Virginia Phone Directory Search

The Virginia phone directory pulls together contact info for state agencies, court clerks, FOIA officers, and local public bodies across the Commonwealth. Use this page to look up phone numbers, office addresses, and request lines for the offices that hold public records. You can search the Virginia phone directory by agency, by county, or by city. The goal is to help you find the right person fast. Whether you need a clerk in Richmond or a town office in the Shenandoah Valley, the Virginia phone directory points the way.

Why Use the Virginia Phone Directory

People look up phone numbers for many real reasons. You may need to reach a clerk to ask about a court file. You may want to call a town hall to check on a permit. You may be trying to find a lost cousin who once lived in Loudoun. The Virginia phone directory makes that first call easy. It saves you the slow work of hunting down the right office on your own. The state has a wide mix of offices, from small town halls in the mountains to busy court clerks in the suburbs of D.C. Each one keeps its own set of records and its own contact line. A good phone directory lists them all in one place.

Virginia is a strong open records state. The General Assembly passed the Virginia Freedom of Information Act in 1968. The law spells out the right of every citizen to see and copy public records. Under Va. Code § 2.2-3700, all public bodies must give ready access to their files. The phone directory is the first step. You call, you ask, you get sent to the right person. The Virginia phone directory makes the FOIA process work the way the law meant it to.

Note: Most state and local FOIA officers must respond to a request within five working days under Virginia law.

Phone Directory Sources in Virginia

The state runs a few core lookup tools that feed the Virginia phone directory. The Commonwealth State Employee Directory holds names and phone numbers for executive branch staff. The General Assembly site lists every senator and delegate, with office lines. The court system has its own portal at the Office of the Executive Secretary, where you can find clerks for each circuit and general district court. Local governments post their own staff lists and FOIA officer pages too. Each layer adds to the full Virginia phone directory.

Some of the most used sources include:

• Commonwealth State Employee Directory for executive branch staff
• Virginia Courts staff and clerk listings at vacourts.gov
• Local FOIA officer pages required under Va. Code § 2.2-3704.2
• The Virginia Department of Health vital records office
• County and city websites with department phone lists

Each source has gaps. The state directory does not always cover contract staff. County pages may be slow to update. The Virginia phone directory pulls from all of them so you do not have to.

Virginia FOIA and Public Phone Directory Access

The base of all Virginia phone directory access is the Freedom of Information Act. The full text of the policy section is on the state law site. See the official statute page for the FOIA policy at Va. Code § 2.2-3700.

The statute opens with a strong line: the affairs of government are not meant to be done in secret. That single rule is what gives the public the right to call a clerk and ask for records.

The next section of the code spells out how a public records request works. It sets the five working day clock and lists what an agency may charge for copies. Read it at Va. Code § 2.2-3704.

The five day rule is short but real. It means a quick call can move things along faster than a slow letter ever could.

Every public body in Virginia must name a FOIA officer and post that officer's name and phone in plain view. The rule is at Va. Code § 2.2-3704.2.

This is the part that makes the Virginia phone directory work. Each agency must give you a way to call them.

Court Phone Directory in Virginia

Virginia courts run on a layered system. The Supreme Court sits at the top. Below it are the Court of Appeals, the circuit courts, the general district courts, and the juvenile and domestic relations courts. Each one has clerks. Each one has phone lines. The state court system posts a master list at the Office of the Executive Secretary site. You can use that list to call a clerk in any county or city.

The state court online portal is the main hub. It lets you find the right court and its phone line in just a click or two. View it at vacourts.gov/online.

The portal also points to the case search tools for each court level.

The general district court case lookup page is its own small phone directory in a sense. Each court entry shows hours and a clerk line. Use it at eapps.courts.state.va.us/gdcourts.

You can pick a court, then call the clerk to ask for a file or to set up a visit.

Vital Records Phone Directory

The Virginia Department of Health runs the Office of Vital Records. It is the state office for birth, death, marriage, and divorce records. The office sits at 8701 Park Central Drive, Suite 100, Richmond. The walk in lobby is open Monday through Friday. You can also call ahead to ask about fees and forms. See the office page at vdh.virginia.gov/vital-records.

The office now has a full online order tool, but the phone line still helps for tough cases.

Vital records have rules around who can ask for what. The state law sets out who counts as immediate family. Birth records become public 100 years after the birth. Death, marriage, and divorce records open up 25 years out. The rule is at Va. Code § 32.1-271.

If you need a record older than that, the Library of Virginia may hold it instead.

Voter and Address Phone Directory

The Virginia Department of Elections runs a voter info portal. You can use it to confirm an address, find a polling place, and look up local registrar phone lines. The site is at vote.elections.virginia.gov.

The lookup is a quiet but strong tool for tracking down a Virginia address.

The full state voter registration page lists each city and county registrar with phone and email. Find it at elections.virginia.gov/registration.

That list is one of the more complete local phone directories the state puts out.

Note: Voter rolls are not fully public, but address verification through the portal is open to all.

Privacy Limits in the Virginia Phone Directory

The Virginia FOIA does have limits. Some records and contact info are off the public list. The exemption section spells out what stays private. Personnel files, some law enforcement records, and certain home address fields are kept out. See the rule at Va. Code § 2.2-3705.1.

This is why you cannot pull a private cell phone for a state worker through the Virginia phone directory. Only the work line is open.

There are also rules around criminal history. Most arrest data flows through a state hub at the Department of State Police. The base statute is at Va. Code § 19.2-390.1.

Sex offender registry rules sit nearby in the code at Va. Code § 9.1-902.

That law sets who must register and what info is open to public lookup.

Fees and Costs in the Virginia Phone Directory

The Virginia phone directory is free to use. So is most of the FOIA system. But there are real costs once you ask for paper copies or staff time. State law lets a public body charge for the actual cost of pulling and copying a record. They cannot mark it up. The fee schedule sits in the code at Va. Code § 2.2-3704. If the cost will be more than $200, the agency may ask for a deposit up front.

Court fees are set by a different rule book. Each clerk posts a fee list on the court site. Plain copies usually cost a small amount per page. Certified copies cost more. Vital record copies from VDH run a flat fee per record.

If a public body breaks the rules, they can be hit with a civil fine. The law spells it out at Va. Code § 2.2-3714. Fines start at a few hundred dollars and grow for each new violation. This rule keeps the Virginia phone directory honest.

How to Use the Phone Directory Well

Start with the right level of office. If you want a court file, call the clerk. If you want a birth record, call VDH. If you want a permit, call town hall. The Virginia phone directory groups offices by type so you can pick fast. Have your details ready when you call. A name, a date, a case number. The more you have, the faster the call.

Be clear about what you want. Say you are making a FOIA request if that is what it is. Ask for the FOIA officer by name. Most clerks will hand you off if you do. Keep notes from each call. Write down the date, the time, and the name of the staffer. If you need to follow up, those notes help. The Virginia phone directory works best when you treat each call as a small step in a longer search.

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