The Department of Justice in the United States is not one office with one front counter. It is a federal cabinet department, a set of state law offices, and a wide network of county and city agencies that borrow similar names but handle very different work. Our directory lists 513 Department Of Justice entries, from Abilene, Texas to Boston, Massachusetts, and the first job is working out which level of government you actually need.

Getting that right saves a wasted trip. Someone reporting a federal crime, a parent asking about a court order, and a business owner requesting public records may all search for the same words, yet each needs a different agency. The sections below explain how the system is built, how to read a listing, and how to pick the right state page.

Federal Department of Justice Structure in the United States

The U.S. Department of Justice was created by Congress in 1870 and is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate. Its national headquarters is the Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building at 950 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest in Washington, DC. That is the address on our Washington DC Department of Justice listing, which shows 202-514-3521 as its phone number.

Under that roof sit agencies most people recognize: the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. A separate U.S. Attorney's office serves each federal judicial district. These offices prosecute federal crimes and represent the federal government in civil cases.

One point catches people out. Federal Justice Department offices do not give legal advice or take on private civil disputes. If you need help with a landlord problem, a custody case, or a traffic ticket, you want a private attorney, a legal aid organization, or your local court's self-help center. Federal offices do accept crime tips, run victim and witness assistance programs, and process Freedom of Information Act requests for DOJ records.

State, County and City Justice Offices: Who Runs the One Near You

Every state has an attorney general, and in most states voters elect that person. The office is formally titled Department of Justice in some states, including California, Oregon and North Carolina. In others, such as Texas and Florida, it is called the Office of the Attorney General, and Georgia uses the name Department of Law. The work is similar: defending the state in court, enforcing consumer protection laws, and advising state agencies.

Be careful with look-alike names. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice runs state prisons and parole supervision, not the attorney general's civil work. Virginia's Department of Criminal Justice Services handles training standards and grants for law enforcement. New York's Division of Criminal Justice Services keeps the state's criminal history records. Each carries the word justice, and none of them is the attorney general.

Below the state level, the daily work happens locally. Here is a simple way to sort who handles what:

  • Federal: federal crimes, civil rights enforcement, federal prisons, and requests for DOJ records.
  • State attorney general: consumer complaints, charity oversight, criminal appeals, and in some states the crime laboratory or statewide records.
  • County: the district attorney or county attorney, the sheriff, the clerk of court, and probation offices.
  • City: municipal courts, city attorneys, and police department records.

Louisiana is a good example of local variation. It calls its counties parishes, so a listing such as the Alexandria Louisiana Department of Justice, shown in our data under Rapides, is a parish matter in everyday terms.

Department of Justice Listings Across the United States, City by City

Our database includes a mix of locations, and reading the details closely helps. The Abilene Texas Department of Justice is listed at 400 Pine Street in Taylor County, phone 325-677-6191. The Alachua Florida Department of Justice appears at 14107 Northwest US Highway 441 in Alachua County, phone 386-418-5230. In Virginia, the Ashburn Virginia Department of Justice sits at 45201 Research Place in Loudoun County, phone 703-777-0303.

Notice that listing names and mailing cities do not always match. The East Point Georgia Department of Justice is at 1513 Cleveland Avenue with an Atlanta mailing city, in Fulton County. The Commerce California Department of Justice, at 5700 South Eastern Avenue, is in Los Angeles County. In Oregon, the Albany Oregon Department of Justice is at 118 Southeast 2nd Avenue in Linn County, while the Batavia New York Department of Justice is at 4250 Federal Drive in Genesee County.

Texas leads our database with 90 listings, followed by Florida with 83 and Georgia with 53. If you live in one of those, the pages for Department Of Justice in Texas, Department Of Justice in Florida and Department Of Justice in Georgia let you narrow the search by city and county. South Carolina has 32 listings, including the Aiken South Carolina Department of Justice at 1680 Richland Avenue West, phone 803-641-7735.

Treat every listing as a starting point. Names in public-office data can be generic, so phone the office and ask two questions before you drive: does this location handle my specific request, and do I need an appointment?

How Rules, Fees and Services Differ From State to State

No two states handle justice paperwork exactly alike. Each has its own open records law, with different response deadlines, exemptions and copy charges. Federal FOIA requests follow a separate process and go to the specific DOJ component that holds the records. Court filing fees, fingerprinting charges and background check costs also vary by state and sometimes by county, so check the current fee on the agency's official page before bringing payment.

Payment methods vary too. Some offices accept only checks or money orders, while others take cards through a third-party processor that adds a service fee. Hours usually run on weekdays, and federal buildings close on federal holidays while state and county offices follow their own holiday calendars. Many buildings, especially federal ones, require photo ID and security screening at the door.

