How do you expunge an eviction?
Court evictions are also known as unlawful detainers. To file a petition expunging an unlawful detainer, one of the following must have occurred:
The action is dismissed and 30 days have passed, or
A voluntary nonsuit is taken and six-months have passed.
If you qualify, you can petition the court to expunge the unlawful detainer using a simple court form. A petition for expungement of unlawful detainer should include:
The underlying case number.
The city or county General District Court.
Your name.
The date the dismissal or nonsuit was entered.
The name of the plaintiff in the unlawful detainer action.
The address of the property that was the subject of the unlawful detainer action.
Your mailing address.
After July 1, 2024, qualifying unlawful detainers will be automatically expunged, but you can still use this information to expunge unlawful detainers that occurred before July 1, 2024.
Last updated on July 08, 2026.
Links
Expunging dismissed or nonsuited evictions from the CVLAS
Lock-out or Utility Shutoffs guide (Legal Services of Northern Virginia)
Foreclosure and Mortgage guide (Legal Services of Northern Virginia)
Housing Topic from VirginiaLawHelp.org (Virginia Poverty Law Center)
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