Louisa General District Court hears criminal, traffic, and civil cases on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

• Cunningham Building, 314 West Main Street, Louisa, VA 23093
• Mailing address: P.O. Box 524, Louisa, VA 23093
• Clerk’s Office: (540) 967-5330
• Clerk’s office hours: Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Louisa schedules its docket by the agency that wrote the ticket. This is the part people miss, because 8:30 is not when most traffic cases are called:

Check your summons to see which agency stopped you. If you were pulled over on I-64 by a state trooper, that is a different call time than a Sheriff’s Office stop on Route 33. The date and time printed on your summons is what controls, and schedules change, so confirm with the clerk rather than relying on any published list including this one.

On continuances: Louisa is stricter than most. Traffic infraction continuance requests are heard by the judge on written motion. The clerk cannot grant them over the phone.

The Circuit Court, which handles felony trials, jury trials, and appeals from General District Court, is a separate building about two tenths of a mile away at 100 West Main Street, with its own clerk at (540) 967-5312.

Interstate 64 runs the entire length of Louisa County’s southern border, connecting Charlottesville and Richmond. That interstate traffic drives a large share of the General District Court’s docket, and much of it is drivers passing through who have no easy way to come back.

The other corridors that matter:

• US Route 33, east to west across the county through the town of Louisa
• US Route 522, north to south through Mineral
• Route 208, running from Ferncliff at I-64 exit 143 northeast through Louisa and on to Lake Anna and Fredericksburg
• US Route 15 at Zion Crossroads, the commercial hub at I-64

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 I-64 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. Drivers who would never consider themselves reckless cross it without noticing.

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 were passing through on I-64 and cannot easily return to Virginia, raise it early. That is the fact that supports asking for a waiver, and in a court that sits two days a week it needs raising well before 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 documenting 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.

First offense:

• 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: 5 days if BAC is 0.15 to 0.20, 10 days if BAC is above 0.20

Second offense within 10 years, under Va. Code § 18.2-270, with the mandatory minimum depending on how close the offenses are:

• Within less than 5 years: jail of not less than one month, with 20 days as a mandatory minimum the court cannot suspend
• Within 5 to 10 years: jail of not less than one month, with 10 days as a mandatory minimum
• Mandatory minimum $500 fine either way
• Three-year license revocation
• Ignition interlock required

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.

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.

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.

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, 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.

On firearms. A misdemeanor conviction for domestic assault triggers a federal firearm prohibition under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(9). This surprises people, because it is a lifetime federal consequence attached to a state misdemeanor. If you own firearms or your work requires carrying one, raise it at the consultation before anything is resolved.

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 or a security clearance.

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.

Get all the facts about your Louisa County case by scheduling a free consultation with Weiland Button.