffolk,
VA 23434 - 4552
Phone: (757) 514-4822
Fax: (757) 925-7783

City of Suffolk Juvenile & Domestic Relations District Court
Mills E. Godwin Courts Complex
150 North Main St,
Suffolk,
VA 23434 - 4552
Phone: (757) 514-7790
Fax: (757) 514-4841

Suffolk County Criminal Records

Suffolk County, VA, criminal records refer to official documents that detail criminal activities and their prosecutions within the Suffolk City jurisdiction. These documents include Suffolk County arrest records and case files on criminal proceedings, convictions, and incarceration within Suffolk City.

Per Virginia laws, Suffolk County criminal records are public. However, access to some criminal records is subject to limitations. For instance, the public cannot access Suffolk City criminal records if it relates to:

• Minors
• Sealed or Expunged cases
• Active judicial or law enforcement investigations
• Protective orders
• Victim information
• Records that may compromise law enforcement procedures, techniques, or the safety of officers.

To access Suffolk County criminal records:

• Visit the Suffolk Police Department’s FOIA Request Page, fill out and submit the online request form. Note that criminal records requests through this option will take a minimum of five business days to process (criminal investigative records may extend up to sixty business days)
• Download a Suffolk Police Department Request for Information Form:
  • Complete the request form
  • Email, fax, or mail the form to the Suffolk Police Department at

111 Henley Place,
Suffolk,
VA 23434
Phone: (757) 514-7915
Fax: (757) 514-7845
Email: police@suffolkva.us

• Visit the Virginia Criminal History Record Check Page. Go through the instructions, and depending on the use of the criminal records, click the appropriate link to access the online forms (SP-167, SP-230) or download an SP-325 request form.
  • Fill out the online request form and confirm
  • If the request is for an employee or volunteer’s background check, complete the SP-325 form (National Criminal Record Request for Employees and Volunteers), make payments through credit cards, or enclose a business check to cover applicable fees (personal checks are not acceptable) and mail it to

The Virginia State Police
Central Criminal Records Exchange
P.O. Box 85076,
Richmond, VA 23261-5076.

Note that an employer requires the consent of an owner of a record to perform a criminal background check in Virginia.

• Contact law enforcement agencies within Suffolk City and request access to criminal records in their possession.

Note: Depending on local laws, public access to Suffolk County arrest records may vary.

Get Suffolk County Civil Court Records

Suffolk County civil court records are case files on non-criminal trials with the Suffolk City Circuit, General District, and Juvenile & Domestic Relations Courts. These records include but are not limited to documents on:

• Probate cases
• Publicly accessible domestic relations case information
• Civil prosecutions such as:
  • Personal injury claims
  • Property-relatedly disputes
  • Small claims
  • Business-related litigation
  • Contract disputes.

Civil court records are generally public in Virginia. However, for privacy reasons, some case files on trials within the Suffolk City Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court are restricted. To access Suffolk County civil court records, determine the Suffolk City court that handled the specific civil case (the Circuit or General District Court) and do either of the following.

Suffolk City Circuit Court civil case records

• Visit the Virginia Circuit Court Case Information Page:

• Scroll down, click the drop menu, select Suffolk Circuit Court from the options, and click Begin

• On the new page, tick Civil and enter the case name, case number, and hearing date into the search tools to look for case files of Suffolk County civil prosecutions from 1992 to the present.

Suffolk City General District Court civil case records

• Log in to the Virginia General District Court Online Case Information System
  • Select Suffolk City General District Court from the Court options
  • Click Civil to access the civil case search tools
  • Choose any of the search criteria options and enter information into the search tools to look for Suffolk County civil court records.

Alternatively, visit the Suffolk City Clerk of the Circuit Court at the Suffolk City Courthouse or:

• Download a FOIA Request Form
• Complete the request form and email it to _cccfoiarequests@suffolkva.us_or send it through mail to:

P.O. Box 1604
Suffolk,
VA 23439-1604.

Suffolk County Marriage Records

Marriage records are official documents that give legal status to the union of couples as husbands and wives. In Suffolk City and the rest of Virginia, marriage records are public.

However, there are restrictions on public access to Suffolk County marriage certificates for children under 25 years old. These documents are typically accessible only to the couples, their immediate family members, or their legal representatives.

To access a Suffolk marriage certificate, eligible individuals or the public should:

• Call or visit the Suffolk City Circuit Court Clerk's Office (they are the custodian of Suffolk County marriage records)
• Visit the Virginia Department of Health Online Vital Records Application Page:
  • Scroll down and click the Marriage & Divorce link to access the online request form
  • Select Marriage from the Certificate Form menu options
  • Provide the required information, upload a valid copy of a government-issued photo identification, and click Next.

Access to Suffolk County Vital Records involves fee payments. It costs $12.00 to obtain a copy of a Suffolk City marriage certificate (this fee is payable online through a credit card when completing the request).

