{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/16.1-69.54.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/16.1-69.54.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/16.1-69.54.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/16.1-69.54.html"}],"law_id":74208,"edition_id":1,"section_id":74208,"structure_id":15537,"section_number":"16.1-69.54","catch_line":"General provisions","history":"1983, c. 499; 2018, cc. 32, 134.","full_text":"A\n\nEach district court shall retain and store its court records as provided in this article. The Committee on District Courts, after consultation with the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia, shall determine the methods of processing, retention, reproduction and disposal of records and information in district courts, including records required to be retained in district courts by statute.B\n\nWhenever a court record has been reproduced for the purpose of record retention under this article, such original may be disposed of upon completion of the Commonwealth’s audit of the court records unless approval is given by the Auditor of Public Accounts for earlier disposition. In the event of such reproduction, the reproduction of the court record shall be retained in accordance with the retention periods specified in this section. The reproduction shall have the same force and effect as the original court record and shall be given the same faith and credit to which the original itself would have been entitled in any judicial or administrative proceeding.C\n\nElectronic case papers, whether originating in electronic form or converted to electronic form, shall constitute the official record of the case. Such electronic case papers shall also fulfill any statutory requirement that requires an original, original paper, paper, record, document, facsimile, memorandum, exhibit, certification, or transcript if such electronic case papers are in an electronic form approved by the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court. When case papers are transmitted between the district and circuit courts and there is an agreement between the chief judge of the applicable district court and the clerk of the circuit court for the electronic transmission of case papers, the case papers shall be transmitted between the courts by an electronic method approved by the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court, with the exception of any exhibit that cannot be electronically transmitted. The clerk in the appellate court may also request that any paper trial records be forwarded to such clerk.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":266834,"text":"Each district court shall retain and store its court records as provided in this article. The Committee on District Courts, after consultation with the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia, shall determine the methods of processing, retention, reproduction and disposal of records and information in district courts, including records required to be retained in district courts by statute.","type":"section","prefixes":["A"],"prefix":"A","entire_prefix":"A","prefix_anchor":"A","level":1,"next_prefix":"B"},"1":{"id":266835,"text":"Whenever a court record has been reproduced for the purpose of record retention under this article, such original may be disposed of upon completion of the Commonwealth’s audit of the court records unless approval is given by the Auditor of Public Accounts for earlier disposition. In the event of such reproduction, the reproduction of the court record shall be retained in accordance with the retention periods specified in this section. The reproduction shall have the same force and effect as the original court record and shall be given the same faith and credit to which the original itself would have been entitled in any judicial or administrative proceeding.","type":"section","prefixes":["B"],"prefix":"B","entire_prefix":"B","prefix_anchor":"B","level":1,"prior_prefix":"A","next_prefix":"C"},"2":{"id":266836,"text":"Electronic case papers, whether originating in electronic form or converted to electronic form, shall constitute the official record of the case. Such electronic case papers shall also fulfill any statutory requirement that requires an original, original paper, paper, record, document, facsimile, memorandum, exhibit, certification, or transcript if such electronic case papers are in an electronic form approved by the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court. When case papers are transmitted between the district and circuit courts and there is an agreement between the chief judge of the applicable district court and the clerk of the circuit court for the electronic transmission of case papers, the case papers shall be transmitted between the courts by an electronic method approved by the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court, with the exception of any exhibit that cannot be electronically transmitted. The clerk in the appellate court may also request that any paper trial records be forwarded to such clerk.","type":"section","prefixes":["C"],"prefix":"C","entire_prefix":"C","prefix_anchor":"C","level":1,"prior_prefix":"B"}},"ancestry":[{"id":15537,"edition_id":1,"name":"Retention and Disposition of District Court Records","identifier":"6","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13142,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:56:08","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:56:08","permalink":{"id":162333,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":15537,"identifier":"6","token":"16.1\/4.1\/6","url":"\/16.1\/4.1\/6\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13142,"edition_id":1,"name":"District Courts","identifier":"4.1","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12700,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:21","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:21","permalink":{"id":161993,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13142,"identifier":"4.1","token":"16.1\/4.1","url":"\/16.1\/4.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12700,"edition_id":1,"name":"Courts Not of Record","identifier":"16.1","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:49","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:49","permalink":{"id":160919,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12700,"identifier":"16.1","token":"16.1","url":"\/16.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":59268,"structure_id":15537,"section_number":"16.1-69.53","catch_line":"Definitions; construction of references to period of years","url":"\/16.1-69.53\/","token":"16.1\/4.1\/6\/16.1-69.53","metadata":false},{"id":74208,"structure_id":15537,"section_number":"16.1-69.54","catch_line":"General provisions","url":"\/16.1-69.54\/","token":"16.1\/4.1\/6\/16.1-69.54","metadata":false},{"id":65286,"structure_id":15537,"section_number":"16.1-69.54:1","catch_line":"Request for district court records","url":"\/16.1-69.54_1\/","token":"16.1\/4.1\/6\/16.1-69.54_1","metadata":false},{"id":68420,"structure_id":15537,"section_number":"16.1-69.55","catch_line":"Retention of case records; limitations on enforcement of judgments; extensions","url":"\/16.1-69.55\/","token":"16.1\/4.1\/6\/16.1-69.55","metadata":false},{"id":59876,"structure_id":15537,"section_number":"16.1-69.56","catch_line":"Retention of financial and administrative records","url":"\/16.1-69.56\/","token":"16.1\/4.1\/6\/16.1-69.56","metadata":false},{"id":80700,"structure_id":15537,"section_number":"16.1-69.57","catch_line":"Destruction of court records","url":"\/16.1-69.57\/","token":"16.1\/4.1\/6\/16.1-69.57","metadata":false},{"id":74109,"structure_id":15537,"section_number":"16.1-69.58","catch_line":"Processing, retention and reproduction of court records; retention and destruction of records in which final disposition was entered before January 1, 1985","url":"\/16.1-69.58\/","token":"16.1\/4.1\/6\/16.1-69.58","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":59268,"structure_id":15537,"section_number":"16.1-69.53","catch_line":"Definitions; construction of references to period of years","url":"\/16.1-69.53\/","token":"16.1\/4.1\/6\/16.1-69.53","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":65286,"structure_id":15537,"section_number":"16.1-69.54:1","catch_line":"Request for district court records","url":"\/16.1-69.54_1\/","token":"16.1\/4.1\/6\/16.1-69.54_1","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/16.1-69.54\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 1983. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 499 of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. Unfortunately, the 1983 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online. It has been modified 1 time. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. That modification is as follows: in 2018, chapters 32<\/a> and 134<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":72501,"section_number":"2.2-3703","catch_line":"Public bodies and records to which chapter inapplicable; voter registration and election records; access by persons incarcerated in a state, local, or federal correctional facility","order_by":null,"url":"\/2.2-3703\/"}],"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":162339,"object_type":"law","relational_id":74208,"identifier":"16.1-69.54","token":"16.1\/4.1\/6\/16.1-69.54","url":"\/16.1-69.54\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/16.1-69.54\/","token":"16.1\/4.1\/6\/16.1-69.54","dublin_core":{"Title":"General provisions","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 16.1-69.54","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

