Virginia property records and tax lookups

Who holds it: Commissioner of the Revenue (elected constitutional officer) or, where the locality chooses, a board of assessors / real estate appraiser (assessor's office). Real estate assessed at 100% of fair market value.¹

Last checked against official sources on November 8, 2026.

On this page

Looking up a property and appealing a value
More details
Related records in Virginia
How Virginia handles it
Property records in Virginia counties with a full guide
Official copies vs look-alike sites
Sources

Looking up a property and appealing a value

Appealing a value: Apply to the commissioner of the revenue or other assessing official for correction (§ 58.1-3980), and/or the local Board of Equalization (appointed by the circuit court for a general reassessment or annual/biennial assessment, unless a permanent board exists), then circuit court: within 3 years from the last day of the tax year or 1 year from the assessment (or other dates listed), whichever is later (§ 58.1-3984)²

More details

Assessment ratio: 100 percent of fair market value³
Reassessment cycle: Counties: general reassessment every 4 years, or every 3 by board vote; counties of 50,000 or less (and Augusta and Bedford Counties) may choose 5- or 6-year intervals; counties may also use annual or biennial assessment⁴
Due date: Set by each locality by ordinance (no single statewide date)⁵

Deeds: who holds it: Clerk of the Circuit Court of each county or independent city (an elected constitutional officer, 8-year term). 120 circuit courts serve Virginia's 133 counties and cities; some clerks serve combined localities.⁶
Deeds: how to search: Search in person at the circuit court clerk's office (public terminals/indexes), or by SRA subscription/free index where the clerk offers it; request copies from the clerk⁷
Maps: state GIS portal: Virginia Geographic Information Network (VGIN), Virginia Department of Emergency Management: Virginia GIS Clearinghouse vgin.vdem.virginia.gov/pages/clearinghouse; statewide parcels layer aggregated quarterly from localities⁸
Liens: federal tax liens: Federal liens on real property: circuit court clerk; on personal property of corporations/partnerships with principal office in VA: SCC; otherwise circuit court clerk of residence⁹

How Virginia handles it

Independent cities: each county and each city elects its own clerk, treasurer, commissioner of revenue, sheriff and attorney for the Commonwealth, so records for a city are held by the city's officers, not the surrounding county's. Identify whether the property/event is in a city or a county.¹⁰

Property records in Virginia counties with a full guide

The local office, its official online search and its own fee, for each county with a full guide. Local fees can differ from the statewide figures above.

County	Office	Search online	Fee
Albemarle County	County Assessor's Office¹¹	—	—
Alexandria City	Office of Real Estate Assessments¹²	Property search¹²	—
Arlington County	Department of Real Estate Assessments¹⁴	Property search¹³	—
Chesapeake City	Real Estate Assessor's Office¹⁶	Property search¹⁵Free search	—
Chesterfield County	Department of Real Estate Assessments¹⁸	Property search¹⁷	—
Fairfax County	Department of Tax Administration, Real Estate Division²⁰	Property search¹⁹	—
Hampton City	Office of the Assessor of Real Estate²²	Property search²¹	—
Loudoun County	Commissioner of the Revenue²⁴	Property search²³	—
Newport News City	Real Estate Assessor's Office²⁶	Property search²⁵	—
Norfolk City	Office of the Real Estate Assessor²⁸	Property search²⁷	—
Prince William County	Real Estate Assessments Office²⁹	Property search²⁹	—
Richmond City	City of Richmond Office of the Assessor of Real Estate³¹	Property search³⁰	—
Spotsylvania County	Spotsylvania County Commissioner of the Revenue³³	Property search³²Free search	—
Stafford County	Commissioner of the Revenue, Real Estate Division³⁵	Property search³⁴Free search	—
Virginia Beach City	City of Virginia Beach Real Estate Assessor³⁶	Property search³⁶	—

For any other county, see the county list on the Virginia guide.

