Franklin County
Franklin County, which was created from Bedford and Henry Counties in 1786, is situated within the Blue Ridge foothills in the Commonwealth of Virginia's Roanoke Region. Originally inhabited by Native Americans, it is bordered on the northeast by the Roanoke River and Bedford County. Franklin County is home to over 55,000 people, and Rocky Mount is its county seat. It is named for Benjamin Franklin, a former Pennsylvania governor.
Franklin County's trial court system encompasses various courts, including a circuit court, a general district court, and a juvenile and domestic relations district court. The Franklin County Circuit Court has the broadest jurisdiction of all the county courts and adjudicates all civil and criminal cases, especially cases with statutorily unspecified jurisdictions. It oversees felonies, misdemeanor cases appealed from the District Courts or arising from a grand jury indictment, and appeals from the lower courts and administrative agencies. Other Circuit Court cases include civil claims above $25,000, divorce, adoption, probate cases, and property suits. Finally, it shares concurrent jurisdiction with the General District Court over civil claims between $4,500 and $25,000.
The General District Court exercises limited civil and criminal jurisdiction and hears cases, including criminal misdemeanors as defined by State law and municipal ordinance violations. It offers no jury trials and handles civil claims for which the disputed amounts do not exceed $25,000, barring personal injury and wrongful death suits where monetary claims are below $50,000. It also handles small claims through a separate Small Claims division for amounts up to $5,000, along with initial felony hearings and traffic infractions.
The Franklin County Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court exercises jurisdiction over limited criminal lawsuits, juvenile-related cases, and most domestic relations suits (excluding divorce). It typically handles cases relating to child support, parentage, child custody, parental rights termination, juvenile traffic offenses, protective orders, minor-based mental health matters, and children in need of supervision. Also, the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court shares concurrent jurisdiction with the General District Court over adult mental commitment cases.
Franklin County court records document all the legal activities associated with court trials and typically include information from court dockets and charging sheets, case transcripts and depositions, and court decrees and judgments. The following are common court record examples in Franklin County:
- Probate records
- Juvenile records
- Criminal records
- Civil records
The Franklin County Clerk of the Circuit Court maintains court records and handles all records requests. The Virginia Code § 17.1-208 classifies non-confidential court records as open records and permits public inspection and copying upon request and payment of specified fees. Record seekers can look up Franklin County court records online on the Virginia Case Information System using details such as case number, party name, or address, among others. Additionally, requesters can also opt for hardcopy records by visiting the Circuit Clerk's Office in person or the courthouses where their cases were heard.