Suffolk County Divorce Records

Suffolk County divorce records are official documents relating to the termination of marriages within Suffolk City, VA. These documents outline the reasons and terms of separation of legally married couples.

Suffolk City divorce records are confidential documents. They are accessible to the involved parties, authorized legal representatives, or persons with judicial orders. However, details such as the names of the divorced parties and the date of separation are public information.

For records relating to Suffolk County divorces, requesters may contact the Suffolk City Clerk of Circuit Court at the Suffolk City Courthouse. Alternatively, records seekers may do the following:

• Visit the Virginia Department of Health Online Vital Records Application Page:
  • Scroll down and click the Marriage & Divorce link
  • On the subsequent page, select the Divorce option from the Certificate Form menu
  • Fill out the Form with the required information, upload a valid government photo ID, and click Next.

Suffolk Birth Records

Suffolk County birth records are details of the birth of individuals within Suffolk City, VA. Per Virginia laws, Suffolk County birth records are confidential documents. They are accessible to the individuals whose names are on the records, their immediate family members, and authorized legal representatives. However, a Suffolk County birth certificate will become publicly accessible 100 years after the birth of the record owner.

Suffolk County birth certificates are significant for various reasons. They are:

• Official proof of identity and citizenship
• Information sources for early detection of birth abnormalities or congenital illnesses
• Identification documents for government benefits, school enrollment, and immigration processing.

Suffolk City birth certificates are accessible through the Virginia Department of Health Vital Records Application Page, and eligible record seekers should visit the page, click the Birth & Divorce link, and fill out the online form. Alternatively, visit or send a mail request to the Virginia Department of Health at:

Virginia Department of Health – Division of Vital Records
2001 Maywill Street, Richmond,
VA 23230
P.O. Box 1000
Richmond,
VA 23218-1000.

Also, inquirers may call or visit the Suffolk Health Department at:

135 Hall Avenue, Suite A
Suffolk,
VA 23434
Phone: (757) 514-4700

Additionally, eligible members of the public may order Suffolk City birth certificates online through the Virginia Department of Health-affiliated third-party websites.

Suffolk Death Records

Suffolk County death records are official documentation of the death of individuals within Suffolk City. In Suffolk County and the rest of Virginia, death records are not public; they are accessible to the immediate family members of the deceased, their legal representatives, and individuals with judicial orders. However, a Suffolk County death record will become public 25 years after the demise of the person mentioned in the document.

Suffolk County death records are significant documents for several reasons. They are proof of death and legal identification documents for the deceased's beneficiaries' life insurance, Social Security, and retirement benefits claims. Also, death records provide valuable data for epidemiological and genealogical research, government health policy formation, and population analysis.

To access Suffolk County death records:

• Log in to the Virginia Department of Health's Vital Records Application Page and order online through the Birth & Death certificates online request link
• Visit or send a mail request to the Virginia Department of Health Office
• Call or visit the Suffolk Department of Health for information on how to obtain Suffolk City death decrees
• Order for Suffolk death records online through Virginia Department of Health-affiliated third-party websites.

Suffolk County Probate Court Records

Suffolk County probate court records are documents relating to adjudicating the county's decedents' estates. These documents include, but are not limited to, files on guardianship, conservatorship, Will probate, trust administration, and intestate proceedings.

Interested individuals seeking access to Suffolk County probate court records should:

• Visit the Virginia Circuit Court Case Information Civil Case Page and use names, case numbers, and hearing dates to look for Suffolk City probate court records
• Call, mail, or visit the Suffolk City Circuit Court Clerk's Office and request access to probate court records.

Suffolk County Property Records

Suffolk County property records are official documents on Suffolk City real estate. A typical Suffolk County property record contains information and documents relating to property ownership and transactions. These may include but are not limited to:

• Property deed
• Parcel Number
• Building permit
• Property sales history
• Liens and encumbrances
• Property tax information
• Plat Maps
• Property title
• Zoning information.

Suffolk County property information seekers should log in to the Suffolk City Property Search Page and use the online tools to look for property-related information. Alternatively, call, fax, email, visit, or send a mail to the Suffolk City Assessor's Office at the:

442 W Washington Street Virginiacourtrecords.us
Suffolk,
VA 23434
Phone: (757) 514-7475
Fax: (757) 514-7495
Email: CityAssessor@suffolkva.us.

Suffolk County Court Records Online

Third-party online resources may provide a convenient alternative for accessing Suffolk County court records. Private websites such as Virginiacourtrecords.us aggregate case files from various courts and make them available in one place. They offer user-friendly search tools for quick access to documents and information. However, records seekers should note that sourcing Suffolk court records through some unofficial sources may expose them to incomplete or outdated records. Third-party sites operate independently of any government agency. Therefore accuracy cannot be guaranteed.