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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>70011</law_id><section_number>19.2-392.14</section_number><catch_line>(Effective July 1, 2026) Disclosure of sealed records; penalty</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>19.2-392.16</reference><reference>19.2-392.5</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="19.2">Criminal Procedure</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="23.2">Sealing of Criminal History Record Information and Court Records</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> It is unlawful for any employee of any department, division, board, bureau, commission, branch, authority, or other agency created by the Commonwealth, or to which the Commonwealth is a <span class="dictionary">party</span> or any political subdivision thereof, having or acquiring access to <span class="dictionary">sealed</span> criminal history record information or a court record, including any records relating to an <span class="dictionary">arrest</span>, charge, or <span class="dictionary">conviction</span>, that was ordered to be <span class="dictionary">sealed</span> pursuant to &#xA7; <a class="law" title="(Effective July 1, 2026) Process for automatic sealing of offenses resulting in a conviction or deferred disposition" href="/19.2-392.7/">19.2-392.7</a>, <a class="law" title="(Effective July 1, 2026) Automatic sealing of offenses resulting in acquittal or dismissal" href="/19.2-392.8/">19.2-392.8</a>, <a class="law" title="(Effective July 1, 2026) Process for automatic sealing of offenses resulting in acquittal, nolle prosequi, or dismissal" href="/19.2-392.10/">19.2-392.10</a>, <a class="law" title="(Effective July 1, 2026) Automatic sealing of misdemeanor offenses resulting in acquittal, nolle prosequi, or dismissal for persons with no convictions or deferred and dismissed offenses on their criminal history record" href="/19.2-392.11/">19.2-392.11</a>, <a class="law" title="(Effective July 1, 2026) Sealing of offenses resulting in a deferred and dismissed disposition or conviction by petition" href="/19.2-392.12/">19.2-392.12</a>, or <a class="law" title="(Effective July 1, 2026) Sealing of charges and convictions related to automatic sealing; petition" href="/19.2-392.12_1/">19.2-392.12:1</a>, or that was <span class="dictionary">sealed</span> without entry of a <span class="dictionary">court order</span> pursuant to &#xA7; <a class="law" title="(Effective July 1, 2026) Sealing of former possession of marijuana offenses without entry of a court order" href="/19.2-392.6_1/">19.2-392.6:1</a> or <a class="law" title="(Effective July 1, 2026) Traffic infractions deemed sealed" href="/19.2-392.17/">19.2-392.17</a>, to disclose such record or any information from such record to another person, except in accordance with the purposes set forth in &#xA7; <a class="law" title="(Effective July 1, 2026) Disposition of records when an offense is sealed; permitted uses of sealed records" href="/19.2-392.13/">19.2-392.13</a> and pursuant to the rules and regulations adopted pursuant to &#xA7; <a class="law" title="(Effective July 1, 2026) Dissemination of criminal history record information; Board to adopt regulations and procedures" href="/9.1-128/">9.1-128</a> and the procedures adopted pursuant to &#xA7; <a class="law" title="(Effective July 1, 2026) Sealing of criminal history record information" href="/9.1-134/">9.1-134</a>. <a id="paragraph-252955" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/19.2-392.14/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> A clerk of the court shall not be in violation of this section if such clerk informs a person requesting access to a <span class="dictionary">sealed</span> court record that such court record has been <span class="dictionary">sealed</span> and can only be accessed pursuant to a <span class="dictionary">court order</span>. <a id="paragraph-252956" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/19.2-392.14/#B"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="C"><p><span class="prefix-number">C.</span> Any person who knowingly and intentionally violates this section is guilty of a Class 1 <span class="dictionary">misdemeanor</span>. <a id="paragraph-252957" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/19.2-392.14/#C"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>2021, Sp. Sess. I, cc. 524, 542; 2023, cc. 554, 555; 2025, cc. 634, 671.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
