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A Grand Juror must have been a resident of Virginia for at least one year and a citizen of Fluvanna for at least six months, and must be "eighteen years of age or older, of honesty, intelligence and good demeanor and suitable in all respects to serve" as a Grand Juror.

Non-residents are welcome to sign up for any and all classes.

The Fluvanna Community Center is located at 5725 James Madison Highway, Fork Union, VA 23055.  Click here for directions and a map showing our office location.

The Pleasant Grove House Museum & Welcome Center is located at 271 Pleasant Grove Drive, Palmyra, VA 22963. Click here for directions and a map showing our office location.

Please click here to view our Community Partners page with more contact information for other county facilities.

Click Here to see what parks and facilities you can visit and take advantage of.

The Dog Park at Pleasant Grove is located at the Eastern Trailhead entrance, which is 108 Thomas Jefferson Parkway, Palmyra, VA 22963

Fluvanna County Parks and Recreation coordinates youth flag football in the Fall and youth basketball in the Winter.  Please  click here for a list of additional youth sports in the county for your son or daughter.

Yes.  The website indexes web pages as well as PDFs, Microsoft Office documents, and text documents.

Virginia Freedom of Information Act

 The Rights of Requesters and the Responsibilities of Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office  under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act

The Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office is the custodian of records for the following managed areas of the agency: 

Patrol
Investigations
Civil Process
Emergency Communication Center
Animal Control

Requests for records

To request records from The Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office Sheriff’s Office, or if you are uncertain of whom you should request records, please contact the Sheriff's Office: 

Phone: (434) 589-8211 Online: FOIA Request Email: to Foia@fluvannasheriff.com Fax: 434-591-2006 Printable Form: Click Here.  U.S. Mail: FOIA Request, Attn: FOIA, PO Box  113, Palmyra, VA 22963 In Person: 160 Commons Blvd, Palmyra, VA 22963, Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office Sheriff’s Office

You may contact a FOIA Officer with questions you have concerning requesting records from the Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office. In addition, the Freedom of Information Advisory Council is available to answer any questions you may have about FOIA.  The Council may be contacted by e-mail at foiacouncil@dls.virginia.gov or by phone at (804) 225-3056 or [toll-free] 1-866-448-4100.

The Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), located § 2.2-3700 et seq. of the Code of Virginia, guarantees citizens of the Commonwealth and representatives of the media access to public records held by public bodies, public officials, and public employees.

A public record is any writing or recording -- regardless of whether it is a paper record, an electronic file, an audio or video recording, or any other format -- that is prepared or owned by, or in the possession of a public body or its officers, employees or agents in the transaction of public business.  All public records are presumed to be open, and may only be withheld if a specific, statutory exemption applies.

The policy of FOIA states that the purpose of FOIA is to promote an increased awareness by all persons of governmental activities.  In furthering this policy, FOIA requires that the law be interpreted liberally, in favor of access, and that any exemption allowing public records to be withheld must be interpreted narrowly.

Your FOIA Rights

You have the right to request to inspect or receive copies of public records, or both. • You have the right to request that any charges for the requested records be estimated in advance.  • If you believe that your FOIA rights have been violated, you may file a petition in district or circuit court to compel compliance with FOIA.  Alternatively, you may contact the FOIA Council for a nonbinding advisory opinion.

Making a Request for Records from the Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office

You may request records by U.S. Mail, fax, e-mail, in person, or over the phone.  FOIA does not require that your request be in writing, nor do you need to specifically state that you are requesting records under FOIA.

From a practical perspective, it may be helpful to both you and the person receiving your request to put your request in writing.  This allows you to create a record of your request.  It also gives us a clear statement of what records you are requesting, so that there is no misunderstanding over a verbal request.  However, we cannot refuse to respond to your FOIA request if you elect to not put it in writing.

Your request must identify the records you are seeking with "reasonable specificity."  This is a commonsense standard.  It does not refer to or limit the volume or number of records that you are requesting; instead, it requires that you be specific enough so that we can identify and locate the records that you are seeking.

Your request must ask for existing records or documents.  FOIA gives you a right to inspect or copy records; it does not apply to a situation where you are asking general questions about the work of the Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office, nor does it require the Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office to create a record that does not exist.

You may choose to receive electronic records in any format used by the Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office in the regular course of business. For example, if you are requesting records maintained in an Excel database, you may elect to receive those records electronically, via e-mail, or on a computer disk, or to receive a printed copy of those records

If we have questions about your request, please cooperate with the staff's efforts to clarify the type of records that you are seeking, or to attempt to reach a reasonable agreement about a response to a large request.  Making a FOIA request is not an adversarial process, but we may need to discuss your request with you to ensure that we understand what records you are seeking. 

Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office's Responsibilities in Responding to Your Request

The Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office must respond to your request within five working days of receiving it.  "Day One" is considered the day after your request is received.  The five-day period does not include weekends or holidays.

The reason behind your request for public records from Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office is irrelevant, and you do not have to state why you want the records before we respond to your request.  FOIA does, however, allow the Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office to require you to provide your name and legal address.

FOIA requires that the Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office make one of the following responses to your request within the five-day time period:

1) We provide you with the records that you have requested in their entirety.

2) We withhold all of the records that you have requested because all of the records are subject to a specific statutory exemption.  If all of the records are being withheld, we must send you a response in writing.  That writing must identify the volume and subject matter of the records being withheld, and state the specific section of the Code of Virginia that allows us to withhold the records.

3) We provide some of the records that you have requested, but withhold other records.  We cannot withhold an entire record if only a portion of it is subject to an exemption.  In that instance, we may redact the portion of the record that may be withheld, and must provide you with the remainder of the record.  We must provide you with a written response stating the specific section of the Code of Virginia that allows portions of the requested records to be withheld.

4) We inform you in writing that the requested records cannot be found or do not exist (we do not have the records you want).  However, if we know that another public body has the requested records, we must include contact information for the other public body in our response to you.

5) If it is practically impossible for Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office to respond to your request within the five-day period, we must state this in writing, explaining the conditions that make the response impossible.  This will allow us seven additional working days to respond to your request, giving us a total of 12 working days to respond to your request.

If you make a request for a very large number of records, and we feel that we cannot provide the records to you within 12 working days without disrupting our other organizational responsibilities, we may petition the court for additional time to respond to your request.  However, FOIA requires that we make a reasonable effort to reach an agreement with you concerning the production or the records before we go to court to ask for more time.

