How to search for sex offenders in Virginia
Two ways to check the Virginia sex offender registry: manually on the official state site, or programmatically across Virginia and every other US registry with a single API call.
Option 1 — Search the official Virginia registry
- Open the official Virginia sex offender registry public search.
- Search by last name (required), first name, or by city / ZIP / address.
- Open a result to see offenses, registration status, and known addresses.
- Note the record URL — it’s the authoritative source for that person.
The public Virginia site is best for a one-off, manual lookup. It won’t scale to bulk screening or cover other states in one search.
Option 2 — Search Virginia with the Offendersearch API
One authenticated request queries the Virginia registry plus the national NSOPW source, de-duplicates people across sources, scores each match, and returns provenance and freshness on every record.
POST /v1/search
{
"query": { "lastName": "Doe", "state": "VA" },
"jurisdictions": ["VA", "NSOPW"],
"locationScoped": true,
"freshness": "standard"
}This is a live demo of the API shape returning sample data. Real, scored results across every registry require a free account with billing enabled.
Virginia search FAQ
Is searching the Virginia sex offender registry free?
Searching the official Virginia public registry directly is free. The Offendersearch API is for teams that need programmatic, scored, multi-source results across Virginia and every other jurisdiction in one call.
Can I search sex offenders near an address in Virginia?
Yes. Provide a city, ZIP, or latitude/longitude with a radius and the API returns registrants near that location in Virginia, each scored and tagged with its source.
How current is Virginia registry data?
Every record returns a lastCheckedAt timestamp. Choose the Standard, Weekly, or Daily freshness tier depending on how recently Virginia data must have been re-verified.