(a) Notice. A court may take judicial notice of a factual matter not subject to reasonable dispute in that it is either (1) common knowledge or (2) capable of accurate and ready determination by resort to sources whose accuracy cannot reasonably be questioned.
Rule 2:201.JUDICIAL NOTICE OF ADJUDICATIVE FACTS
Part Two: Virginia Rules of Evidence · Last amended 2012 · Last verified July 16, 2026
In one sentenceRule 2:201 lets a court take judicial notice of a fact that isn’t reasonably disputable — because it’s common knowledge or readily verified from an unquestionably accurate source — at any point in a case, while giving any party a timely chance to be heard on whether that notice is proper.
Full Text of Rule 2:201
(b) Time of taking notice. Judicial notice may be taken at any stage of the proceeding. (c) Opportunity to be heard. A party is entitled upon timely motion to an opportunity to be heard as to the propriety of taking judicial notice.
Plain-English Summary
Judicial notice lets a court accept a fact as established without requiring a party to prove it through witnesses or exhibits. Rule 2:201 confines that shortcut to facts that are not reasonably in dispute, and it recognizes two categories: facts that are common knowledge — the kind nearly anyone in the community would know — and facts capable of accurate and ready determination by checking a source whose accuracy cannot reasonably be questioned, such as a calendar, an almanac, or an official record.
Subdivision (b) gives courts flexibility on timing: judicial notice can be taken at any stage of a proceeding, not only at the outset. That flexibility comes with a safeguard in subdivision (c) — any party can, on timely motion, demand an opportunity to be heard on whether taking judicial notice of a particular fact is proper, so a court’s shortcut does not become a way to bring a disputed fact into the case unchallenged.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kinds of facts can a Virginia court take judicial notice of?
Facts not subject to reasonable dispute because they are either common knowledge or capable of accurate and ready determination from a source whose accuracy cannot reasonably be questioned. Rule 2:201(a) limits judicial notice of adjudicative facts to those two categories.
When during a case can a court take judicial notice?
At any stage of the proceeding. Rule 2:201(b) does not confine judicial notice to the start of trial or to any particular phase.
Can I challenge a court’s decision to take judicial notice of a fact?
Yes. Rule 2:201(c) entitles a party, on timely motion, to an opportunity to be heard on whether taking judicial notice of the fact is proper.
What makes a fact “common knowledge” for judicial notice purposes?
The rule does not supply a fixed list; the standard is whether the fact is generally known within the community such that reasonable people would not dispute it. It is a narrower category than facts a party merely believes to be true.
Does judicial notice mean a party doesn’t have to prove that fact at all?
Yes, that is the point of the doctrine — once a court takes judicial notice of a fact that meets Rule 2:201(a)’s standard, the party relying on it does not need to introduce separate evidence to prove it, subject to any timely challenge under subdivision (c).
Amendment History
Adopted and promulgated by Order dated June 1, 2012; effective July 1, 2012.
Source & verification. Rule text and amendment history are
reproduced verbatim from the Rules of Supreme Court of Virginia, published by the
Supreme Court of Virginia. Last verified July 16, 2026.
· Official source
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