Costs

A public body may make reasonable charges not to exceed its actual cost incurred in accessing, duplicating, supplying, or searching for the requested records. No public body shall impose any extraneous, intermediary, or surplus fees or expenses to recoup the general costs associated with creating or maintaining records or transacting the general business of the public body. Any duplicating fee charged by a public body shall not exceed the actual cost of duplication. All charges for the supplying of requested records shall be estimated in advance at the request of the citizen as set forth in subsection F of § 2.2-3704 of the Code of Virginia.

You may have to pay for the records that you request from the Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office. FOIA allows us to charge for the actual costs of responding to FOIA requests.  This would include items as staff time spent searching for the requested records, copying costs, or any other costs directly related to supplying the requested records.  It cannot include general overhead costs.  The Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office charges $15/hr. for staff time for requests requiring more than one hour of staff time to fulfill.

If we estimate that it will cost more than $200 to respond to your request, we may require you to pay a deposit, not to exceed the amount of the estimate, before proceeding with your request.  The five days that we have to respond to your request does not include the time between when we ask for a deposit and when you respond.

You may request that we estimate in advance the charges for supplying the records that you have requested.  This will allow you to know about any costs upfront, or give you the opportunity to modify your request in an attempt to lower the estimated costs.

If you owe us money from a previous FOIA request that has remained unpaid for more than 30 days, the Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office may require payment of the past-due bill before it will respond to your new FOIA request.

Commonly used exemptions

The Code of Virginia allows any public body to withhold certain records from public disclosure.  Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office commonly withholds records subject to the following exemptions:

Crime Reports
Personnel records (§ 2.2-3705.1 (1) of the Code of Virginia)
Records subject to attorney-client privilege (§ 2.2-3705.1 (2)) or attorney work product (§ 2.2-3705.1 (3))
Vendor proprietary information (§ 2.2-3705.1 (6))
Records relating to the negotiation and award of a contract, prior to a contract being awarded (§ 2.2-3705.1 (12))

The Virginia Court System

For more information regarding the State of Virginia Court System please visit:
www.courts.state.va.us

Once a 9-1-1 call is received the appropriate agency is dispatched. Dispatchers must then follow the call through to its completion. This may include requests such as driver’s licenses inquiries by law enforcement or additional manpower for a fire. Dispatchers are tasked with accurately documenting all of the communications activities that are transmitted through the center.

With the volume of papers served by the Sheriff, it would be impossible for us to notify all parties after service has been made. However, the plaintiff may attach a self-addressed, stamped postcard if he wishes to be notified after service. A sample copy of the postcard has been provided.

Crash Reports Click Here

Yes.  The summons to jury service is an official court summons.  You are to complete the Jury Duty Questionnaire that accompanies the summons and return it to the Jury Coordinator in the Circuit Court Clerk’s Office within 48 hours of receiving the summons and form.  If you have questions about completing the form, please contact the Jury Coordinator by telephone at 434-591-1970.

We have what is called “E911” or Enhanced 911 capabilities at our center.  That means that our computer aided dispatch system has a link to the local telephone company’s computer. If you are calling from a ”land line” (a hard wired phone in your house or business, not a cell phone or VIOP phone used through your computer/internet), when the communications officer answers the phone, a computer display shows the billing name, address, and phone number of the telephone on the other end of the call.

No.  By default, the search results will show matches for any word within the phrase.  In this example, you would receive results for all web pages and documents that contained either the word alarm or the word permit or both.

In order to search on an exact phrase, enclose your search phrase in quotations.  The search results for "alarm permit" will show matches for that exact phrase.

The system stretches nearly 4 miles of the Route 250 / Route 15 corridor.  The service area stretches from Route 698, Memory Lane, east on Route 250 to Zion Crossroads, and south on Route 15 for a half mile. A map of the system can be viewed here.

Yes. The summons to jury service is an official court summons.  If you do not report, you could be held in contempt of court for failure to appear.

Yes.  You can get connected to 9-1-1, however, when you are connected through the operator, we do not get your address or phone number on our Enhanced 911 display.

The entire system will be constructed in three separate projects concurrently.  The water and sewer pipelines are being installed by Fluvanna-based A.G. Dillard, Inc.  The water booster pump station and wastewater pump station are being constructed by Sargent Corporation from Ashland, VA.  The elevated storage tank will be built by C&BI/McDermott out of Alpharetta, GA.

There are a couple of reasons. If the person to be served is a relative, we would have to go back to confirm the relative still doesn't live there. In this day and age, many children move back in with their parents or siblings, so we cannot assume the relative no longer lives there. While a deputy is assigned a specific area (sector) of the county to serve, he or she may not necessarily work exclusively in that sector. Deputies often cross zones to provide timely, efficient service, especially when their partner is off. Therefore, you may have told another deputy that the person he is seeking doesn't live there but the current deputy would have no knowledge of the conversation. We very much appreciate it when the resident/occupant calls to provide us with this information.

Yes, but you should be aware that cellular calls may not always be routed to the nearest 9-1-1 center. Also, make sure that you clearly state your location, because communications officers will not automatically have your address information.  Cell phones that have been disconnected may be used to dial 9-1-1.

(This would apply to, but is not limited to, the following: Bad Check warrants, Assault warrants, Trespass warrants, and Property Destruction warrants.)

Definition: A Misdemeanor is a minor crime (as opposed to a felony), which is punishable by fine or imprisonment in a city or county jail rather than in a penitentiary.

Process for Warrants: There are two main ways to go before the Magistrate to obtain a Misdemeanor Warrant. First, a citizen may go before the Magistrate at the Magistrate's Office. The office of the Magistrate who serves Fluvanna County is located at the Central Virginia Regional Jail, on Route 15, in Orange, Virginia. Second, a citizen may go before the Magistrate by way of video link from the Fluvanna County Sheriff's Office. Citizens may also call the Magistrates Office at 540-672-1087; however, warrants are not issued over the phone.

Process to Issue Arrest Warrants and Summonses

Step 1: Probable Cause
Before a Magistrate can issue an arrest warrant or summons in a criminal case, they must use discretion to decide if probably cause exists to issue a process. (Probable cause is a reasonable belief based on facts that would cause a prudent person to feel that the accused committed the offense.) To determine probable cause, the Magistrate must decide that there are facts logically indicating that the accused committed an offense, and that there is some basis for determining that the facts are reliable. 