State laws on sealing or expunging records, on victim compensation, and on sex offender registration differ sharply. Georgia, Kentucky and Pennsylvania each have their own eligibility rules, waiting periods and forms. An answer that is right in one state may be wrong a few miles over a state line.

Choosing the Right State Page and Avoiding Common Mistakes

Start with the state where the matter arose, not where you live now. A case filed in Kentucky stays under Kentucky courts even if you moved away. Then pick the county, because most hands-on services, such as court records and probation, sit at county level. If you are near Bowling Green, the listing at 1823 McIntosh Street in Warren County is a natural place to start, and the Department Of Justice in Kentucky page collects the others.

These are the mistakes we see most often:

  • Going to a federal office with a state or local problem, or the reverse.
  • Arriving without a case number, docket number or government photo ID.
  • Assuming a fee from another state applies in yours.
  • Skipping the phone call, even though offices move, change hours or require appointments.
  • Paying an unofficial website for forms that the agency provides free or at a lower cost.
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What to Expect at a Department of Justice Office in the United States

Offices in our directory range from federal buildings with security checkpoints to small local offices with a public counter. In Washington, the headquarters at 950 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest is a working federal building, not a public service center, so most business there is handled by phone, mail or online. Entries such as the Billings Montana Department of Justice at 615 South 27th Street in Yellowstone County, or the Chattanooga Tennessee Department of Justice at 10 West Martin Luther King Boulevard in Hamilton County, are best treated as local contact points to verify by phone.

Bring a government-issued photo ID, any case or docket number, and copies of related paperwork. Write down names and dates before you call. If staff say your request belongs to another agency, ask for that agency's name and phone number so you leave with a next step.

California has 23 listings in our data, including Commerce, and its attorney general's department is one of the largest state law offices, so the Department Of Justice in California page is worth a look. New York has 16, including Batavia, and the Department Of Justice in New York page lists the rest. Other examples include Madison, Wisconsin (345 West Washington Avenue, Dane County) and Detroit, Michigan (477 Michigan Avenue, Wayne County).

Department of Justice Questions for the United States

The federal Department of Justice, headed by the U.S. Attorney General, enforces federal law and oversees agencies such as the FBI, DEA, ATF and U.S. Marshals Service. A state attorney general represents one state, handling consumer protection, state-level appeals and legal advice for state agencies. Neither acts as a personal lawyer for residents. Decide which law applies to your issue: a federal statute points to the federal department, while state law points to your state's attorney general or your local prosecutor.

Texas has the most with 90, then Florida with 83, Georgia with 53 and South Carolina with 32. California has 23, Virginia 21, Kentucky and North Carolina 20 each, New York 16, Oregon 14, Louisiana 13 and Pennsylvania 10. These counts reflect entries in our database, not the number of government agencies in a state. A high count mainly means more places to choose from, so narrow your search by county and confirm details by phone before visiting.

Usually not. Federal and state justice offices represent the government, so staff cannot advise private individuals on personal legal problems. They can often tell you which agency handles your issue, take a crime report or consumer complaint, or point you to victim services. For personal legal help, contact a licensed attorney, your state bar's referral service, a legal aid organization, or the self-help center at your county courthouse. Call ahead to learn what the specific office offers.

First identify who holds the records. Federal DOJ records fall under the Freedom of Information Act, and requests go to the component that holds them, such as the FBI. State and local records fall under your state's public records law, which sets its own deadlines and fees. Describe the records as precisely as you can, include dates and names, and ask about copying costs upfront. For your own criminal history, most states also run a process through their state records repository.

Bring a government-issued photo ID, any case, docket or reference number, and copies of letters or forms you have received. If you plan to pay a fee, ask beforehand which methods are accepted, since some offices take only checks or money orders. Federal buildings often have security screening, so leave unnecessary items at home and allow extra time. If you have an appointment, bring the confirmation, write down your questions in advance, and arrive a little early.

No. Public records charges, court filing fees, fingerprinting costs and rules for sealing records are set by each state, and sometimes by each county. Texas, Florida and Georgia, which have the most listings in our directory, each follow their own statutes and forms. Federal procedures are uniform nationwide, but state and local ones are not. Check the current fee schedule on the agency's official page or by phone, because amounts change, and do not rely on a friend's experience in another state.

Public-office details change when agencies relocate, merge or adjust hours. Treat the address and phone number in a listing as a starting point and call before you travel. Ask whether the location handles your specific request, whether you need an appointment, and what hours apply that day. If the number no longer works, check the official website of the related county, state or federal agency, and let us know so the entry can be corrected.