A. Whenever a party files, or causes to be filed, with the court a motion, pleading, subpoena, exhibit, or other document containing a social security number or other identification number appearing on a driver's license or other document issued under Chapter 3 (§ 46.2-300 et seq.) of Title 46.2 or the comparable law of another jurisdiction, or on a credit card, debit card, bank account, or other electronic billing and payment system, the party shall make reasonable efforts to redact all but the last four digits of the identification number.
§ 8.01-420.8.Protection of confidential information in court files.
Chapter 14. Evidence · Article 9. Miscellaneous Provisions · Last amended 2020 · Last verified July 16, 2026
In one sentenceSection 8.01-420.8 requires a party filing a court document in a civil case to redact all but the last four digits of a social security number, driver’s license number, or financial account number, though it creates no private right of action against anyone who fails to do so.
Full Text of § 8.01-420.8
B. The provisions of subsection A apply to all civil actions in circuit and district court, unless there is a specific statute to the contrary that applies to the particular type of proceeding in which the party is involved.
C. Nothing in this section shall create a private cause of action against the party or lawyer who filed the document or any court personnel, the clerk, or any employees of the clerk's office who received it for filing.
Plain-English Summary
Court files are public records, and full identification and account numbers do not belong in them. This section requires a party who files a motion, pleading, subpoena, exhibit, or other document containing a social security number, a driver’s-license-type identification number, or a credit card, debit card, or bank account number to make reasonable efforts to redact all but the last four digits before filing.
The redaction duty reaches broadly across civil litigation — circuit and district court alike — unless some other specific statute governs the particular kind of proceeding instead. But the section does not hand anyone a lawsuit over a slip-up: it creates no private cause of action against the filing party or lawyer, or against court personnel, the clerk, or clerk’s office staff who received the unredacted document.
Frequently Asked Questions
What information must be redacted before filing a document in a Virginia civil case?
All but the last four digits of a social security number or other identification number from a driver’s license or similar document, or from a credit card, debit card, bank account, or other electronic billing and payment system.
Does this redaction requirement apply in both circuit and district court?
Yes, to all civil actions in both, unless a specific statute governs the particular type of proceeding differently.
Can I sue someone who files a document without redacting my account numbers?
No. The section creates no private cause of action against the filer, the filer’s lawyer, or court personnel who received the document.
What standard does the filer have to meet in redacting the numbers?
Reasonable efforts — the statute does not require perfection, only a reasonable attempt to redact.
Does this apply to exhibits and subpoenas, or only to pleadings and motions?
It applies broadly to a motion, pleading, subpoena, exhibit, or other document filed with the court.
Amendment History
2014, c. 427; 2020, cc. 1227, 1246.
Source & verification. Section text and amendment history are
reproduced verbatim from the Code of Virginia, published by the
Code of Virginia, Virginia Division of Legislative Automated Systems. Last verified July 16, 2026.
· Official source
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