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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>71693</law_id><section_number>17.1-293</section_number><catch_line>Posting and availability of certain information on the Internet; prohibitions</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>17.1-292</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="17.1">Courts of Record</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="2">Clerks, Clerks' Offices and Records</unit><unit label="article" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="8">Secure Remote Access</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> Notwithstanding Chapter 37 (&#xA7; <a class="law" title="Short title; policy" href="/2.2-3700/">2.2-3700</a> et seq.) of Title 2.2 or subsection B, it is unlawful for any court clerk to disclose the social security number or other identification numbers appearing on driver&#x2019;s licenses or other documents issued under Chapter 3 (&#xA7; <a class="law" title="Driving without license prohibited; penalties" href="/46.2-300/">46.2-300</a> et seq.) of Title 46.2 or the comparable <span class="dictionary">law</span> of another <span class="dictionary">jurisdiction</span> or information on credit cards, debit cards, bank accounts, or other electronic billing and payment systems that was supplied to a court clerk for the purpose of paying fees, fines, taxes, or other charges collected by such court clerk. The prohibition shall not apply where disclosure of such information is required (i) to conduct or complete the transaction for which such information was submitted or (ii) by other <span class="dictionary">law</span> or <span class="dictionary">court order</span>. <a id="paragraph-258317" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/17.1-293/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> Beginning January 1, 2004, no court clerk shall post on the Internet any document that contains the following information: (i) an actual signature, (ii) a social security number, (iii) a date of birth identified with a particular person, (iv) the maiden name of a person&#x2019;s parent so as to be identified with a particular person, (v) any financial account number or numbers, or (vi) the name and age of any <span class="dictionary">minor</span> child. <a id="paragraph-258318" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/17.1-293/#B"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="C"><p><span class="prefix-number">C.</span> Each such clerk shall post notice that includes a list of the documents routinely posted on its website. However, the clerk shall not post information on his website that includes private activity for private financial gain. <a id="paragraph-258319" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/17.1-293/#C"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="D"><p><span class="prefix-number">D.</span> Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit access to any original document as provided by <span class="dictionary">law</span>. <a id="paragraph-258320" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/17.1-293/#D"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="E"><p><span class="prefix-number">E.</span> This section shall not apply to the following: <a id="paragraph-258321" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/17.1-293/#E"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="E1" class="indent-1"><p><span class="prefix-number">1.</span> Providing access to any document among the land records via secure remote access pursuant to &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Secure remote access to land records" href="/17.1-294/">17.1-294</a>; <a id="paragraph-258322" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/17.1-293/#E1"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="E2" class="indent-1"><p><span class="prefix-number">2.</span> Postings related to legitimate <span class="dictionary">law</span>-enforcement purposes; <a id="paragraph-258323" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/17.1-293/#E2"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="E3" class="indent-1"><p><span class="prefix-number">3.</span> Postings of historical, genealogical, interpretive, or educational documents and information about historic persons and events; <a id="paragraph-258324" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/17.1-293/#E3"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="E4" class="indent-1"><p><span class="prefix-number">4.</span> Postings of instruments and records filed or recorded that are more than 100 years old; <a id="paragraph-258325" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/17.1-293/#E4"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="E5" class="indent-1"><p><span class="prefix-number">5.</span> Providing secure remote access to any person, his <span class="dictionary">counsel</span>, or staff which <span class="dictionary">counsel</span> directly supervises to documents filed in matters to which such person is a <span class="dictionary">party</span>; <a id="paragraph-258326" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/17.1-293/#E5"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="E6" class="indent-1"><p><span class="prefix-number">6.</span> Providing official certificates and certified records in digital form of any document maintained by the clerk pursuant to &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Official certificates and certified records in digital form" href="/17.1-258.3_2/">17.1-258.3:2</a>; and <a id="paragraph-258327" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/17.1-293/#E6"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="E7" class="indent-1"><p><span class="prefix-number">7.</span> Providing secure remote access to nonconfidential court records, subject to any fees charged by the clerk, to members in good standing with the Virginia State Bar and their authorized agents, pro hac vice attorneys authorized by the court for purposes of the practice of <span class="dictionary">law</span>, and such governmental agencies as authorized by the clerk. <a id="paragraph-258328" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/17.1-293/#E7"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="F"><p><span class="prefix-number">F.</span> Nothing in this section shall prohibit the Supreme Court or any other court clerk from providing online access to a case management system that may include abstracts of case filings and proceedings in the <span class="dictionary">courts</span> of the Commonwealth, including online access to <span class="dictionary">subscribers</span> of nonconfidential criminal case information to confirm the complete date of birth of a <span class="dictionary">defendant</span>. <a id="paragraph-258329" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/17.1-293/#F"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="G"><p><span class="prefix-number">G.</span> The court clerk shall be immune from suit arising from any acts or omissions relating to providing remote access on the Internet pursuant to this section unless the clerk was grossly negligent or engaged in willful misconduct.
			This subsection shall not be construed to limit, withdraw, or overturn any defense or immunity already existing in statutory or <span class="dictionary">common law</span>, or to affect any <span class="dictionary">cause of action</span> accruing prior to July 1, 2005. <a id="paragraph-258330" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/17.1-293/#G"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="H"><p><span class="prefix-number">H.</span> Nothing in this section shall be construed to permit any data accessed by secure remote access to be sold or posted on any other website or in any way redistributed to any third <span class="dictionary">party</span>, and the clerk, in his discretion, may deny secure remote access to ensure compliance with these provisions. However, the data accessed by secure remote access may be included in products or services provided to a third <span class="dictionary">party</span> of the <span class="dictionary">subscriber</span> provided that (i) such data is not made available to the general public and (ii) the <span class="dictionary">subscriber</span> maintains administrative, technical, and security safeguards to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and limited availability of the data. <a id="paragraph-258331" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/17.1-293/#H"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>2007, cc. 548, 626; 2010, c. 430; 2011, cc. 557, 625, 689, 715; 2012, c. 234; 2013, c. 77; 2014, c. 460; 2017, cc. 78, 92; 2020, cc. 1227, 1246.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