Step 2: Sworn Statements
The facts are presented to the Magistrate in the form of sworn statements of a citizen or a law enforcement officer relating to the commission of an alleged offense. These statements are made under oath, and the Magistrate may require that they be reduced to writing in a criminal complaint form and signed.

Step 3: Issuing Warrants/Summonses
If the Magistrate finds that the facts support a probable cause finding, he or she then issues an arrest warrant or a summons. The Magistrate will issue a summons in lieu of an arrest warrant when the Magistrate believes the accused will appear in court as directed in the summons.

Arrests: In executing the summons, the law enforcement office does not arrest the accused. The accused, however, must appear in court at the time and place specified in the summons.

Your employer cannot fire, demote or otherwise penalize you for missing work while performing jury duty.  You should give your employer ample notice of your summons for jury duty.  You should also discuss with your employer the policy with regard to payment of your wages or salary while serving as a juror.

If any person break and enter a dwelling house while said dwelling is occupied, either in the day or nighttime, with the intent to commit any misdemeanor except assault and battery or trespass, he shall be guilty of a Class 6 felony. However, if the person was armed with a deadly weapon at the time of such entry, he shall be guilty of a Class 2 felony.
(Code 1950, § 18.1-88.1; 1968, c. 530; 1970, c. 381; 1975, cc. 14, 15; 1992, c. 486.)

Citizens summoned for petit jury service are summoned to report for a jury case beginning on a specific date.  While many of our jury cases are estimated to complete in a single day, we do occasionally have jury cases that are estimated to take more than 1 day to complete.  Prior to reporting, jurors must call the jury information line the evening before their assigned day to learn whether they need to appear.  If a juror does not need to appear it is possible that they may be resummoned during that two-month term of court.  

Once a juror has reported for service, he/she is not eligible under state law to serve as a petit (trial) juror again for a period of three calendar years.  This applies only to state circuit courts; citizens may still be eligible for jury service in a federal court.

A bond is a written promise that one will faithfully perform his/her duties as Executor or Administrator.  The bond is set at an amount greater than the estate value and is payable to the Commonwealth of Virginia. A bond issued on behalf of an estate ensures that the person appointed as Administrator or Executor properly administers the assets of the estate.  This, in turn, safeguards the interests of creditors, heirs, beneficiaries and the Commonwealth as their interests relate to the estate.  If neither the will nor Virginia law waive surety on a bond, surety will need to be posted on the bond.  Surety has the effect of insuring the bond, should it become payable.  Most often, surety or security is obtained through an insurance agent or bonding company.  The company must have the authority to execute bonds in this Court.  A premium proportionate to the value of the estate is paid to the agent or bonding company.

Work is to be completed between 7 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Contractors can work on Saturdays with advanced approval. No Sunday construction work is permitted.

If it is determined that surety on a bond is required, an insurance agent or bonding company should be contacted to act as surety.  This Clerk's Office can assist in locating and arranging surety when necessary. 

Residents should use caution when traveling the Route 250 corridor. Crews will be working along the route throughout the project. There is potential for minimal traffic changes and delays as the contractors progress through construction. Drivers should be alert in the area.

You should not use 9-1-1 if you are reporting anything that has occurred prior to the current time (like yesterday, days before, or even weeks before). You should not call 9-1-1 for information about weather or road conditions, power outages, directions, etc. 9-1-1 should only be used for only emergencies.

For questions about roads you can call VDOT at 1(800) FOR-ROAD or 1 (800) 367-7623 or go to their website at http://www.virginiadot.org/.

For power issues concerning Central VA Electric Cooperative you can contact them at 1 (800) 367-2832 or http://www.forcvec.com/.

for Dominion Virginia Power 1 (866) 366-4357 or https://www.dom.com.

For Rappahannock Electric Cooperative 1 (800) 552-3904 or http://www.myrec.coop.

Fpr Appalachian Power 1 (800) 956-4237 or https://www.appalachianpower.com.

Any person who (i) commits larceny from the person of another of money or other thing of value of $5 or more, (ii) commits simple larceny not from the person of another of goods and chattels of the value of $200 or more, or (iii) commits simple larceny not from the person of another of any firearm, regardless of the firearm's value, shall be guilty of grand larceny, punishable by imprisonment in a state correctional facility for not less than one nor more than twenty years or, in the discretion of the jury or court trying the case without a jury, be confined in jail for a period not exceeding twelve months or fined not more than $2,500, either or both. 
(Code 1950, § 18.1-100; 1960, c. 358; 1966, c. 247; 1975, cc. 14, 15, 603; 1980, c. 175; 1991, c. 710; 1992, c. 822; 1998, c. 821.)

Every Sheriff should have a directory of all Sheriff's in the United States. You could contact your local sheriff either by phone or by E-mail and request the address for that jurisdiction. Or via the Internet, contact the National Sheriffs' Association at http://www.sheriffs.org or write to 1450 Duke Street, Alexandria, Virginia, 22314-3490 703/836/7827. For locating Virginia Sheriff's, you can contact the Virginia Sheriff's Association at http://www.virginiasheriffs.org or by writing to 701 East Franklin Street, Suite 706, Richmond, Virginia 23219 Phone(804) 225-7152 Fax(804) 225-7162

There may be skilled and unskilled opportunities for Fluvanna residents. Each contractor handles its own hiring. As the County becomes aware of job opportunities, the County will publicize them.

The morning that you arrive for jury duty you will attend an orientation that will explain your role as juror and the trial process.  In addition, a staff member will take attendance, provide additional information and answer any questions you might have.

If you suspect that you are either the victim of a fraud, a scam, or that you have received an email that seems fraudulent then you can go to several different websites to report such.  The first website you may visit is the National Consumers League's Fraud Center at fraud.org. The second website you can visit is the Federal Trade Commission at ftc.gov.  The third website you can visit and report the potential fraud to is the Internet Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov/default.aspx.

If any person buy or receive from another person, or aid in concealing, any stolen goods or other thing, knowing the same to have been stolen, he shall be deemed guilty of larceny thereof, and may be proceeded against, although the principal offender be not convicted. 
(Code 1950, § 18.1-107; 1960, c. 358; 1975, cc. 14, 15.)

Administrator: the person appointed by, and qualified before, the Clerk to administer the decedent’s estate when the decedent has no will or has a will that does not name an executor or all executors named decline to serve.

Beneficiary: a person or entity entitled to receive a portion of the estate.

