Portsmouth Court Information and Location

The city of Portsmouth in Virginia does not have a Municipal Court-instead, it has a Circuit Court. The Circuit Court in Portsmouth exercises jurisdiction over all matters dealing with traffic violations, hears cases on appeal, cases dealing with civil claims as well as criminal cases that fall within its jurisdiction. 

The records of the Portsmouth Circuit Court in Virginia are maintained by the Clerk of the Circuit Court. The Clerk of the Portsmouth Circuit Court is a legal officer who is elected by the voters of the Portsmouth City to serve an 8 year term. In addition to maintaining and updating the court records, the Clerk of the Portsmouth Circuit Court is also responsible for providing executive support to the Third Judicial Circuit judges.

The jurisdiction of the Circuit Court in Portsmouth Virginia extends to:

Appeal Cases

In matters of cases on appeal, the Circuit Court in Portsmouth, Virginia exercises appellate authority on all appeals from the general district which deals with criminal cases as well as civil claims. The appeals arising from the district courts are usually heard by the Circuit Court in the form of “de novo”. This implies that the appeals from the district courts are treated as if no trial was held on it. The case is heard fresh.

The Portsmouth Circuit Court also exercises appellate authority over court cases which originate in the Court of Domestic Relations as well as the Juvenile Courts in Virginia. In addition, the Circuit Court in Portsmouth exercises appellate authority on certain appeals that are sent to it from the administrative agencies of the state.

Criminal Cases

For criminal cases, the Portsmouth Circuit Court in Virginia exercises control over the court trials dealing with felony charges as well misdemeanor cases. For felonies, it has control over those charges in which the offenders are imprisoned in a state prison or correctional facility.

In the case of misdemeanor cases, the Circuit Court has authority over only those cases that have a penalty of less than a year in jail. In addition, the Circuit Court in Portsmouth also has control over criminal cases that deal with juvenile offenders who are 14 years or older and are charged with felony offenses. The juvenile criminal cases can also be transferred to this court by a judge of either the Domestic Relations Court or the Juvenile Court at the district level.

Civil Claims

In the case of civil claims, the Circuit Court in Portsmouth exercises original authority over claims that are of $15,000 and above. This encompasses all civil matters requiring fairness, such as the civil claims dealing with disputes over estates and wills and cases dealing with divorce and property dispute cases. The Portsmouth Circuit Court also exercises concurrent control on civil matters where the amount of dispute is between $ 4,500 and $ 15,000 with the general district court.

Public Services

The Clerk of the Portsmouth Circuit Court is also responsible for providing public services to the general public. These include the recording of DD214, offering access to records searches for a fee of $10 per search, notary services, issuing marriage licenses and permits for concealed weapons, providing probate of estates, providing copies of the public records on request for a fee of 50 cents per page, providing viewing stations for the general public to access and searching for the land records and providing certification on request for a fee of $2.   

For making payments such as paying fines, payment for probate services or for any cost of the criminal court that has to be borne by an individual, the office of the Clerk of the Portsmouth Circuit Court accepts personal checks. Cash payment is accepted for permits for concealed weapons and for a marriage license.

For any assistance, individuals can reach the Clerk of the Portsmouth Circuit Court’s office at: Circuit Court Building, 601 Crawford Street, First Floor, Post Office Drawer 1217, Portsmouth, Virginia 23705-1217. The clerk of the Circuit Court can also be contacted via telephone at (757) 393-8671, via fax (757) 399-4826 or email at cmorrison@courts.state.va.us