King William General District Court is at 351 Courthouse Lane, Suite 201, King William, VA 23086.

• Clerk’s Office: (804) 769-4947
• Fax: (804) 769-4971
• Clerk’s office hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Payments and filings are accepted in the office until 4:00 p.m.

This court does not sit every day. It sits three days a month. King William General District Court is in session on the first, third, and fourth Thursday of each month.

That matters more than it sounds. In a court sitting three days a month, a missed date or a continuance does not push your case a week. It can push it a month or more. The date and time printed on your summons is what controls.

Leave your phone in the car. Cell phones and other electronic devices are not permitted in the courthouse unless they are necessary for a court hearing and the judge has given permission. Weapons, contraband, and hazardous materials are also prohibited.

On continuances: the first continuance in a traffic case is granted by the clerk. Criminal case continuances require the agreement of the Commonwealth’s Attorney.

The Circuit Court, which handles felony trials, jury trials, and appeals from General District Court, is in Suite 130 of the same building, with its own clerk at (804) 769-4936.

King William County sits on the Middle Peninsula between the Pamunkey and Mattaponi rivers. The roads that carry through traffic are:

• Route 30, the principal north-south highway of the county, running from West Point up through King William Court House toward Central Garage
• U.S. Route 360, running east-west across the county through Aylett and Central Garage
• Route 33, crossing the Pamunkey into West Point and continuing east

There is no interstate in King William County. The nearest I-95 access is at Doswell in Hanover County, roughly 25 miles west, where Route 30 begins. If you were stopped on I-95, your case is in Hanover, Caroline, or another county, not here. Check the court named on your summons before you drive anywhere.

Under Va. Code § 46.2-862, reckless driving by speed is charged when you drive 20 mph or more over the posted limit, or any speed in excess of 85 mph regardless of the limit.

On the roads here, the first number is what catches people. King William’s highways run at 55 mph through open country and drop as they pass through Aylett, Central Garage, King William Court House, and into West Point. When the limit drops to 35, the reckless threshold drops to 55. A driver holding open-road speed into a village is not slightly over. They are across a criminal line, often without noticing the limit changed.

Penalties on conviction:

• Class 1 misdemeanor
• Up to 12 months in jail
• Fine up to $2,500
• 6 DMV demerit points
• Lasting criminal record
• 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.

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.

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.

It depends on the charge.

For prepayable traffic infractions such as most speeding tickets, you may enter a written appearance and waive the court 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 cannot easily return to Virginia, raise it early. That is the fact that supports asking for a waiver, and in a court that sits three days a month there is no room to sort it out the week of your date.

Preparation that is commonly presented in mitigation:

• Completing a Virginia DMV-approved driver improvement course before your court date
• Voluntary community service hours
• Obtaining a certified copy of your driving record from DMV
• A professional speedometer calibration, if accuracy is genuinely at issue, done soon after the ticket while the vehicle is in the same condition
• Preserving anything that documents the conditions at the time, such as dashcam footage

None of this defeats a charge on its own, and none of it obligates a court to do anything. It is material a court may consider. What the case actually turns on is the evidence: how the speed was measured, whether the device was calibrated and the officer trained on it, whether the right vehicle was captured, and what the posted limit was where the stop occurred.

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

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 the speed, the driving record, the conditions, and how the case is presented. Higher speeds, an accident, or prior convictions make it less likely.

• Class 1 misdemeanor
• Mandatory minimum $250 fine (up to $2,500)
• License revoked for one year (mandatory, not discretionary)
• 7-day administrative suspension at the time of arrest
• Mandatory ASAP (Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program)
• Ignition interlock required for a restricted license
• Additional mandatory jail if BAC is 0.15 or higher: 5 days for 0.15 to 0.20, 10 days for above 0.20

No diversion. Virginia has no first-offender program for DUI. ASAP is not an alternative to a conviction. It is a requirement that follows one, and completing it is a condition of getting a restricted license.

Assault and battery under Va. Code § 18.2-57 covers 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:

• Against a family or household member (§ 18.2-57.2): still a Class 1 misdemeanor for a first or second offense, not a higher class. 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 (§ 18.2-51): wounding with intent to maim, disfigure, disable, or kill. A Class 3 felony carrying 5 to 20 years. This is a separate and far more serious offense, not an enhanced assault charge.

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.

Common suspension causes: accumulating too many DMV demerit points, a DUI conviction, unpaid fines, failure to maintain insurance, or 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 in a court sitting three days a month, there is usually time to do it.

Petty larceny is theft of property valued under $1,000. It is a Class 1 misdemeanor with up to 12 months jail, a fine up to $2,500, and restitution to the victim.

Theft of $1,000 or more 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.

A larceny conviction is treated as a crime of dishonesty, which carries weight on background checks well beyond the sentence itself, particularly for employment in retail, healthcare, education, and any position requiring bonding.

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.

Should you need legal assistance, reach out to Weiland Button for a free consultation.