Bond: a written promise, recorded in the Clerk’s Office, by the administrator to perform his or her obligations and duties.

Certificate of Qualification: the written document created by the Clerk, under seal, at the time the personal representative qualifies to administer the estate. Sometimes referred to as "letters testamentary."

Clerk or Clerk’s Office: the Clerk of the Circuit Court that has jurisdiction to probate the will and appoint the administrator or executor of the estate.

Commissioner of Accounts: the person appointed by the Court to oversee the reports and activities of personal representatives.

Court: the Circuit Court that has jurisdiction to probate wills and to qualify administrators and executors.

Creditor: a person or organization owed money by the decedent.

Decedent: the deceased person.

Estate: the decedent’s property, including real estate, personal property and any other assets owned or controlled by the decedent at the time of his or her death.

Executor: the person named in the decedent’s will to administer the estate who accepts appointment by qualifying before the Clerk.

Fiduciary: a person in a position of trust with respect to another’s property; a general term used to refer to executor, administrator or trustee.

Heirs/Heirs at Law: the persons who would inherit the decedent’s estate if the decedent died intestate, as determined by law at the time of the decedent’s death.

Intestate: dying without a will.

Intestate Succession: the order in which family members are to inherit property from a decedent who dies intestate, as set forth at Virginia Code Sections 64.2-200 and 64.2-201.

Inventory: the list or schedule describing the decedent’s assets over which the personal representative has authority. (Clerk will provide a printed form.)

Legatee: a person who may inherit property under a will; a more technical name for beneficiary.

Notice of Probate: the required notice of certain information given to beneficiaries and heirs. (Clerk will provide a printed form.)

Personal Representative: a term used to mean either the executor or the administrator of the estate, as the context requires.

Probate: the procedure whereby a will is admitted to record in the Clerk’s Office; the process of qualifying a person as executor or administrator of an estate; also sometimes used generally to refer to the entire process of administering an estate.

Qualification: the procedure whereby a person is appointed by the Clerk to serve as executor or administrator of a decedent’s estate.

Self-Proving Affidavit: an affidavit, given under oath, by the testator and witnesses, and notarized, that proves the Will was signed and witnessed in accordance with Virginia law.

Testate: dying with a will.

Testator: a person who makes a will.

Will: a written document that directs how, when, and to whom the Testator wants his or her property distributed after death.

You should wear comfortable, but appropriate attire. Dress code is business casual.  Casual clothes such as shorts, tank tops, jeans, and halter-tops are not appropriate.  Your clothing should be neat and clean. Please keep in mind that the temperature in courtroom varies, so please plan accordingly.

The County will utilize a combination of debt financing and cash savings to pay for the project.  The County used $8.5 million in debt proceeds to pay for the two-thirds of the project.  An additional $3.13 million will be paid from cash savings.

Fluvanna County Circuit Court

72 Main Street, Post Office Box 550

Palmyra, VA  22963

(434) 591-1970

The attorneys involved in a trial have provided the Court with an estimate of the amount of time they expect will be required to complete the trial.  It is not possible to predict exactly how long a trial will last as one of the largest variables is how long it will take for the jury to reach a unanimous agreement.  You will be given a lunch break and possibly a mid-morning and/or mid-afternoon break as well.  If you find that you need a break at another time, please notify the bailiff (the Sheriff’s deputy at the front of the courtroom).  If you have late afternoon or early evening responsibilities, it is recommended that you have an alternate in place to cover these responsibilities.

The laws relating to service of process are specific. If the person to be served is a party to the suit, they must be served in person at a business. Additionally, it may be a process which requires personal service, regardless of where it is served, and service at our office may be more convenient to the individual being served.

Connection and usage fees have not been determined yet.  The Board will ultimately set those fees at an advertised public hearing.

If the process indicates the debtor does not have to appear in court, the debtor may elect to pay the debt and forego going to court. However, the debtor takes a risk in doing so. If for some reason the payment gets lost and debtor fails to appear in court, judgment will be obtained by default. It is more difficult to reverse a judgment than it is to simply appear in court to ensure the debtor's rights are protected. For this reason, all deputies will encourage a person to appear in court when requested to do so.

There are several remedies available to both the tenant and the landlord. Therefore, it is suggested each party seeks the advice of an attorney. From the Sheriff's perspective, however, once the Writ has been placed in his hand, it is considered a valid writ and the eviction can take place, even if the rent has been paid. Of course, those remedies mentioned could stop an eviction from proceeding.

Filing of bankruptcy stops all civil actions against the tenant. This includes the eviction process because the debtor's estate, personal or real, is protected by the bankruptcy court. In order for the landlord to go forward with the eviction, he must obtain from the bankruptcy court, an order granting relief from stay. Without this, the Sheriff will not evict.

Any citizen who is 70 years or older may choose not to serve jury duty under the statutory exemption provided.  You will need to complete the Jury Questionnaire and return it by the date requested.  Please include your date of birth, note that you are 70 years old or older and do not wish to serve.  Please follow up with the Jury Coordinator at 434-591-1970 to ensure we have received your request.   

It is important to understand that the Sheriff is not the only person who serves processes. Private process servers are also permitted to serve process. However, if you should find a process on your door for someone who doesn't live there, regardless of who may have served it, call our office at 589-8211 and we may send a deputy to pick it up. When calling us we will need some information, such as who you are, the address where the process was left, if you are related to the person to be served, if there is any forwarding address or phone number, and how long ago the person moved away.

Virginia Code § 8.01-341 provides a list of those who are exempt from serving jury duty.  Virginia Code § 8.01-341.1 provides a list of persons who may serve on juries in civil and criminal cases but who shall be exempt from jury service upon their request.  If you believe you qualify as exempt from jury service under either of these statutes, you will need to complete the Jury Questionnaire and return it by the date requested.  Please include a detailed description of your situation and the exemption you believe applies to your situation.  Please follow up with the Jury Coordinator at 434-591-1970 to ensure we have received your request. 

Unless there is a specifically worded order in the Sheriff's hands directing him to take custody of a child, he will not. Any custody order obtained in another state other than Virginia is not recognized here and must be filed with a Virginia Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court to ensure the foreign order complies with Virginia law.

Once the Writ has been issued, the Sheriff has the authority to use force to execute the order. It is not necessary that you be there; simply have someone available to let the Sheriff and the furniture company in to confirm what you have told him. This should stop repeated contact from the furniture company.

