Augusta County Criminal Court Records
Augusta County criminal court records are held by the Circuit Court Clerk in Staunton and through the General District Court system. You can look up felony cases, misdemeanor filings, and related criminal dockets online or by visiting the courthouse in person. The Circuit Court handles the most serious charges, while the General District Court covers misdemeanors and preliminary hearings. Both courts keep official records that are open to the public under Virginia law, and this page explains how to find what you need.
Augusta County Overview
Augusta County Circuit Court Records
The Augusta County Circuit Court Clerk maintains all felony criminal court records for the county. This office also holds civil cases over $25,000, appeals from the lower courts, marriage licenses, notary commissions, and land records. The clerk's office is the primary place to go when you need official copies of criminal filings, indictments, or final orders from felony cases in Augusta County.
The Circuit Court sits in the 6th Judicial Circuit, which covers Augusta County and the independent cities of Staunton and Waynesboro. Felony charges that originate in Augusta County move through this court after a preliminary hearing in General District Court. The clerk's staff can search case records by name or case number and provide plain or certified copies of any public document in the file.
| Office | Augusta County Circuit Court Clerk |
|---|---|
| Address | 1 E. Johnson Street, Staunton, VA 24401 |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM |
| Website | co.augusta.va.us - Circuit Court Clerk |
| Copy Fees | $0.50 per page; certified copies add $2.00; triple-seal certification adds $2.50 |
Note: The clerk's office processes requests in the order they are received. Walk-in visits during morning hours tend to move faster than afternoon requests.
Search Augusta County Court Records Online
Virginia provides several free online tools for searching criminal court records. The statewide Online Case Information System, or OCIS, lets you look up circuit court case records from any Virginia county by name or case number. The screenshot below shows the OCIS search portal at eapps.courts.state.va.us/ocis, which covers Augusta County Circuit Court filings going back many years.
OCIS shows case numbers, charge descriptions, hearing dates, and disposition information for circuit court criminal cases across Virginia, including Augusta County. The system is free and does not require you to create an account.
For misdemeanor and traffic cases handled in the General District Court, use the General District Court case search. This separate system covers the lower court docket and shows case status, scheduled court dates, and outcomes for misdemeanor matters. Both tools are maintained by the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Virginia Supreme Court and are updated regularly. If you need documents beyond what is shown online, you must contact the clerk's office directly or visit in person.
General District Court in Augusta County
The General District Court handles misdemeanor criminal cases, traffic offenses, preliminary hearings for felonies, and civil cases up to $25,000. This court sits below the Circuit Court in Virginia's court structure. Most criminal cases in Augusta County begin in General District Court before moving up or being resolved there.
The screenshot below shows the statewide General District Court search tool at eapps.courts.state.va.us/gdcourts. You can use it to look up misdemeanor cases in Augusta County by defendant name or case number, find scheduled hearing dates, and check case outcomes.
Preliminary hearings for felony charges also take place in General District Court. At that stage, the judge decides whether enough evidence exists to send the case to the Circuit Court grand jury. If you are searching for records of a felony arrest in Augusta County, the case may appear in both the district and circuit court systems depending on how far it has moved through the process.
Accessing Augusta County Criminal Records
Criminal court records in Virginia are generally public under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. FOIA rights are set out at Virginia Code Title 2.2, Chapter 37. You do not need to be a party to the case to request copies of public court records from the Augusta County Circuit Court Clerk.
When you visit the clerk's office at 1 E. Johnson Street in Staunton, bring a government-issued photo ID and be ready to provide the full name of the defendant or the case number. Staff can pull up the record and tell you what documents are in the file. Plain copies cost $0.50 per page. A certification stamp costs an additional $2.00, and a triple-seal certification adds $2.50 on top of that. The clerk accepts cash and most major forms of payment; call ahead to confirm payment options.
Some records in criminal cases may be restricted. Juvenile criminal records are not public. Cases that were expunged are sealed from public view. Victim information in certain types of cases may also be redacted. If a record you are looking for does not appear in the online system, it may have been sealed or expunged, or it may simply not have been entered into the electronic database yet, since older files may still only exist in paper form at the courthouse.
For criminal history record information maintained by the state police, see the Virginia State Police at vsp.virginia.gov. That office handles official criminal history reports used for background checks. The state police record is separate from the court clerk's case files.
Virginia Court Resources for Augusta County
The Virginia Judicial System website at vacourts.gov is the central hub for information about all state courts, including the Augusta County courts. You can find court directories, self-help forms, and links to all online case search tools from that site.
Self-represented people can also use the Virginia Courts Self-Help website, which has guides, fillable forms, and step-by-step instructions for common court processes. This resource is especially useful if you need to respond to a criminal matter or request a copy of your own record. The Augusta County Circuit Court Clerk can also point you to the right forms when you visit in person.
Virginia Code section 19.2-389 governs who can access criminal history record information and under what conditions. Virginia Code Title 19.2, Chapter 23.1 covers the sealing and expungement of criminal records. If you believe a record should have been sealed, these statutes describe the process and who qualifies.
Note: The FOIA Council at foiacouncil.dls.virginia.gov provides guidance on public records requests and can advise you if a clerk's office denies a records request.
Cities Near Augusta County
Augusta County is bordered by the independent cities of Staunton and Waynesboro, both of which have their own separate court systems. Criminal cases filed within city limits go to the city courts, not to the Augusta County courts. The links below go to the criminal court record pages for those cities.
Nearby Counties
These counties share borders with Augusta County. If a case was filed in one of them, you will need to contact that county's clerk office for records.