Chesapeake Circuit Court Clerk Records

The Chesapeake Clerk of the Circuit Court

The current Clerk of the Circuit Court is Hon. Alan P. Krasnoff. The office mission is to support the court in equal justice and equal access, to preserve court and land records, and to deliver responsive service. The Clerk's office is on the third floor of the courthouse, with weekday hours. In Virginia the Circuit Court Clerk is an elected constitutional officer, not a court employee, which gives the office its own standing and a long-term duty to keep the public record.

The official clerk page names the Clerk and lists services, records, and contact details, on the city's Circuit Court Clerk page.

Chesapeake Clerk Services

The Clerk handles a broad list of record functions. This is why "court records" in Chesapeake often means a mix of case files and land or probate records held by the same office. Chesapeake does not use a Texas-style split between a county clerk and a district clerk. It has one Clerk of the Circuit Court, plus separate clerks for the district courts.

The correct local framing is simple. Chesapeake has a Clerk of the Circuit Court for the court of record, and separate clerks for the General District Court and the J&DR Court. But the single office for deeds, probate, marriage, divorce, circuit criminal and civil files, and most certified copies is the Circuit Court Clerk. That is why so many local record searches start here at this one office.

The Clerk's listed services include the following.

• Record deeds and plats for property in Chesapeake.
• Record judgments and financing statements.
• Handle all criminal felonies and misdemeanor appeals.
• Handle civil cases above the district limit, name changes, garnishments, divorces, and adoptions.
• Probate wills and qualify guardians and conservators after court appointment.
• Issue marriage licenses and concealed handgun permits.
• Record DD-214 military separation papers and appoint ministers to perform marriages.

Records, Research, and Copies

The Clerk keeps records on file and open to public access by statute. Documents not disclosed to the public include adoption files, juvenile matters, and confidential or sealed documents. Public access is available in the Clerk's office on the third floor, and the office also offers paid remote access for many documents.

The records page explains the access options, the copy fees, and the subscription tiers, on the city's Records, Research and Copies page.

The distinction matters for anyone seeking free records. A case summary search may be free, but a document image or an older clerk record may need paid access or an in-office visit. The public terminals in the office let you view many records at no charge, and staff can point you to the right index for deeds, wills, or judgments.

Research at the Clerk's office covers more than open court cases. Title examiners, genealogists, and attorneys use the same indexes to trace property and family history. Because the records run back centuries, a single visit can answer questions that span generations of owners and heirs.

Secure Remote Access

The Clerk offers Secure Remote Access to many records, but document viewing is by paid subscription only. The coverage is unusually deep for a modern city. Deed indexing and imaging run from 1637, will records from 1755, plats from 1879, judgments from 1987, and financing statements from 1998. South Norfolk data is on file as well.

The land records portal exposes coverage and subscription links, with sign-in required for documents, on the Chesapeake Clerk land records site.

Two subscription tiers exist. Land records access is $600 per subscriber per year. Circuit court records access is $200 per year for a Virginia State Bar member, plus $25 for each support staff member. Title companies, attorneys, and frequent researchers are the typical subscribers, since the yearly fee pays off for heavy users. A one-time searcher is often better served by an in-office visit, where the same records can be viewed without a subscription.

How to Request a Certified Copy

A certified copy carries a raised seal and is accepted as official. You can request one in person or by mail. In person is fastest, while mail works when you cannot travel. Bring or send the case details and the right payment.

1. Identify the record by case number, names, or recording details.
2. Visit the Clerk's office or write to the Circuit Court Clerk.
3. State that you want a certified copy with a raised seal.
4. Pay $0.50 per page plus the $2.00 certification fee.
5. For mail, include payment and a self-addressed return envelope.

Signed court orders with a digital certification seal are emailed to attorneys, but raised-seal certified copies are still available by mail or in person for the public. A certified copy is what most agencies, courts, and title companies require, so the plain printout from an online search will not always be accepted.

Chesapeake Clerk Fees

The copy fees are posted and simple. A plain copy is $0.50 per page. Certification with a raised seal adds $2.00. A physical court-order copy is $0.50 per page plus the $2.00 seal. Remote access carries its own yearly subscription prices.

Marriage certified copies have a separate $2.50 fee, so do not assume one flat rate covers every clerk transaction.

Records Request Fields

Whether you use the online document request form or write a letter, the Clerk needs a few items to find the record. The online form is used to request a copy of a criminal order, indictment, or warrant, a divorce, or a name change. Include the details below.

Marriage Licenses, Probate, and Wills

Two of the Clerk's busiest public services are marriage licenses and probate. Marriage licenses need an online application and an appointment, with a $30 fee and certified copies at $2.50. Probate runs through the Clerk because Virginia has no separate probate court.

For full steps and fees, see the marriage and divorce records page and the probate records page. Both link back to this office, since the Clerk is the record custodian for each. The same office also records concealed handgun permits and DD-214 military papers, which residents often need certified copies of many years later.

Criminal Division Filing and eFiling

The Clerk has moved toward digital filing. The Criminal Division accepts pleadings by email and no longer accepts faxes as of April 3, 2023. Cover letters must be scanned as the last page, documents should come as one attachment unless filing several pleadings, and blank or askew pages are rejected. The Clerk asks filers to treat the emailed document as the original.

Chesapeake also takes part in the Virginia Judiciary eFiling System for circuit civil filings, shown on the Virginia Judiciary eFiling System page.

Effective August 15, 2025, attorneys must include email addresses for all counsel on court orders, and signed orders with a digital seal are emailed back to each attorney. This change speeds order distribution for lawyers, while keeping the traditional raised-seal copy available by mail or in person for everyone else.

Related Chesapeake Record Searches

For case searches, see court records. For the trial court, see the Circuit Court page. For broad requests, see public records, and for marriage and probate see marriage and divorce and probate.