Frederick County Land Records

Frederick County property records are maintained by the Circuit Court Clerk, the official keeper of all recorded land instruments in the county. The clerk records deeds, deeds of trust, plats, liens, and other documents that affect real property in Frederick County. All of these records are public. You can search land records through vacourts.gov online, look up GIS parcel data through the county's mapping tools, or visit the clerk's office in person. Mail requests are also accepted. The Commissioner of the Revenue, located at 107 North Kent Street in Winchester, handles real estate assessments and tax rate information for the county.

Frederick County Real Estate Assessments

Real estate in Frederick County is assessed at 100 percent of fair market value. Reassessments are conducted every two years. Values take effect on January 1 of the year immediately following completion of assessor field work and a county-wide sales study.

New construction and other changes to real property are valued as completed rather than waiting for the next reassessment cycle. Taxpayers are always notified of any change in their property value. New subdivisions to land are taxed January 1 of the year following the subdivision.

The Commissioner of the Revenue's office is at 107 North Kent St., Winchester, VA 22604. Phone: (540) 665-5681. Fax: (540) 667-6487. The office handles assessment appeals, real estate searches, tax relief programs, and land use deferral applications.

If you want to appeal your assessed value, you have options at three levels. First, you can request a hearing with the Commissioner's assessors after reassessment notices are mailed. Second, you can appear before the Board of Equalization, which holds hearings in early spring of reassessment years. Third, if the BOE result is not satisfactory, you can petition the Frederick County Circuit Court. Attendance at a BOE hearing is required before Circuit Court review.

Frederick County Property Tax Rates

Frederick County sets tax rates annually as part of the budget process. Current tax rates are as follows. Real estate is taxed at $0.48 per $100 of assessed value. Personal property is taxed at $4.23 per $100. Business personal property is taxed at $4.86 per $100. Machinery and tools are taxed at $2.00 per $100. Mobile homes are taxed at the same rate as real estate at $0.48 per $100.

Other tax rates in Frederick County include the following. Airplane tax is $0.01 per $100. Virginia state sales tax is 5.3 percent. The county meals tax is 4 percent, making the combined rate 9.3 percent. Lodging tax is 3.5 percent, effective July 1, 2019.

Vehicle license fees are $25 for cars, trucks, and recreational vehicles, with a $5 late payment penalty. Motorcycles are $10 with a $5 late payment penalty. These are local fees paid to the county and are separate from state DMV registration costs.

You can pay real estate, personal property, and business equipment taxes online through the county website. The Commissioner's office allows you to obtain, view, print, pay, or pre-pay bills. Tax relief programs are available for elderly residents, disabled persons, and 100 percent service-connected qualifying veterans.

Frederick County GIS and Property Search

The Frederick County Geographic Information Systems division provides online tools for property research. The GIS division is part of the county's Information Technologies department and can be reached at 540-665-5614.

GIS tools available for Frederick County include the Find My Real Estate Tax Assessment online tool, which lets you search property assessment information. You can also submit a records request through the GIS division for official property data. Available content includes parcel data, zoning information, aerial imagery, and other spatial data about the county.

GIS data supports emergency response planning, environmental work, and public works projects. Online mapping applications cover property information, school boundaries, and voting districts. The GIS website at fcva.us provides access to a variety of datasets and mapping resources.

For property tax and assessment records, search by owner name, map number, or street name. The county directory listing notes that property search and maps are available through the Commissioner of the Revenue portal. Frederick County also offers tax payment online so you can check the status of tax accounts as part of your property research.

Frederick County Circuit Court Deed Records

The Circuit Court Clerk in Winchester records all deeds, plats, mortgages, deeds of trust, and other instruments affecting real property in Frederick County. These records form the chain of title for all property in the county. Recording dates and document references are the foundation of any title search.

Under Title 55.1 of the Code of Virginia, recording a deed in the proper circuit court is essential to protect ownership. A deed that is not recorded may not be valid against a later buyer or lender who records without notice of the earlier conveyance.

Land records in Virginia are indexed by grantor and grantee name. To find a deed, you can look up the seller's name as grantor or the buyer's name as grantee. Older records are in bound index books. More recent records may be searchable electronically. Ask the clerk what tools are available for the period you are researching.

The Virginia Courts website has contact information for the Frederick County Circuit Court Clerk. Some Virginia circuit courts participate in the Secure Remote Access program, which gives subscribers online access to land records indexes and document images. Ask the Frederick County clerk whether SRA is available.

Frederick County Land Use and Tax Relief Programs

Frederick County offers a Land Use Tax Deferral Program for qualifying agricultural, horticultural, forest, and open-space lands. Under this program, land is assessed based on its use value rather than its fair market value. The tax reduction is a deferral, not a permanent discount. If the land changes use, rollback taxes may be owed.

Tax relief for the elderly and disabled is available to Frederick County property owners who meet income and net worth requirements. The qualifying veteran program provides relief for 100 percent service-connected disabled veterans. Applications and deadlines for these programs are handled by the Commissioner of the Revenue's office.

The personal property tax rate in Frederick County requires you to report new purchases or move-ins to the Commissioner within 60 days. A late filing penalty will be charged if you miss this deadline. Personal property taxes are assessed on vehicles, boats, trailers, and other taxable personal property owned on January 1 each year.

For questions about any of these programs, contact the Commissioner of the Revenue at 107 North Kent St., Winchester, VA 22604, phone (540) 665-5681. The office is familiar with all county tax relief options and can help determine what you may qualify for.