Department Of Justice in Virginia

How Justice Services Are Divided Up in Virginia

Virginia has no single state agency called the Department of Justice. Justice work is spread across several bodies, and the right office depends on your problem. The Office of the Attorney General is led by an elected Attorney General who serves a four-year term and acts as the Commonwealth's lawyer. The Department of Criminal Justice Services, the Department of Juvenile Justice and the Virginia State Police each handle a narrower piece of the system. Federal matters go to the U.S. Department of Justice and its local offices.

That split explains why our directory shows 21 entries under this heading across Virginia. Each carries the label "Virginia Department of Justice," but the building behind it may house a federal, state or local function. A short call to the listed number usually clears this up before you spend an hour driving.

Prosecution works differently again. Locally elected Commonwealth's Attorneys prosecute most crimes in each county and independent city. They are constitutional officers, not employees of the Attorney General. If you are a witness or crime victim in a local case, your first contact is normally the victim-witness staff in the Commonwealth's Attorney's office, not a statewide agency.

Virginia's independent cities add one more wrinkle. Cities such as Richmond, Norfolk, Hampton, Newport News, Salem, Harrisonburg, Lexington and Martinsville are not part of any county. They run their own courts, clerks and local offices. Our directory groups some of them under labels like "City of Richmond County" so every listing has a page to live on, but legally each is a separate city government. Keep that in mind when a court notice names a city rather than a county.

Metro Virginia: Richmond, Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia

The densest cluster of offices follows the I-64 and I-95 corridors. In the capital, the Richmond Virginia Department of Justice is listed at 700 East Franklin Street, phone 804-371-0700. Richmond is where the General Assembly meets and where the Attorney General's office is based, so many statewide questions start here. Browse the City of Richmond County page for the other Richmond listing.

Hampton Roads holds a large share of the state's entries. The Norfolk Virginia Department of Justice is at 200 Granby Street, phone 757-622-0633, in the downtown core. Across the water, the Hampton Virginia Department of Justice is at 27 West Queens Way, phone 757-727-4675. The Newport News Virginia Department of Justice is at 2600 Washington Avenue, phone 757-926-8781. Federal court for the Eastern District of Virginia holds sessions in Norfolk, Newport News and Richmond, which is one reason the region draws so many justice-related offices. The Norfolk County page shows all three Norfolk listings together.

Plan for water crossings. Traffic at the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel and the Downtown Tunnel can add a long delay at rush hour, and a trip that looks short on the map may not be. Morning appointments before the commute peaks are usually the easier choice.

Northern Virginia is a different setting. The Ashburn Virginia Department of Justice at 45201 Research Place and the Leesburg Virginia Department of Justice at 18 East Market Street share one phone number, 703-777-0303. Both fall in Loudoun County. Leesburg is the county seat, so its downtown address sits close to the courthouse and other government offices. Ashburn is a fast-growing suburban area, and the Silver Line extension now reaches it by rail.

Closer to Washington, the Falls Church Virginia Department of Justice at 5107 Leesburg Pike, phone 703-305-0169, is in Fairfax County. Leesburg Pike is Route 7, a busy road with heavy traffic at most hours. Parking is tight across this part of the state, so ask about visitor parking when you call.

Rural and Small-City Virginia: Roanoke Valley, Southside and the Blue Ridge

West of the Blue Ridge, offices sit farther apart and are often located in county seats. The Roanoke Virginia Department of Justice is at 280 Franklin Road Southwest, phone 540-857-2806. Roanoke is also the headquarters city for the federal Western District of Virginia, so the valley has a larger justice presence than its population suggests. Nearby, the Salem Virginia Department of Justice is at 400 East Main Street, phone 540-387-6125. The Roanoke County page covers the Roanoke Valley listings.

Southside and the southwest hold smaller offices. The Martinsville Virginia Department of Justice is at 3160 Kings Mountain Road, phone 276-634-4865. In Patrick County, the Stuart Virginia Department of Justice is at 104 Rucker Street, phone 276-694-7209. In Franklin County, the Rocky Mount Virginia Department of Justice is at 275 South Main Street, phone 540-483-3050. Wytheville, near the junction of I-81 and I-77, has an office at 225 South 4th Street, phone 276-223-6048. Drives here can be long and cell coverage can be patchy in the hills, so write down directions before you leave.