Official copies vs look-alike sites

A certified copy comes only from the office that holds the record; reports and "research copies" sold by commercial sites are not issued by any Virginia office. How to tell an official record source from a paid look-alike.

Rules in other states: property and tax records in every state. Everything else in Virginia: Virginia public records guide.

Sources

Every fact above links to the official page it comes from. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.

Code of Virginia § 58.1-3271. Appointment of board of assessors and real estate appraiserVirginia General Assembly (Legislative Information System)checked November 4, 2026
Code of Virginia § 58.1-3984. Application to court to correct erroneous assessmentsVirginia General Assembly (Legislative Information System)checked November 4, 2026
Code of Virginia § 58.1-3201. What real estate to be taxed; amount of assessmentVirginia General Assembly (Legislative Information System)checked November 4, 2026
Code of Virginia § 58.1-3252. In counties (general reassessment)Virginia General Assembly (Legislative Information System)checked November 4, 2026
Code of Virginia § 58.1-3916. Counties, cities, and towns may provide dates for filing returnsVirginia General Assembly (Legislative Information System)checked November 4, 2026
The Circuit Court (Circuit Courts Informational Pamphlet)Supreme Court of Virginia, Office of the Executive Secretarychecked November 4, 2026
Code of Virginia § 17.1-208. Records, etc., open to inspection; copies; exceptionVirginia General Assembly (Legislative Information System)checked November 4, 2026
Virginia Geographic Information Network (VGIN)Virginia Department of Emergency Managementchecked November 4, 2026
Code of Virginia § 55.1-653. Where notices and certificates affecting liens to be filedVirginia General Assembly (Legislative Information System)checked November 4, 2026
Constitution of Virginia, Article VII, Section 4. County and city officersVirginia General Assembly (Legislative Information System)checked November 4, 2026
Real Estate (Finance and Budget)Albemarle Countychecked November 8, 2026
Office of Real Estate AssessmentsCity of Alexandria, Virginiachecked November 4, 2026
Land Records FAQsArlington County Circuit Court Clerkchecked November 4, 2026
Land Records ServicesArlington County Circuit Court Clerkchecked November 4, 2026
Real Estate Tax InformationCity of Chesapeake / City Treasurerchecked November 5, 2026
Real Estate Assessor's OfficeCity of Chesapeakechecked November 5, 2026
Real Estate AssessmentsChesterfield County, VAchecked November 4, 2026
DepartmentsChesterfield County, VAchecked November 4, 2026
Land Records ResearchFairfax County, Virginiachecked November 4, 2026
Real Estate Assessments & TaxesFairfax County, Virginiachecked November 4, 2026
Office of the Assessor of Real EstateCity of Hampton, Virginiachecked November 7, 2026
DepartmentsCity of Hampton, Virginiachecked November 7, 2026
Loudoun County - Property Address Searchloudounvapa.tylerhost.netchecked November 4, 2026
Commissioner of the RevenueLoudoun Countyarchived copychecked November 4, 2026
Newport News Public Access: Real Estate Assessor homeCity of Newport News, Virginiachecked November 4, 2026
Real Estate AssessorCity of Newport Newschecked November 6, 2026
City of Norfolk: propsearchCity of Norfolk, Virginiachecked November 4, 2026
City of Norfolk: assessorCity of Norfolk, Virginiachecked November 4, 2026
Real Estate Tax, Appeals & AssessmentsPrince William County, Virginiachecked November 4, 2026
Property Search: legacy-system noticeCity of Richmond Assessor of Real Estatechecked November 4, 2026
City of Richmond, VA home pageCity of Richmondchecked November 4, 2026
Real Estate Assessment SearchSpotsylvania Countychecked November 7, 2026
Commissioner of the RevenueSpotsylvania Countychecked November 7, 2026
Home pageStafford County, Virginiachecked November 7, 2026
Commissioner of the RevenueStafford County, Virginiachecked November 7, 2026
Real Estate AssessorCity of Virginia Beachchecked November 4, 2026