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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>68382</law_id><section_number>19.2-392.3</section_number><catch_line>Disclosure of expunged records</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>19.2-392.2</reference><reference>2.2-3706</reference><reference>2.2-3706.1</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="23.1">Expungement of Criminal Records</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> It shall be unlawful for any person having or acquiring access to an expunged <span class="dictionary">court</span> or police record to open or review it or to disclose to another person any information from it without an <span class="dictionary">order</span> from the <span class="dictionary">court</span> which ordered the record expunged. <a id="paragraph-247621" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/19.2-392.3/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> Upon a verified <span class="dictionary">petition</span> filed by the attorney for the Commonwealth alleging that the record is needed by a <span class="dictionary">law</span>-enforcement agency for purposes of employment application as an employee of a <span class="dictionary">law</span>-enforcement agency or for a pending criminal investigation and that the investigation will be jeopardized or that life or property will be endangered without immediate access to the record, the <span class="dictionary">court</span> may enter an <span class="dictionary">ex parte</span> <span class="dictionary">order</span>, without notice to the person, permitting such access. An <span class="dictionary">ex parte</span> <span class="dictionary">order</span> may permit a review of the record, but may not permit a copy to be made of it. <a id="paragraph-247622" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/19.2-392.3/#B"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="C"><p><span class="prefix-number">C.</span> Upon a verified <span class="dictionary">petition</span> requesting access to an expunged <span class="dictionary">court</span> or police record that is filed by the person who was charged with the <span class="dictionary">offense</span> that was ordered to be expunged, with notice to the attorney for the Commonwealth, the <span class="dictionary">court</span> may enter an <span class="dictionary">order</span> allowing that person and their <span class="dictionary">counsel</span> to review and copy the expunged <span class="dictionary">court</span> or police record. However, no agency or entity shall be required to allow the person or their <span class="dictionary">counsel</span> to review or copy the expunged <span class="dictionary">court</span> or police record if such record has been destroyed. <a id="paragraph-247623" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/19.2-392.3/#C"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="D"><p><span class="prefix-number">D.</span> Any person who willfully violates this section is guilty of a Class 1 <span class="dictionary">misdemeanor</span>. However, unless otherwise prohibited by <span class="dictionary">law</span>, any person who opens, reviews, or discloses information from an expunged <span class="dictionary">court</span> or police record after being provided a copy of such record by the person who was charged with the <span class="dictionary">offense</span> that was ordered to be expunged, or by <span class="dictionary">counsel</span> for such person, shall not be in violation of this section. <a id="paragraph-247624" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/19.2-392.3/#D"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>1977, c. 675; 1978, c. 713; 2023, cc. 554, 555; 2025, cc. 634 and 671, cl.12.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