In the Shenandoah Valley and central Virginia, the Harrisonburg Virginia Department of Justice is at 53 Court Square, phone 540-564-3399. The Lexington Virginia Department of Justice is at 20 South Randolph Street, phone 540-463-5401. The Charlottesville Virginia Department of Justice is at 255 West Main Street, phone 434-293-6612. East of the mountains, the Mitchells Virginia Department of Justice is at 12240 Coffeewood Drive, phone 540-727-3333, in rural Culpeper County. That one is best reached by car, with no real transit option.

Small offices often run on small staffs. Lunch closures, shortened Friday hours and appointment-only services are all common outside the metro areas. A call the day before saves a wasted trip.

What to Bring to a Virginia Justice Office and How to Confirm You Are in the Right Place

Most visits go faster when you arrive prepared. Courthouse-area buildings in Virginia often have security screening at the door, so allow ten to fifteen minutes before your appointment. Bring the following:

• A current government-issued photo ID.
• Any case number, court date, citation or letter you received.
• Copies of documents, since staff may not be able to copy originals for you.
• A short written summary of what happened, with dates and names.
• A pen, and a way to pay if a fee applies. Ask by phone which payment types are accepted.

Before you go, confirm which level of government runs the office. If your issue is a consumer complaint, the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Section is the statewide contact. If it concerns a local crime, start with the police department or sheriff, then the Commonwealth's Attorney. You can look up court cases through the Virginia judiciary's online case information system, and the state's VINE service sends custody-status alerts. Crime victims seeking help with certain costs can apply to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund, which the Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission administers.

Never pay anyone who calls claiming to be a justice official and demands gift cards or wire transfers. Real agencies do not collect fines that way. If a call worries you, hang up and dial the office number listed in our directory yourself.

Department of Justice resources in Virginia include U.S. Attorney's Office district operations, FBI field offices, and the Virginia Attorney General's Office, which enforces state law and consumer protection statutes at the state level while coordinating with federal DOJ components on major investigations.

Department Of Justice locations are available in 17 cities across Virginia. They are spread across 16 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration include Norfolk, Roanoke, Richmond, reflecting federal district headquarters and major cities where DOJ field offices, U.S. Attorneys, and federal law enforcement units are based.

Residents of Virginia who need to engage with the DOJ should identify the correct agency division for their matter — whether it involves civil rights, a federal crime, antitrust, or a FOIA request — before contacting the appropriate office.

Residents of Virginia who need to file a civil rights complaint, report federal fraud, or access victim assistance programs should visit justice.gov to identify the appropriate DOJ division or contact the U.S. Attorney's Office for the federal district covering their area.

Browse Department Of Justice by county across Virginia to find the nearest location.

Timing Your Visit to a Justice Office in Virginia

Virginia's justice offices keep ordinary weekday daytime hours, and most close on weekends and state holidays. Virginia observes some days that other states skip, including Lee-Jackson-era changes now replaced by Election Day as a state holiday, so check a calendar before planning a trip around a holiday week. In the Hampton Roads cities of Norfolk, Hampton and Newport News, mornings tend to be calmer than afternoons, and avoiding tunnel rush hours matters more than most people expect.

In Richmond, downtown streets around East Franklin Street fill up during General Assembly sessions, which run in the first months of the year. Parking garages are the safer bet then. In Northern Virginia, the Ashburn and Leesburg entries share a single number, 703-777-0303, so tell the person who answers which address you plan to visit. That avoids showing up at the wrong building.

In smaller places such as Stuart, Rocky Mount, Wytheville and Lexington, the office may sit within a block or two of the county or city courthouse. Walking between buildings is often easier than driving. Winter weather in the mountains can close roads or delay openings, so check local conditions before a long drive west of Roanoke.

Keep a simple record of every contact. Note the date, the name of the person you spoke with and what they told you to do next. Virginia offices handle many requests that require follow-up paperwork, and a written trail helps if you need to call back or escalate to a supervisor.

Frequently Asked Questions About Justice Offices in Virginia