Alexandria County General District Court: An Overview
Alexandria General District Court, or as lawyers call it Alexandria GDC, is where most criminal and civil cases in Alexandria County are handled. This is a different court than Alexandria federal court close by, which is called the Eastern District of Virginia.
The vast majority of cases, such as DUIs criminal misdemeanors, and some felonies start here. Alexandria GDC also handles landlord tenant cases and certain civil claims.
CALL OR TEXT US TODAY if you'd like to talk to an experienced Alexandria attorney about an Alexandria GDC case.
Our office is close to Alexandria GDC, and we've practiced there for years. Here's what you might expect when you go there.
Location and Setting
Nestled in beautiful Old Town Alexandria, the General District Court is located at 520 King Street Alexandria, VA 22320-4489. It's right on King Street about 4 blocks to the Old Town waterfront and most of Alexandria's nicest restaurants and shopping areas. There's a Starbucks right at the entrance of the Court. One of our favorite restaurants is right next door: 1799. Stop by the bar there and say hi to Anne. She's a good bartender.
Parking isn't too bad. If you have a criminal or civil case at Alexandria GDC, plan to arrive at 10 minutes early. There's a parking lot right under the Alexandria GDC that you can access from Pitt Street. Street parking can be hit or miss. Old Town Alexandria is notorious for limited street parking, but you can usually find something within 2 blocks of the Courthouse. Make sure you pay your meter if you park on the street, as Alexandria parking enforcement will absolutely ticket you if they find you. The meters by the Courthouse all accept ParkMobile, but you have to make sure you don't park in a loading zone in the morning rush hour.
Types of Cases and Scope
The Alexandria County General District Court handles an array of cases, ranging from traffic violations to civil disputes. Because this is a smaller Court than others (like Fairfax GDC), you'll usually spend less time waiting for your case to be called. Traffic and DUI dockets can still be very busy, however, so plan to spend 1.5 hours at Alexandria GDC if you have a case to be heard unless you have an attorney who can speed things up for you.
Cell Phones
Alexandria GDC does not allow cell phones in the Courtroom unless you're an attorney. At the entrance to the Court, there are a bunch of lockers you can rent for a quarter. Sadly, every day we see people asking for quarters to lock up their phones because they didn't bring change with them. Be sure to either leave your phone in the car or have a quarter handy when you go inside.
Other Courts at Alexandria GDC.
Alexandria GDC is in the same building as the Alexandria Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court as well as the Alexandria Circuit Court. Alexandria GDC courts are usually on the second floor. If you have a GDC case, the Clerks put out a paper copy of the list of cases to be heard that day on a bulletin board on the wall on the second floor.
What We Do at Alexandria GDC.
We've done a lot of cases at Alexandria GDC. DUI, reckless driving, landlord tenant, you name it. We've done it. And if we haven't done it, we'll refer you to someone who has. If you have a case at Alexandria GDC CALL OR TEXT US TODAY for a free consultation.
