Henrico General District Court is in the Courts Building at 4309 East Parham Road, Henrico, VA 23228, on the county government campus at Parham Road and Hungary Spring Road.

• Mailing address: P.O. Box 90775, Henrico, VA 23273-0775
• Criminal and Traffic Division: (804) 501-4723
• Civil Division: (804) 501-4727
• Fax (Criminal/Traffic): (804) 501-7388
• Clerk’s office hours: Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The criminal and traffic docket runs Tuesday through Thursday at 9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., and 11:30 a.m. A separate Traffic Safety Docket meets the 1st, 2nd, and 4th Mondays at 11:00 a.m., and county cases are heard Fridays at 9:00 a.m.

The date and time printed on your summons is what controls. Schedules change, so confirm with the clerk rather than relying on any published list including this one.

On continuances, Henrico is strict. There is no clerk continuance here. Continuances are considered by the judge on motion, or on agreement of the Commonwealth’s Attorney and the defendant. You cannot call the clerk and move your date, which is how it works in several neighboring counties.

The Circuit Court, which handles felony trials, jury trials, and appeals from General District Court, is in the same Courthouse Building with its own clerk at (804) 501-4202.

Yes. Reckless driving is a Class 1 misdemeanor, not a traffic ticket. Under Va. Code § 46.2-862, you are charged with it at 20 mph or more over the posted limit, or any speed in excess of 85 mph regardless of the limit.

Penalties on conviction:

• Up to 12 months in jail
• Fine up to $2,500
• 6 DMV demerit points
• Lasting criminal record that appears on employment and background checks
• License suspension of 60 days to six months, at the court’s discretion under Va. Code § 46.2-393
• It cannot be prepaid. The case requires a court appearance.

On getting it off your record. Expungement in Virginia is generally available only for charges that did not result in a conviction. A conviction is a different matter, and Virginia’s record sealing process is separate, with its own eligibility rules and waiting periods. This is worth asking about specifically rather than assuming either way.

Two different record clocks. The demerit points stay active for 2 years from the date of the offense. The conviction itself stays on your Virginia driving record for 11 years.

Why this matters more in Henrico than most places. The county has large federal, healthcare, and education workforces where a criminal conviction affects hiring, credentialing, and clearance eligibility. A reduction to improper driving, which is a traffic infraction, avoids the criminal record entirely.

New as of July 1, 2026: on a reckless driving by speed conviction, the court may order enrollment in Virginia’s Intelligent Speed Assistance Program instead of suspending your license. That means a speed-limiting device on any vehicle you own or operate, at your expense, for 60 days to six months. Over 100 mph, the court must order it unless it suspends your license instead.

Henrico wraps around Richmond on three sides, and every major corridor into the city crosses it:

• Interstate 64, particularly through Short Pump, where interchange density and merging traffic draw enforcement
• Interstate 95 and Interstate 295, both posted at 70 through the county
• Broad Street (Route 250), running the width of the county from the Richmond line west to Short Pump, with posted limits that change repeatedly as it moves through commercial districts
• Parham Road, where the limit shifts between 35 and 55 mph along its length

On the interstates, the second number is what catches people. At a posted 70, the 20-over line is 90 mph, but the 85 mph rule arrives first. At 86 mph you are charged with a criminal offense while doing 16 over the limit.

On Broad Street and Parham Road, the first number is the trap. Where the limit drops to 35, the reckless threshold drops to 55. A driver carrying speed from one segment into the next is not slightly over. They are across a criminal line.

It can, and Henrico’s proximity to federal facilities makes this a common question here.

A DUI arrest or conviction can prompt review under the adjudicative guidelines covering criminal conduct, alcohol consumption, and personal conduct. Cleared personnel generally have an obligation to self-report arrests and charges, and how you handle that reporting obligation can matter as much as the underlying charge.

A single first-offense DUI does not automatically cost a clearance. Adjudication weighs the whole person: the circumstances, whether there is a pattern, whether you reported it, and what you did afterward. Multiple incidents, a high BAC, an accident, or a failure to report increase the risk substantially.

If you hold a clearance, say so at the consultation. It changes what the case is about, because the collateral consequence can outweigh anything the court imposes.

Shoplifting merchandise under $1,000 is petty larceny, a Class 1 misdemeanor with up to 12 months jail and a $2,500 fine, plus restitution. At $1,000 or more it is grand larceny, a felony carrying 1 to 20 years, though the court or jury may instead impose up to 12 months in jail and a fine. Theft of a firearm is grand larceny regardless of value.

Major retail areas: Short Pump Town Center, Regency, White Oak Village, and the Broad Street corridors.

One thing people do not expect. Under Va. Code § 8.01-44.4, a retailer can pursue you civilly regardless of what happens in criminal court. The demand can be twice the unpaid retail value with a $50 minimum, or $350 in liquidated damages if the merchandise was recovered in sellable condition, plus up to $150 in fees. Paying that letter does not resolve your criminal charge. The two proceed separately.

