Magistrate's Office

General Information

The Chesterfield/Colonial Heights Magistrate’s Office is responsible for services in the 12^th Judicial District within the Third Magisterial Region. The Magistrate’s Office operates within the Department of Magistrate Services under the supervision of the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia. Magistrates are independent judicial officers who provide neutral and unbiased assessments of facts presented to them by both law enforcement and the public. Magistrates do not and cannot investigate crimes. Magistrates primarily conduct hearings in which they review facts presented to them by law enforcement and citizens to determine if there is probable cause to issue criminal charges.

In addition to issuing criminal charges based on a finding of probable cause, magistrates also:

• Admit criminal defendants to bail or commit them to jail
• Issue search warrants
• Issue emergency protective orders
• Issue mental health emergency custody orders and temporary detention orders
• Issue medical emergency custody orders and temporary detention orders

Hours and Directions

The Chesterfield/Colonial Heights Magistrate’s Office is located at 6900 Mimms Drive, Chesterfield, VA 23832 on the right side of the Chesterfield County Jail building. There is no citizen service available in the City of Colonial Heights. We are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Hearings in the Magistrate’s Office are generally handled in the order in which they are requested, with some exceptions.

Legal Information

Magistrates cannot provide legal advice. If you need legal advice, you should consult an attorney. No magistrate can recommend an attorney for you. If you need assistance finding an attorney, the Virginia State Bar offers an attorney referral service through its website and by phone at 1-800-552-7977. You can access the code of Virginia online through the Virginia Legislative Information System.

For questions about your court date or a pending case, contact the court clerk for the court in which the case is being heard. Case information may also be available through the Virginia Judicial System website.

Disclosures

The Magistrate may not disclose information about pending criminal charges. Please contact the Chesterfield Sheriff’s Office at 804-748-1476 to obtain information about outstanding warrants and summonses or to inquire about an inmate’s bond status. Information on outstanding warrants and summonses (PDF) may also be obtained online through the Sheriff’s Office website.