Virginia Courthouses Safe for Uber & Transit Riders (2026)

Short answer: At Chesterfield County (Chesterfield), Henrico County (Henrico), Chesapeake County (Chesapeake), security will deny you entry if you have a phone and no car to store it in. Arriving late to traffic or criminal court due to a rejected phone can result in a Failure to Appear (FTA) bench warrant. Updated 2026-11-04

9 of 12 county courthouses in Virginia are safe for visitors arriving by Uber, Lyft, or public transit (either allowing phones inside or providing lobby lockers). However, 3 courthouses are an "Uber Trap"—they ban cell phones at the door and have zero lockers on site. Virginia has the highest concentration of county courthouse cell phone bans on the East Coast. Under Va. Code § 19.2-389 / local Circuit Court orders, counties like Prince William, Chesterfield, Stafford, Spotsylvania, and Chesapeake ban general public phones; some provide free lobby lockers while others force visitors back to their cars.

County Courthouse	City	Uber & bus rider safe (no car)	Phone Lockers	Juror Parking
Fairfax County Fairfax County Courthouse (Jennings Judicial Center) “Bailiff / Sheriff Security Directive (Fairfax County Courthouse (Jennings Judicial Center)): "Court security officers will not hold, store, or safeguard cell phones or electronic devices at the entrance checkpoint. Visitors arriving via rideshare must make off-site arrangements."”	Fairfax	Safe for Uber/bus (phones allowed inside)	No lockers	Free Validated
Prince William County Prince William County Judicial Center (Manassas) “Security Checkpoint Notice (Prince William County Judicial Center (Manassas)): "Small personal electronics lockers are available in the main lobby (free of charge); capacity is limited and Court Security assumes no liability."”	Manassas	Safe for Uber/bus (lobby lockers: Free)	Yes (Free)	Free Validated
Virginia Beach County Virginia Beach Judicial Center (Building 10 / 10B) “Security Checkpoint Notice (Virginia Beach Judicial Center (Building 10 / 10B)): "Small personal electronics lockers are available in the main lobby (free of charge); capacity is limited and Court Security assumes no liability."”	Virginia Beach	Safe for Uber/bus (phones allowed inside)	Yes (Free)	Free Validated
Loudoun County Loudoun County Courts Complex (Leesburg) “Security Checkpoint Notice (Loudoun County Courts Complex (Leesburg)): "Small personal electronics lockers are available in the main lobby (free of charge); capacity is limited and Court Security assumes no liability."”	Leesburg	Safe for Uber/bus (lobby lockers: Free)	Yes (Free)	Free Validated
Norfolk County Norfolk Consolidated Courts Complex “Security Checkpoint Notice (Norfolk Consolidated Courts Complex): "Small personal electronics lockers are available in the main lobby ($0.25 fee); capacity is limited and Court Security assumes no liability."”	Norfolk	Safe for Uber/bus (lobby lockers: $0.25)	Yes ($0.25)	Free Validated
Arlington County Arlington County Courthouse (Arlington) “Security Checkpoint Notice (Arlington County Courthouse (Arlington)): "Small personal electronics lockers are available in the main lobby (free of charge); capacity is limited and Court Security assumes no liability."”	Arlington	Safe for Uber/bus (lobby lockers: Free)	Yes (Free)	Free Validated
Richmond City Richmond City Courthouse (Richmond) “Security Checkpoint Notice (Richmond City Courthouse (Richmond)): "Small personal electronics lockers are available in the main lobby (free of charge); capacity is limited and Court Security assumes no liability."”	Richmond	Safe for Uber/bus (lobby lockers: Free)	Yes (Free)	Free Validated
Stafford County Stafford County Courthouse (Stafford) “Security Checkpoint Notice (Stafford County Courthouse (Stafford)): "Small personal electronics lockers are available in the main lobby (free of charge); capacity is limited and Court Security assumes no liability."”	Stafford	Safe for Uber/bus (lobby lockers: Free)	Yes (Free)	Free Validated
Spotsylvania County Spotsylvania County Courthouse (Spotsylvania) “Security Checkpoint Notice (Spotsylvania County Courthouse (Spotsylvania)): "Small personal electronics lockers are available in the main lobby (free of charge); capacity is limited and Court Security assumes no liability."”	Spotsylvania	Safe for Uber/bus (lobby lockers: Free)	Yes (Free)	Free Validated
Chesterfield County Chesterfield County Courts Building “Bailiff / Sheriff Security Directive (Chesterfield County Courts Building): "Court security officers will not hold, store, or safeguard cell phones or electronic devices at the entrance checkpoint. Visitors arriving via rideshare must make off-site arrangements."”	Chesterfield	TRAP: Phones banned & NO lockers at door!	No lockers	Free Validated
Henrico County Henrico County Courthouse (Parham Road) “Bailiff / Sheriff Security Directive (Henrico County Courthouse (Parham Road)): "Court security officers will not hold, store, or safeguard cell phones or electronic devices at the entrance checkpoint. Visitors arriving via rideshare must make off-site arrangements."”	Henrico	TRAP: Phones banned & NO lockers at door!	No lockers	Free Validated
Chesapeake County Chesapeake Judicial Center “Bailiff / Sheriff Security Directive (Chesapeake Judicial Center): "Court security officers will not hold, store, or safeguard cell phones or electronic devices at the entrance checkpoint. Visitors arriving via rideshare must make off-site arrangements."”	Chesapeake	TRAP: Phones banned & NO lockers at door!	No lockers	Free Validated

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Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if I take an Uber to court in Virginia and phones are banned?

At Chesterfield County (Chesterfield), Henrico County (Henrico), Chesapeake County (Chesapeake), security will deny you entry if you have a phone and no car to store it in. Arriving late to traffic or criminal court due to a rejected phone can result in a Failure to Appear (FTA) bench warrant.

How is this courthouse policy data verified?

We verify every county against official Court Administrative Orders (.gov), Jury Commissioner instructions, and Sheriff Court Security directives. Last verified 2026-11-04.