A Grand Juror must have been a resident of Virginia for at least one year and a citizen of Fluvanna for at least six months, and must be "eighteen years of age or older, of honesty, intelligence and good demeanor and suitable in all respects to serve" as a Grand Juror.

Non-residents are welcome to sign up for any and all classes.

The Fluvanna Community Center is located at 5725 James Madison Highway, Fork Union, VA 23055.  Click here for directions and a map showing our office location.

The Pleasant Grove House Museum & Welcome Center is located at 271 Pleasant Grove Drive, Palmyra, VA 22963. Click here for directions and a map showing our office location.

Please click here to view our Community Partners page with more contact information for other county facilities.

Click Here to see what parks and facilities you can visit and take advantage of.

The Dog Park at Pleasant Grove is located at the Eastern Trailhead entrance, which is 108 Thomas Jefferson Parkway, Palmyra, VA 22963

Fluvanna County Parks and Recreation coordinates youth flag football in the Fall and youth basketball in the Winter.  Please  click here for a list of additional youth sports in the county for your son or daughter.

Yes.  The website indexes web pages as well as PDFs, Microsoft Office documents, and text documents.

Virginia Freedom of Information Act

 The Rights of Requesters and the Responsibilities of Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office  under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act

The Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office is the custodian of records for the following managed areas of the agency: 

Patrol
Investigations
Civil Process
Emergency Communication Center
Animal Control

Requests for records

To request records from The Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office Sheriff’s Office, or if you are uncertain of whom you should request records, please contact the Sheriff's Office: 

Phone: (434) 589-8211 Online: FOIA Request Email: to Foia@fluvannasheriff.com Fax: 434-591-2006 Printable Form: Click Here.  U.S. Mail: FOIA Request, Attn: FOIA, PO Box  113, Palmyra, VA 22963 In Person: 160 Commons Blvd, Palmyra, VA 22963, Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office Sheriff’s Office

You may contact a FOIA Officer with questions you have concerning requesting records from the Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office. In addition, the Freedom of Information Advisory Council is available to answer any questions you may have about FOIA.  The Council may be contacted by e-mail at foiacouncil@dls.virginia.gov or by phone at (804) 225-3056 or [toll-free] 1-866-448-4100.

The Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), located § 2.2-3700 et seq. of the Code of Virginia, guarantees citizens of the Commonwealth and representatives of the media access to public records held by public bodies, public officials, and public employees.

A public record is any writing or recording -- regardless of whether it is a paper record, an electronic file, an audio or video recording, or any other format -- that is prepared or owned by, or in the possession of a public body or its officers, employees or agents in the transaction of public business.  All public records are presumed to be open, and may only be withheld if a specific, statutory exemption applies.

The policy of FOIA states that the purpose of FOIA is to promote an increased awareness by all persons of governmental activities.  In furthering this policy, FOIA requires that the law be interpreted liberally, in favor of access, and that any exemption allowing public records to be withheld must be interpreted narrowly.

Your FOIA Rights

You have the right to request to inspect or receive copies of public records, or both. • You have the right to request that any charges for the requested records be estimated in advance.  • If you believe that your FOIA rights have been violated, you may file a petition in district or circuit court to compel compliance with FOIA.  Alternatively, you may contact the FOIA Council for a nonbinding advisory opinion.

Making a Request for Records from the Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office

You may request records by U.S. Mail, fax, e-mail, in person, or over the phone.  FOIA does not require that your request be in writing, nor do you need to specifically state that you are requesting records under FOIA.

From a practical perspective, it may be helpful to both you and the person receiving your request to put your request in writing.  This allows you to create a record of your request.  It also gives us a clear statement of what records you are requesting, so that there is no misunderstanding over a verbal request.  However, we cannot refuse to respond to your FOIA request if you elect to not put it in writing.

Your request must identify the records you are seeking with "reasonable specificity."  This is a commonsense standard.  It does not refer to or limit the volume or number of records that you are requesting; instead, it requires that you be specific enough so that we can identify and locate the records that you are seeking.

Your request must ask for existing records or documents.  FOIA gives you a right to inspect or copy records; it does not apply to a situation where you are asking general questions about the work of the Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office, nor does it require the Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office to create a record that does not exist.

You may choose to receive electronic records in any format used by the Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office in the regular course of business. For example, if you are requesting records maintained in an Excel database, you may elect to receive those records electronically, via e-mail, or on a computer disk, or to receive a printed copy of those records

If we have questions about your request, please cooperate with the staff's efforts to clarify the type of records that you are seeking, or to attempt to reach a reasonable agreement about a response to a large request.  Making a FOIA request is not an adversarial process, but we may need to discuss your request with you to ensure that we understand what records you are seeking. 

Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office's Responsibilities in Responding to Your Request

The Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office must respond to your request within five working days of receiving it.  "Day One" is considered the day after your request is received.  The five-day period does not include weekends or holidays.

The reason behind your request for public records from Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office is irrelevant, and you do not have to state why you want the records before we respond to your request.  FOIA does, however, allow the Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office to require you to provide your name and legal address.

FOIA requires that the Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office make one of the following responses to your request within the five-day time period:

1) We provide you with the records that you have requested in their entirety.

2) We withhold all of the records that you have requested because all of the records are subject to a specific statutory exemption.  If all of the records are being withheld, we must send you a response in writing.  That writing must identify the volume and subject matter of the records being withheld, and state the specific section of the Code of Virginia that allows us to withhold the records.

3) We provide some of the records that you have requested, but withhold other records.  We cannot withhold an entire record if only a portion of it is subject to an exemption.  In that instance, we may redact the portion of the record that may be withheld, and must provide you with the remainder of the record.  We must provide you with a written response stating the specific section of the Code of Virginia that allows portions of the requested records to be withheld.

4) We inform you in writing that the requested records cannot be found or do not exist (we do not have the records you want).  However, if we know that another public body has the requested records, we must include contact information for the other public body in our response to you.

5) If it is practically impossible for Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office to respond to your request within the five-day period, we must state this in writing, explaining the conditions that make the response impossible.  This will allow us seven additional working days to respond to your request, giving us a total of 12 working days to respond to your request.

If you make a request for a very large number of records, and we feel that we cannot provide the records to you within 12 working days without disrupting our other organizational responsibilities, we may petition the court for additional time to respond to your request.  However, FOIA requires that we make a reasonable effort to reach an agreement with you concerning the production or the records before we go to court to ask for more time.