On first offender dismissal, be precise about what it gives you. Va. Code § 19.2-303.2 allows a court to defer proceedings on certain first-time property offenses and dismiss on completion of the terms. It is discretionary, and the court is never required to grant it. A dismissal under that section is not eligible for expungement. The charge is dismissed, but the arrest and the deferral stay on your record. It is sealable under Virginia’s separate sealing process rather than erased.

Employment impact: larceny is treated as a crime of dishonesty. A conviction carries weight on background checks well beyond the sentence, particularly for retail, healthcare, education, bonding-required positions, and clearance holders.

Assault and battery under Va. Code § 18.2-57 is any unwanted physical contact, from pushing to punching. It is a Class 1 misdemeanor with up to 12 months jail and a $2,500 fine.

How the facts change the charge:

• Domestic assault (Va. Code § 18.2-57.2): the same Class 1 misdemeanor for a first or second offense. What differs is everything around it: protective orders, mandatory arrest of the predominant aggressor, federal firearm restrictions, and the fact that the Commonwealth controls the prosecution rather than the complaining witness. A third offense within 20 years becomes a Class 6 felony.
• Against a law enforcement officer: Class 6 felony with a six-month mandatory minimum.
• Malicious wounding (Va. Code § 18.2-51): wounding with intent to maim, disfigure, disable, or kill. A Class 3 felony carrying 5 to 20 years. A separate and far more serious offense, not an enhanced assault charge.

On firearms. A misdemeanor conviction for domestic assault triggers a federal firearm prohibition under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(9). That is a lifetime federal consequence attached to a state misdemeanor.

Self-defense requires a reasonable fear of harm and a proportional response. Who started the argument is not the question. Whether your response was reasonable under the circumstances is.

It depends on the charge, and the answer is narrower than people assume.

For prepayable traffic infractions such as most speeding tickets, you may enter a written appearance and waive the hearing under Va. Code § 19.2-254.1, and an attorney can handle the matter without you present.

Reckless driving is different. It cannot be prepaid and it requires a court appearance. Some Virginia courts will grant a waiver of appearance for out-of-state defendants, but that is at the judge’s discretion and cannot be promised in advance.

DUI and other criminal misdemeanors generally require you to appear in person.

If you were passing through on I-95, I-64, or I-295 and cannot easily return to Virginia, raise it early. That is the fact that supports asking for a waiver, and in a court where only a judge can continue a case, it needs raising well before your date.

Driving on a suspended or revoked license under Va. Code § 46.2-301 is a Class 1 misdemeanor carrying up to 12 months jail, a fine up to $2,500, and 6 demerit points. On conviction the court will generally add a suspension matching the length of the original one. If the original had no fixed end date, the court may add up to 90 days.

A third or subsequent offense within 10 years carries a mandatory minimum 10 days in jail that cannot be suspended.

Why licenses get suspended:

• Accumulated demerit points. Virginia DMV suspends at 18 points in 12 months or 24 points in 24 months. A single reckless driving conviction is 6 of those points.
• A DUI conviction
• Unpaid fines
• Failure to maintain insurance
• Refusing a breath test

Worth knowing: under Va. Code § 46.2-301(G), if you have no prior violations of that section in the past 10 years, the court has discretion to dismiss the charge if you show proof of compliance on or before your court date. Getting reinstated before court can matter, and it is one of the few places where acting early changes the outcome directly.

Improper driving is a traffic infraction carrying a fine up to $500 and 3 DMV demerit points, with no jail time and no criminal record.

Under Va. Code § 46.2-869, a court may reduce a reckless driving charge to improper driving where the defendant’s culpability is slight based on the facts of the case. It can also arrive by agreement with the Commonwealth.

A police officer cannot write a ticket for improper driving. It exists only as a reduction. Whether it is available depends on how close the speed was to the threshold, the driving record, the conditions at the time, and how the case is presented. Higher speeds, an accident, or prior convictions make it less likely.

This distinction matters most for federal employees, healthcare workers, teachers, and anyone whose position requires a clean criminal record, because the difference between the two charges is the difference between a driving record entry and a criminal one.

Results depend on the specific facts of each case. Prior outcomes do not guarantee or predict a similar result in any other matter.

Possession or consumption of alcohol by anyone under 21 is a Class 1 misdemeanor under Va. Code § 4.1-305.

• A mandatory minimum $500 fine or a mandatory minimum 50 hours of community service
• Driver’s license suspension of at least 6 months and not more than 1 year, which applies even if you were not driving when cited
• Mandatory substance abuse education or treatment

First offender option: under § 4.1-305, the court may defer proceedings and dismiss the charge on completion of community service, substance abuse education, and a period of probation without violations. Eligibility and terms are up to the court, and it is not required to grant a deferral even where you qualify.

If you hold an out-of-state license, the Virginia court suspends your privilege to drive in Virginia. Whether your home state takes its own action depends on that state’s rules, and it varies.

Schedule a free consultation to talk over your Henrico County case with Weiland Button.