District of Columbia Court Summary

The District of Columbia trial court system consists of Civil Division, Criminal Division, Family Court, Domestic Violence Unit, Probate Division, Tax Division, and The Superior Courts.

The District of Columbia has a unified trial court system that consists only of Superior Courts. Superior Courts have general jurisdiction over all criminal and civil cases, except for cases within exclusive Federal Court or United States District Court jurisdiction. Superior Courts have six main court divisions referred to as the Civil Division, the Criminal Division, the Family Court, the Domestic Violence Unit, the Probate Division and the Tax Division.


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Where to find court cases in District of Columbia

The chart below gives general information on the types of cases heard in each type of court in District of Columbia.

= Most or all cases.

= Some cases.

Case Type	Court Type
Civil	Civil Division	Criminal Division	Family Court	Domestic Violence Unit	Probate Division	Tax Division	The Superior Courts
General Civil - Unlimited
General Civil - Limited
Small Claims
Civil Equity
Complex Commercial
Foreclosures and Liens
Real Estate Title and Boundary
Landlord / Tenant
Ordinance Violations
Protection, No Contact, and Restraining Orders
Administrative Agency Appeals
Criminal	Civil Division	Criminal Division	Family Court	Domestic Violence Unit	Probate Division	Tax Division	The Superior Courts
Felony
Felony Preliminary Hearings
Misdemeanors
Ordinance Violations
Juvenile
Traffic and Infractions		$Most or all Traffic and Infractions cases can be found in the Criminal Division$					$Most or all Traffic and Infractions cases can be found in the The Superior Courts$
Domestic Relations	Civil Division	Criminal Division	Family Court	Domestic Violence Unit	Probate Division	Tax Division	The Superior Courts
Divorce
Child Custody and Visitation
Child Support
Paternity
Domestic Violence Protection Order
Juvenile	Civil Division	Criminal Division	Family Court	Domestic Violence Unit	Probate Division	Tax Division	The Superior Courts
Adoptions
Juvenile Delinquency
Child Abuse and Neglect
Termination of Parental Rights
Children in Need of Supervision
Mental Health	Civil Division	Criminal Division	Family Court	Domestic Violence Unit	Probate Division	Tax Division	The Superior Courts
Involuntary Commitments
Other Mental Health Cases
Probate	Civil Division	Criminal Division	Family Court	Domestic Violence Unit	Probate Division	Tax Division	The Superior Courts
Wills & Estates
Name Changes
Trusts
Guardianships and Conservatorships

District of Columbia Courts Summary