Costs

A public body may make reasonable charges not to exceed its actual cost incurred in accessing, duplicating, supplying, or searching for the requested records. No public body shall impose any extraneous, intermediary, or surplus fees or expenses to recoup the general costs associated with creating or maintaining records or transacting the general business of the public body. Any duplicating fee charged by a public body shall not exceed the actual cost of duplication. All charges for the supplying of requested records shall be estimated in advance at the request of the citizen as set forth in subsection F of § 2.2-3704 of the Code of Virginia.

You may have to pay for the records that you request from the Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office. FOIA allows us to charge for the actual costs of responding to FOIA requests.  This would include items as staff time spent searching for the requested records, copying costs, or any other costs directly related to supplying the requested records.  It cannot include general overhead costs.  The Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office charges $15/hr. for staff time for requests requiring more than one hour of staff time to fulfill.

If we estimate that it will cost more than $200 to respond to your request, we may require you to pay a deposit, not to exceed the amount of the estimate, before proceeding with your request.  The five days that we have to respond to your request does not include the time between when we ask for a deposit and when you respond.

You may request that we estimate in advance the charges for supplying the records that you have requested.  This will allow you to know about any costs upfront, or give you the opportunity to modify your request in an attempt to lower the estimated costs.

If you owe us money from a previous FOIA request that has remained unpaid for more than 30 days, the Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office may require payment of the past-due bill before it will respond to your new FOIA request.

Commonly used exemptions

The Code of Virginia allows any public body to withhold certain records from public disclosure.  Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office commonly withholds records subject to the following exemptions:

Crime Reports
Personnel records (§ 2.2-3705.1 (1) of the Code of Virginia)
Records subject to attorney-client privilege (§ 2.2-3705.1 (2)) or attorney work product (§ 2.2-3705.1 (3))
Vendor proprietary information (§ 2.2-3705.1 (6))
Records relating to the negotiation and award of a contract, prior to a contract being awarded (§ 2.2-3705.1 (12))

The Virginia Court System

For more information regarding the State of Virginia Court System please visit:
www.courts.state.va.us

Once a 9-1-1 call is received the appropriate agency is dispatched. Dispatchers must then follow the call through to its completion. This may include requests such as driver’s licenses inquiries by law enforcement or additional manpower for a fire. Dispatchers are tasked with accurately documenting all of the communications activities that are transmitted through the center.

With the volume of papers served by the Sheriff, it would be impossible for us to notify all parties after service has been made. However, the plaintiff may attach a self-addressed, stamped postcard if he wishes to be notified after service. A sample copy of the postcard has been provided.

Crash Reports Click Here

Yes.  The summons to jury service is an official court summons.  You are to complete the Jury Duty Questionnaire that accompanies the summons and return it to the Jury Coordinator in the Circuit Court Clerk’s Office within 48 hours of receiving the summons and form.  If you have questions about completing the form, please contact the Jury Coordinator by telephone at 434-591-1970.

We have what is called “E911” or Enhanced 911 capabilities at our center.  That means that our computer aided dispatch system has a link to the local telephone company’s computer. If you are calling from a ”land line” (a hard wired phone in your house or business, not a cell phone or VIOP phone used through your computer/internet), when the communications officer answers the phone, a computer display shows the billing name, address, and phone number of the telephone on the other end of the call.

No.  By default, the search results will show matches for any word within the phrase.  In this example, you would receive results for all web pages and documents that contained either the word alarm or the word permit or both.

In order to search on an exact phrase, enclose your search phrase in quotations.  The search results for "alarm permit" will show matches for that exact phrase.

The system stretches nearly 4 miles of the Route 250 / Route 15 corridor.  The service area stretches from Route 698, Memory Lane, east on Route 250 to Zion Crossroads, and south on Route 15 for a half mile. A map of the system can be viewed here.

Yes. The summons to jury service is an official court summons.  If you do not report, you could be held in contempt of court for failure to appear.

Yes.  You can get connected to 9-1-1, however, when you are connected through the operator, we do not get your address or phone number on our Enhanced 911 display.

The entire system will be constructed in three separate projects concurrently.  The water and sewer pipelines are being installed by Fluvanna-based A.G. Dillard, Inc.  The water booster pump station and wastewater pump station are being constructed by Sargent Corporation from Ashland, VA.  The elevated storage tank will be built by C&BI/McDermott out of Alpharetta, GA.

There are a couple of reasons. If the person to be served is a relative, we would have to go back to confirm the relative still doesn't live there. In this day and age, many children move back in with their parents or siblings, so we cannot assume the relative no longer lives there. While a deputy is assigned a specific area (sector) of the county to serve, he or she may not necessarily work exclusively in that sector. Deputies often cross zones to provide timely, efficient service, especially when their partner is off. Therefore, you may have told another deputy that the person he is seeking doesn't live there but the current deputy would have no knowledge of the conversation. We very much appreciate it when the resident/occupant calls to provide us with this information.

Yes, but you should be aware that cellular calls may not always be routed to the nearest 9-1-1 center. Also, make sure that you clearly state your location, because communications officers will not automatically have your address information.  Cell phones that have been disconnected may be used to dial 9-1-1.

(This would apply to, but is not limited to, the following: Bad Check warrants, Assault warrants, Trespass warrants, and Property Destruction warrants.)

Definition: A Misdemeanor is a minor crime (as opposed to a felony), which is punishable by fine or imprisonment in a city or county jail rather than in a penitentiary.

Process for Warrants: There are two main ways to go before the Magistrate to obtain a Misdemeanor Warrant. First, a citizen may go before the Magistrate at the Magistrate's Office. The office of the Magistrate who serves Fluvanna County is located at the Central Virginia Regional Jail, on Route 15, in Orange, Virginia. Second, a citizen may go before the Magistrate by way of video link from the Fluvanna County Sheriff's Office. Citizens may also call the Magistrates Office at 540-672-1087; however, warrants are not issued over the phone.

Process to Issue Arrest Warrants and Summonses

Step 1: Probable Cause
Before a Magistrate can issue an arrest warrant or summons in a criminal case, they must use discretion to decide if probably cause exists to issue a process. (Probable cause is a reasonable belief based on facts that would cause a prudent person to feel that the accused committed the offense.) To determine probable cause, the Magistrate must decide that there are facts logically indicating that the accused committed an offense, and that there is some basis for determining that the facts are reliable. 

