Virginia statute
Va. Code Ann. § 19.2-392.3 — Disclosure of expunged records
Current through 2026 Regular Session
Part of Chapter 23.1: Expungement of Criminal Records, Code of Virginia.
Criminal charges under this statute
Full text of Va. Code Ann. § 19.2-392.3
Statutory text current through the 2026 Regular Session. This publication reproduces the text of the Code of Virginia from the official Virginia Law Portal API published by the Virginia General Assembly's Division of Legislative Automated Systems; it is not the official Code of Virginia.
A. It shall be unlawful for any person having or acquiring access to an expunged court or police record to open or review it or to disclose to another person any information from it without an order from the court which ordered the record expunged.
B. Upon a verified petition filed by the attorney for the Commonwealth alleging that the record is needed by a law-enforcement agency for purposes of employment application as an employee of a law-enforcement agency or for a pending criminal investigation and that the investigation will be jeopardized or that life or property will be endangered without immediate access to the record, the court may enter an ex parte order, without notice to the person, permitting such access. An ex parte order may permit a review of the record, but may not permit a copy to be made of it.
C. Upon a verified petition requesting access to an expunged court or police record that is filed by the person who was charged with the offense that was ordered to be expunged, with notice to the attorney for the Commonwealth, the court may enter an order allowing that person and their counsel to review and copy the expunged court or police record. However, no agency or entity shall be required to allow the person or their counsel to review or copy the expunged court or police record if such record has been destroyed.
D. Any person who willfully violates this section is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. However, unless otherwise prohibited by law, any person who opens, reviews, or discloses information from an expunged court or police record after being provided a copy of such record by the person who was charged with the offense that was ordered to be expunged, or by counsel for such person, shall not be in violation of this section.
Official sources
Legal terms used in this section
Questions this section answers
Is disclosure of expunged records a felony or a misdemeanor in Virginia?
Disclosure of expunged records is a class 1 misdemeanor in Virginia under Va. Code Ann. § 19.2-392.3.
Which Virginia statute covers disclosure of expunged records?
Disclosure of expunged records is governed by Va. Code Ann. § 19.2-392.3 (Disclosure of expunged records).
This reference is informational and is not legal advice.