Henrico to receive $21k to preserve court records

Henrico County is receiving $21,488 as a part of the Library of Virginia’s Circuit Court Records Preservation Program, which provides grants to preserve records in Virginia’s courthouses.

The grants, administered by the Library of Virginia’s Government Records Division, total more than $2 million to localities throughout the state.

“The records within our state's courthouses are invaluable research treasures," said Library of Virginia librarian Dennis. T. Clark. "We take great pride in managing these grants, which play a crucial role in safeguarding the Commonwealth’s rich history for generations to come."

CCRP funding comes from a $3.50 dollar recordation fee on land instruments recorded in the circuit court clerks’ offices. Since 1992, the CCRP has awarded a total of $38 million dollars through 2,282 preservation grants providing resources to preserve and make Virginia’s permanent circuit court records accessible.

For 2025, the CCRP Grant Review Board approved 114 grant projects from 105 circuit courts, covering professional conservation treatments for hundreds of records dating back centuries, with the first records from the 1690s. 

These records include deed books, will books, land tax books, marriage licenses, order books, and plat books currently housed in circuit courts throughout the state. The grants allow the courts to protect current records and reformat or restore records that have suffered damage from use, age, pests, water, cellulose acetate lamination, or previous non-professional repair as well as proper storage shelves.

The CCRP Grant Review Board consists of five voting members who meet annually to evaluate grant applications: three circuit court clerks, appointed by the president of the Virginia Court Clerks’ Association, and two staff members from the Library of Virginia. Clerks of circuit courts statewide can apply for funds to conserve, secure, and increase access to circuit court records.