Step 2: Sworn Statements
The facts are presented to the Magistrate in the form of sworn statements of a citizen or a law enforcement officer relating to the commission of an alleged offense. These statements are made under oath, and the Magistrate may require that they be reduced to writing in a criminal complaint form and signed.

Step 3: Issuing Warrants/Summonses
If the Magistrate finds that the facts support a probable cause finding, he or she then issues an arrest warrant or a summons. The Magistrate will issue a summons in lieu of an arrest warrant when the Magistrate believes the accused will appear in court as directed in the summons.

Arrests: In executing the summons, the law enforcement office does not arrest the accused. The accused, however, must appear in court at the time and place specified in the summons.

Your employer cannot fire, demote or otherwise penalize you for missing work while performing jury duty.  You should give your employer ample notice of your summons for jury duty.  You should also discuss with your employer the policy with regard to payment of your wages or salary while serving as a juror.

If any person break and enter a dwelling house while said dwelling is occupied, either in the day or nighttime, with the intent to commit any misdemeanor except assault and battery or trespass, he shall be guilty of a Class 6 felony. However, if the person was armed with a deadly weapon at the time of such entry, he shall be guilty of a Class 2 felony.
(Code 1950, § 18.1-88.1; 1968, c. 530; 1970, c. 381; 1975, cc. 14, 15; 1992, c. 486.)

Citizens summoned for petit jury service are summoned to report for a jury case beginning on a specific date.  While many of our jury cases are estimated to complete in a single day, we do occasionally have jury cases that are estimated to take more than 1 day to complete.  Prior to reporting, jurors must call the jury information line the evening before their assigned day to learn whether they need to appear.  If a juror does not need to appear it is possible that they may be resummoned during that two-month term of court.  

Once a juror has reported for service, he/she is not eligible under state law to serve as a petit (trial) juror again for a period of three calendar years.  This applies only to state circuit courts; citizens may still be eligible for jury service in a federal court.

A bond is a written promise that one will faithfully perform his/her duties as Executor or Administrator.  The bond is set at an amount greater than the estate value and is payable to the Commonwealth of Virginia. A bond issued on behalf of an estate ensures that the person appointed as Administrator or Executor properly administers the assets of the estate.  This, in turn, safeguards the interests of creditors, heirs, beneficiaries and the Commonwealth as their interests relate to the estate.  If neither the will nor Virginia law waive surety on a bond, surety will need to be posted on the bond.  Surety has the effect of insuring the bond, should it become payable.  Most often, surety or security is obtained through an insurance agent or bonding company.  The company must have the authority to execute bonds in this Court.  A premium proportionate to the value of the estate is paid to the agent or bonding company.

Work is to be completed between 7 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Contractors can work on Saturdays with advanced approval. No Sunday construction work is permitted.

If it is determined that surety on a bond is required, an insurance agent or bonding company should be contacted to act as surety.  This Clerk's Office can assist in locating and arranging surety when necessary. 

Residents should use caution when traveling the Route 250 corridor. Crews will be working along the route throughout the project. There is potential for minimal traffic changes and delays as the contractors progress through construction. Drivers should be alert in the area.

You should not use 9-1-1 if you are reporting anything that has occurred prior to the current time (like yesterday, days before, or even weeks before). You should not call 9-1-1 for information about weather or road conditions, power outages, directions, etc. 9-1-1 should only be used for only emergencies.

For questions about roads you can call VDOT at 1(800) FOR-ROAD or 1 (800) 367-7623 or go to their website at http://www.virginiadot.org/.

For power issues concerning Central VA Electric Cooperative you can contact them at 1 (800) 367-2832 or http://www.forcvec.com/.

for Dominion Virginia Power 1 (866) 366-4357 or https://www.dom.com.

For Rappahannock Electric Cooperative 1 (800) 552-3904 or http://www.myrec.coop.

Fpr Appalachian Power 1 (800) 956-4237 or https://www.appalachianpower.com.

Any person who (i) commits larceny from the person of another of money or other thing of value of $5 or more, (ii) commits simple larceny not from the person of another of goods and chattels of the value of $200 or more, or (iii) commits simple larceny not from the person of another of any firearm, regardless of the firearm's value, shall be guilty of grand larceny, punishable by imprisonment in a state correctional facility for not less than one nor more than twenty years or, in the discretion of the jury or court trying the case without a jury, be confined in jail for a period not exceeding twelve months or fined not more than $2,500, either or both. 
(Code 1950, § 18.1-100; 1960, c. 358; 1966, c. 247; 1975, cc. 14, 15, 603; 1980, c. 175; 1991, c. 710; 1992, c. 822; 1998, c. 821.)

Every Sheriff should have a directory of all Sheriff's in the United States. You could contact your local sheriff either by phone or by E-mail and request the address for that jurisdiction. Or via the Internet, contact the National Sheriffs' Association at http://www.sheriffs.org or write to 1450 Duke Street, Alexandria, Virginia, 22314-3490 703/836/7827. For locating Virginia Sheriff's, you can contact the Virginia Sheriff's Association at http://www.virginiasheriffs.org or by writing to 701 East Franklin Street, Suite 706, Richmond, Virginia 23219 Phone(804) 225-7152 Fax(804) 225-7162

There may be skilled and unskilled opportunities for Fluvanna residents. Each contractor handles its own hiring. As the County becomes aware of job opportunities, the County will publicize them.

The morning that you arrive for jury duty you will attend an orientation that will explain your role as juror and the trial process.  In addition, a staff member will take attendance, provide additional information and answer any questions you might have.

If you suspect that you are either the victim of a fraud, a scam, or that you have received an email that seems fraudulent then you can go to several different websites to report such.  The first website you may visit is the National Consumers League's Fraud Center at fraud.org. The second website you can visit is the Federal Trade Commission at ftc.gov.  The third website you can visit and report the potential fraud to is the Internet Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov/default.aspx.

If any person buy or receive from another person, or aid in concealing, any stolen goods or other thing, knowing the same to have been stolen, he shall be deemed guilty of larceny thereof, and may be proceeded against, although the principal offender be not convicted. 
(Code 1950, § 18.1-107; 1960, c. 358; 1975, cc. 14, 15.)

Administrator: the person appointed by, and qualified before, the Clerk to administer the decedent’s estate when the decedent has no will or has a will that does not name an executor or all executors named decline to serve.

Beneficiary: a person or entity entitled to receive a portion of the estate.