A.<\/span> Each district court shall retain and store its court records<\/span> as provided in this article. The Committee on District Courts<\/span>, after consultation with the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia, shall determine the methods of processing, retention, reproduction and disposal of records and information in district courts<\/span>, including records required to be retained in district courts<\/span> by statute<\/span>. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

B.<\/span> Whenever a court record has been reproduced for the purpose of record retention under this article, such original may be disposed of upon completion of the Commonwealth’s audit of the court records<\/span> unless approval is given by the Auditor of Public Accounts for earlier disposition<\/span>. In the event of such reproduction, the reproduction of the court record shall be retained in accordance with the retention periods specified in this section. The reproduction shall have the same force and effect as the original court record and shall be given the same faith and credit to which the original itself would have been entitled in any judicial or administrative proceeding. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

C.<\/span> Electronic case papers, whether originating in electronic form or converted to electronic form, shall constitute the official record of the case. Such electronic case papers shall also fulfill any statutory requirement that requires an original, original paper, paper, record, document, facsimile, memorandum<\/span>, exhibit, certification, or transcript<\/span> if such electronic case papers are in an electronic form approved by the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court. When case papers are transmitted between the district and circuit<\/span> courts<\/span> and there is an agreement between the chief judge<\/span> of the applicable district court and the clerk of the circuit<\/span> court for the electronic transmission of case papers, the case papers shall be transmitted between the courts<\/span> by an electronic method approved by the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court, with the exception of any exhibit that cannot be electronically transmitted. The clerk in the appellate<\/span> court may also request that any paper trial<\/span> records be forwarded to such clerk. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nGENERAL PROVISIONS (\u00a7 16.1-69.54)\n\nA. Each district court shall retain and store its court records as provided in\nthis article. The Committee on District Courts, after consultation with the\nExecutive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia, shall determine the\nmethods of processing, retention, reproduction and disposal of records and\ninformation in district courts, including records required to be retained in\ndistrict courts by statute.\n\nB. Whenever a court record has been reproduced for the purpose of record\nretention under this article, such original may be disposed of upon completion\nof the Commonwealth’s audit of the court records unless approval is given\nby the Auditor of Public Accounts for earlier disposition. In the event of such\nreproduction, the reproduction of the court record shall be retained in\naccordance with the retention periods specified in this section. The\nreproduction shall have the same force and effect as the original court record\nand shall be given the same faith and credit to which the original itself would\nhave been entitled in any judicial or administrative proceeding.\n\nC. Electronic case papers, whether originating in electronic form or converted\nto electronic form, shall constitute the official record of the case. Such\nelectronic case papers shall also fulfill any statutory requirement that\nrequires an original, original paper, paper, record, document, facsimile,\nmemorandum, exhibit, certification, or transcript if such electronic case papers\nare in an electronic form approved by the Executive Secretary of the Supreme\nCourt. When case papers are transmitted between the district and circuit courts\nand there is an agreement between the chief judge of the applicable district\ncourt and the clerk of the circuit court for the electronic transmission of case\npapers, the case papers shall be transmitted between the courts by an electronic\nmethod approved by the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court, with the\nexception of any exhibit that cannot be electronically transmitted. The clerk in\nthe appellate court may also request that any paper trial records be forwarded\nto such clerk.\n\nHISTORY: 1983, c. 499; 2018, cc. 32, 134.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}