City of Portsmouth County
The City of Portsmouth was established as a town by an Act of the Virginia General Assembly in 1752 and named after the City of Portsmouth, England. According to the 2020 US census, it has a population of 97,915, making it the ninth-most populous city in Virginia. The people of Portsmouth City are served by Circuit, District, and Juvenile courts.
Portsmouth Circuit Court is the highest court in the city, and it deals with cases that are outside the purview of the city's other courts. It hears misdemeanors resulting from grand jury indictments, felonies, and other offenses stemming from the same circumstances as felonies. It has concurrent jurisdiction with the District Court over civil matters with claims between $4,500 and $25,000 but exclusive jurisdiction over civil cases with claims exceeding $25,000. It also hears issues involving legal separation, divorce, annulments, adoptions, emergency protection orders, and probates.
Misdemeanors, violations of city ordinances, traffic infractions, and preliminary hearings for felonies are all heard by the Portsmouth General District Court. It has exclusive jurisdiction over civil matters with claims under $4,500 and shares jurisdiction with the Circuit Court for civil cases with claims between $4,500 and $25,000. The Portsmouth City Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court handles most domestic relations matters, juvenile cases, and criminal cases involving harm to a child or family member.
Public court records in Portsmouth are court documents and files generated in the city's courts and are available to the general public. These records include writs, motions, court transcripts, filings, schedules, court proceedings, judgments, warrants, sentencing, and court orders. Following local and state regulations, the clerk of each court maintains their records.
Unless sealed by court order, the public in the City of Portsmouth can generally access the following kinds of court records:
- Traffic Records
- Criminal Case Records
- Civil Case Records
- Family Law Records
- Probate Records
Portsmouth General District Court's public court records are available on the General District Court Online Case Information System platform, while the Circuit Court's records are available on the Virginia Courts Case Information (Circuit) portal. Additionally, Portsmouth's non-confidential court records are available for anyone to inspect and obtain copies of by visiting the court clerks' offices.