Bond: a written promise, recorded in the Clerk’s Office, by the administrator to perform his or her obligations and duties.

Certificate of Qualification: the written document created by the Clerk, under seal, at the time the personal representative qualifies to administer the estate. Sometimes referred to as "letters testamentary."

Clerk or Clerk’s Office: the Clerk of the Circuit Court that has jurisdiction to probate the will and appoint the administrator or executor of the estate.

Commissioner of Accounts: the person appointed by the Court to oversee the reports and activities of personal representatives.

Court: the Circuit Court that has jurisdiction to probate wills and to qualify administrators and executors.

Creditor: a person or organization owed money by the decedent.

Decedent: the deceased person.

Estate: the decedent’s property, including real estate, personal property and any other assets owned or controlled by the decedent at the time of his or her death.

Executor: the person named in the decedent’s will to administer the estate who accepts appointment by qualifying before the Clerk.

Fiduciary: a person in a position of trust with respect to another’s property; a general term used to refer to executor, administrator or trustee.

Heirs/Heirs at Law: the persons who would inherit the decedent’s estate if the decedent died intestate, as determined by law at the time of the decedent’s death.

Intestate: dying without a will.

Intestate Succession: the order in which family members are to inherit property from a decedent who dies intestate, as set forth at Virginia Code Sections 64.2-200 and 64.2-201.

Inventory: the list or schedule describing the decedent’s assets over which the personal representative has authority. (Clerk will provide a printed form.)

Legatee: a person who may inherit property under a will; a more technical name for beneficiary.

Notice of Probate: the required notice of certain information given to beneficiaries and heirs. (Clerk will provide a printed form.)

Personal Representative: a term used to mean either the executor or the administrator of the estate, as the context requires.

Probate: the procedure whereby a will is admitted to record in the Clerk’s Office; the process of qualifying a person as executor or administrator of an estate; also sometimes used generally to refer to the entire process of administering an estate.

Qualification: the procedure whereby a person is appointed by the Clerk to serve as executor or administrator of a decedent’s estate.

Self-Proving Affidavit: an affidavit, given under oath, by the testator and witnesses, and notarized, that proves the Will was signed and witnessed in accordance with Virginia law.

Testate: dying with a will.

Testator: a person who makes a will.

Will: a written document that directs how, when, and to whom the Testator wants his or her property distributed after death.

You should wear comfortable, but appropriate attire. Dress code is business casual.  Casual clothes such as shorts, tank tops, jeans, and halter-tops are not appropriate.  Your clothing should be neat and clean. Please keep in mind that the temperature in courtroom varies, so please plan accordingly.

The County will utilize a combination of debt financing and cash savings to pay for the project.  The County used $8.5 million in debt proceeds to pay for the two-thirds of the project.  An additional $3.13 million will be paid from cash savings.

Fluvanna County Circuit Court

72 Main Street, Post Office Box 550

Palmyra, VA  22963

(434) 591-1970

The attorneys involved in a trial have provided the Court with an estimate of the amount of time they expect will be required to complete the trial.  It is not possible to predict exactly how long a trial will last as one of the largest variables is how long it will take for the jury to reach a unanimous agreement.  You will be given a lunch break and possibly a mid-morning and/or mid-afternoon break as well.  If you find that you need a break at another time, please notify the bailiff (the Sheriff’s deputy at the front of the courtroom).  If you have late afternoon or early evening responsibilities, it is recommended that you have an alternate in place to cover these responsibilities.

The laws relating to service of process are specific. If the person to be served is a party to the suit, they must be served in person at a business. Additionally, it may be a process which requires personal service, regardless of where it is served, and service at our office may be more convenient to the individual being served.

Connection and usage fees have not been determined yet.  The Board will ultimately set those fees at an advertised public hearing.

If the process indicates the debtor does not have to appear in court, the debtor may elect to pay the debt and forego going to court. However, the debtor takes a risk in doing so. If for some reason the payment gets lost and debtor fails to appear in court, judgment will be obtained by default. It is more difficult to reverse a judgment than it is to simply appear in court to ensure the debtor's rights are protected. For this reason, all deputies will encourage a person to appear in court when requested to do so.

There are several remedies available to both the tenant and the landlord. Therefore, it is suggested each party seeks the advice of an attorney. From the Sheriff's perspective, however, once the Writ has been placed in his hand, it is considered a valid writ and the eviction can take place, even if the rent has been paid. Of course, those remedies mentioned could stop an eviction from proceeding.

Filing of bankruptcy stops all civil actions against the tenant. This includes the eviction process because the debtor's estate, personal or real, is protected by the bankruptcy court. In order for the landlord to go forward with the eviction, he must obtain from the bankruptcy court, an order granting relief from stay. Without this, the Sheriff will not evict.

Any citizen who is 70 years or older may choose not to serve jury duty under the statutory exemption provided.  You will need to complete the Jury Questionnaire and return it by the date requested.  Please include your date of birth, note that you are 70 years old or older and do not wish to serve.  Please follow up with the Jury Coordinator at 434-591-1970 to ensure we have received your request.   

It is important to understand that the Sheriff is not the only person who serves processes. Private process servers are also permitted to serve process. However, if you should find a process on your door for someone who doesn't live there, regardless of who may have served it, call our office at 589-8211 and we may send a deputy to pick it up. When calling us we will need some information, such as who you are, the address where the process was left, if you are related to the person to be served, if there is any forwarding address or phone number, and how long ago the person moved away.

Virginia Code § 8.01-341 provides a list of those who are exempt from serving jury duty.  Virginia Code § 8.01-341.1 provides a list of persons who may serve on juries in civil and criminal cases but who shall be exempt from jury service upon their request.  If you believe you qualify as exempt from jury service under either of these statutes, you will need to complete the Jury Questionnaire and return it by the date requested.  Please include a detailed description of your situation and the exemption you believe applies to your situation.  Please follow up with the Jury Coordinator at 434-591-1970 to ensure we have received your request. 

Unless there is a specifically worded order in the Sheriff's hands directing him to take custody of a child, he will not. Any custody order obtained in another state other than Virginia is not recognized here and must be filed with a Virginia Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court to ensure the foreign order complies with Virginia law.

Once the Writ has been issued, the Sheriff has the authority to use force to execute the order. It is not necessary that you be there; simply have someone available to let the Sheriff and the furniture company in to confirm what you have told him. This should stop repeated contact from the furniture company.