Bedford County Property Records

Bedford County property records are filed with the Circuit Court Clerk, who serves as the official record keeper for all deeds, deeds of trust, plats, liens, and land instruments in the county. The Commissioner of the Revenue handles real estate assessment and tax data. Online, you can search parcel and property information through the county's GIS portal, the open data hub, and the planning department's parcel viewer. Recorded deeds and instruments are also searchable through the Virginia court system at vacourts.gov. If you prefer to search in person, the courthouse in Bedford is open during regular business hours. Mail requests are accepted as well. This page covers your options for finding Bedford County property records.

Bedford County GIS Portal and Property Maps

The Bedford County official GIS portal is the primary online tool for searching property boundaries and parcel data. The portal is maintained jointly by the county Revenue Office and the GIS Office. Data was last updated July 31, 2025. Revenue Office contact: tpatterson@bedfordcountyva.gov, 540-586-7626. GIS Office contact: gis@bedfordcountyva.gov, 540-587-5678. The Bedford County GIS portal login page shows revenue and GIS office contacts and a data disclaimer noting that GIS maps are derived from public records and are not legal descriptions.

The portal carries a standard data disclaimer: information shown on these maps is derived from public records that are constantly undergoing change. The GIS data does not replace a site survey. The county and the Town of Bedford do not guarantee positional or thematic accuracy. GIS data is not a legal representation of the features depicted. Use these maps as reference tools only -- for legal boundary determinations, consult recorded plats and hire a licensed surveyor.

The data copyright belongs to the County of Bedford and the Town of Bedford. The Bedford GIS Division is at 122 E Main St., Suite 202, Bedford, VA. Phone: (540) 587-5678. Email: gis@bedfordcountyva.gov. If you need to download GIS datasets or have questions about specific data layers, contact this office directly.

Bedford County Open Data Portal

The Bedford County Geospatial Data Portal at GeoHub provides free downloads of county GIS data in multiple formats. Data categories available include Reference, Town of Bedford, Facilities, Public Safety, Schools, Transportation, Property, Voting, Recreation, Environmental, Hydrology, and Zoning. The Property category is most relevant for real estate research. The Bedford County GeoHub portal lists available GIS data categories and allows download of frequently requested datasets including property boundaries and zoning layers.

The GeoHub is built on the ArcGIS Open Data platform. You can download data in multiple formats including GeoJSON, Shapefile, CSV, and others depending on the dataset. The portal is useful for researchers, developers, and professionals who need raw spatial data rather than just a visual map. Frequently requested datasets are highlighted on the portal home page for quick access.

For planning-related property research, the Bedford County Planning Department ArcGIS parcel viewer provides a visual interface for finding and identifying land and property records. This viewer links to GIS maps, tax maps, and parcel data specifically oriented toward planning and zoning research. The Bedford County Planning Department ArcGIS parcel viewer provides access to tax maps and GIS parcel data for property identification and planning research.

Commissioner of Revenue and Tax Assessments

The Bedford County Commissioner of the Revenue is at 122 E. Main St., Suite 103, Bedford, VA 24523. Phone: (540) 586-7621. The Commissioner's office handles real estate and personal property assessments, maintains the county's property tax rolls, and administers tax relief programs. Real estate tax bills in Bedford County are typically issued twice per year, with due dates set by local ordinance.

The statewide assessor directory lists Bedford County with free online search links for property tax and assessment records. You can search by owner name, business name, address, tax map number, or RPC (Real Property Code) number. GIS maps are also searchable through the same directory. For voter and election information tied to specific parcels, Bedford County GIS and election district maps are available through the statewide mapping directory.

Bedford County is part of the Central Virginia Planning District Commission (CVPDC), which provides regional GIS resources for member localities. The CVPDC mapping resources page lists Bedford GIS with a link to the county portal. The CVPDC parcel data includes addresses, owner names, sale dates, sale prices, assessments, and other property details -- the same data that's in the county's own systems but accessible through a regional hub.

Recorded Deeds and Land Records

All deeds, deeds of trust, mortgages, plats, and other instruments affecting Bedford County real property are recorded with the Circuit Court Clerk. Virginia law at § 55.1-600 designates circuit court clerks as the official recorders for their jurisdiction. Instruments must be properly acknowledged and meet the format requirements of § 55.1-606 before the clerk will accept them for recording.

The clerk indexes recorded instruments by grantor and grantee names and maintains deed books where instruments are permanently stored. Searching these indexes is how you trace ownership of a property or find all instruments affecting a specific parcel. For remote access to Bedford County land records, use the Virginia Court System's SRA portal at vacourts.gov. Free registration gives access to basic index data; a paid subscription is required to view document images remotely. In-person access at the courthouse is always free.

Under Title 55.1 of the Code of Virginia, the comprehensive statutory framework governs all property conveyances and recordation in Virginia. Chapter 6 specifically covers the recordation of documents in detail, from acknowledgment requirements to electronic recording. These laws apply uniformly across all Virginia counties, including Bedford. Copies of recorded documents cost $0.50 per page; certified copies add a $2.00 fee per document.

Additional Resources for Bedford County Property Research

For historical property research in Bedford County, the Library of Virginia's Chancery Records Index is a key resource. The CRI contains digitized chancery court cases from Virginia circuit courts, with a focus on pre-1913 records. These cases frequently involved land disputes, estate settlements, and boundary questions. Bedford County's older records are part of this archive and are searchable online through the LVA's CRI database.

If you need to correct an error in a recorded Bedford County deed -- for example, a wrong lot number, an omitted line of courses and distances, or an incorrect plat reference -- the corrective affidavit process under § 55.1-609 provides the mechanism. An attorney must prepare the affidavit, notify all parties to the original deed, and wait 30 days for any objections before recording. If no dispute is raised, the corrective affidavit is recorded and relates back to the original recording date. This process fixes the title without requiring a new deed.

For UCC filings and federal tax liens affecting business assets or commercial properties in Bedford County, the Virginia State Corporation Commission's UCC online portal is the correct resource. UCC filings in Virginia are handled at the state level through the SCC, not by county clerks. Search by debtor name or file number to find financing statements and federal tax lien notices affecting Bedford County properties or businesses.

The Virginia Residential Property Disclosure Act under Title 55.1, Chapter 7, applies to residential sales in Bedford County. Sellers must provide buyers with the standard disclosure form advising them to conduct their own inspections, obtain a survey, and check flood zone status. The Act protects buyers by putting them on notice that they should exercise due diligence -- it does not guarantee any particular condition of the property. For details on required disclosures, see the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation's residential property disclosures page.