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Virginia · Shenandoah Valley · Staunton · #376
Augusta County, Virginia
The Shenandoah Valley's geographic heart - Augusta County encompasses Staunton and Waynesboro as independent cities and surrounds them with the Valley's broadest agricultural plain, the eastern face of the Allegheny Mountains, and some of Virginia's most historic territory. Woodrow Wilson's birthplace, the American Shakespeare Center, and the Blue Ridge Parkway southern terminus all sit within the county's sphere. Property tax, courts, public records, probate, and senior services for Augusta County residents.
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Office: Augusta County Office of Emergency Management – 18 Government Center Lane, Verona, VA 24482
Disaster info line (shelters, food, medical care, evacuation routes): (540) 245-5501, staffed 24/7
Emergency Communications Center: same address, (540) 245-5501 – began operation in 1990, staffed 24 hours a day/365 days a year, and serves as a backup communications center for the Staunton Police Department and Waynesboro Emergency Operations Center
Notes: Coordinates and activates rescue, sheltering, and medical care during a disaster and assigns local agencies/volunteer groups to carry out the county disaster plan
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-64 and I-81 intersect within the county; US-11 and US-250 are also primary corridors
Transit: No dedicated fixed-route county transit identified; confirm current regional options directly with the county
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Augusta County Building Inspection Department – 18 Government Center Lane, Suite 1106, Verona, VA 24482 | (540) 245-5717 or (540) 245-5700 | Fax: (540) 245-5066 | [email protected]
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM–5:00 PM
Services: Permits issued under the 2021 Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code (USBC), effective January 18, 2025; required to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, convert, or demolish any building, and for electrical/plumbing/mechanical work; sub-permits (electrical, plumbing, mechanical) for non-residential projects are obtained separately from the primary building permit
Notes: Once issued, work must start within six months and continue in each subsequent six-month period to keep the permit valid. Inspections must be requested no later than 4:00 PM the working day before – the county does not schedule specific time blocks. Credit card payment (Visa, Mastercard, Discover) is accepted with a 2.7% convenience fee via emailed invoice; phone payments are not accepted. Replacement siding, roofing, and windows in a designated historic district, or any otherwise-exempt work located in a special flood hazard area, may still require a permit – confirm before starting.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
State VSO: Virginia Department of Veterans Services – dvs.virginia.gov (statewide office locator for the nearest Veterans Service Representative)
Notes: Confirm current local point of contact directly with dvs.virginia.gov
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Augusta County Library – 7 locations across the county
Main/Administrative branch: 1759 Jefferson Highway, Fishersville, VA 22939 | (540) 885-3961 or (540) 949-6354 | [email protected]
Notes: Confirm hours for your specific branch directly, as they can vary location to location across the 7-branch system
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Augusta County wraps around the independent cities of Staunton and Waynesboro in the Shenandoah Valley; Augusta Health, a 255-bed nonprofit hospital in Fishersville (opened 1994, formed from a merger of Staunton’s Kings Daughters Hospital and Waynesboro Community Hospital), anchors regional healthcare; Stuarts Draft Park offers ballfields and county recreation facilities
Notes: The county straddles I-64 and I-81, giving it significant regional connectivity for Shenandoah Valley recreation and travel
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Augusta County GIS (for addresses, parcels, zoning/overlays, and comprehensive plan info) – accessible via co.augusta.va.us
Parcel Search: Augusta County Real Estate Assessments
Addressing/911: Coordinated through the Emergency Communications Center
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Staunton Augusta Waynesboro Animal Shelter (SAWAS), operated as the Shenandoah Valley Animal Services Center – 1011 Lee Highway, Verona, VA | (540) 943-5142
Augusta County Animal Control (enforcement, not the shelter itself): (540) 245-5635, Monday–Friday 8:00 AM–5:30 PM
Services: Open-admission regional shelter serving Augusta County, Staunton, and Waynesboro jointly; takes in strays and owner surrenders; cats may be dropped off directly at SAWAS during regular hours (appointments recommended) – Animal Control itself does not pick up stray or owner-surrendered cats
Notes: In Augusta County specifically, only emergency animal calls receive a response after 7 PM – non-emergency calls (including a dog running at large, which is NOT treated as an emergency) are handled the next business day. This differs from Staunton and Waynesboro, which provide 24/7 local animal control response. If you believe an animal may have exposed you or another animal to rabies, contact the Virginia Department of Health directly, not Animal Control. A separate nonprofit, the Augusta Regional SPCA, also operates in the area but is not affiliated with SAWAS or county Animal Control – check which organization you actually need before calling.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Environmental Complaints: Virginia Department of Environmental Quality – deq.virginia.gov
Notes: The county’s Environmental Management Systems department and Community Development handle stormwater, erosion & sediment control plan review, pollution/illicit discharge, and dumpsite reporting – check co.augusta.va.us directly for current program specifics and reporting forms
NOTES
Augusta County wraps geographically around the independent cities of Staunton and Waynesboro, and several of its core services – animal sheltering through SAWAS, and regional hospital care through Augusta Health – are shared jointly across all three localities rather than run separately. This regional structure means residents should know that after-hours animal control response is notably more limited in the county than in the neighboring cities, and that private well/septic questions route to the Staunton health department rather than county Building Inspection. All contact information above was sourced from official county and shelter pages as of this writing; phone numbers and hours should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit.
About Augusta County
Augusta County is immense by Virginia standards – at nearly 971 square miles it is one of the largest counties in the state – and it wraps around two independent cities (Staunton and Waynesboro) that form its urban core while remaining legally separate jurisdictions. The county’s geography runs from the floor of the Shenandoah Valley westward into the Allegheny Highlands and eastward to the Blue Ridge crest along Skyline Drive, encompassing a remarkable range of terrain and land use. The Scots-Irish settlers who came to this valley in the eighteenth century left a cultural imprint that persists in the county’s music traditions, its independent character, and the Presbyterian church communities that still dot the rural landscape.
Augusta County’s economy today mixes agriculture (particularly poultry – Pilgrim’s Pride and Cargill operate major processing facilities in the county), healthcare (Augusta Health in Fishersville is the county’s largest employer), manufacturing, and a growing tourism economy tied to the Shenandoah Valley trail and heritage tourism corridor. The American Shakespeare Center’s Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton and the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library draw visitors to the immediate area. The county itself is predominantly rural, with a landscape of farms, forests, and small communities that retain genuine Appalachian character – the kind of countryside that has become attractive to remote workers and retirees seeking lower costs than Northern Virginia or the Richmond suburbs.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Augusta County conducts annual real property assessments at 100% of fair market value. The 2025 real property tax rate is $0.63 per $100 of assessed value – one of the lower rates in the Shenandoah Valley, supported by agricultural tax base and relatively restrained county spending. Property owners may appeal informally to the Assessor and then formally to the Board of Equalization, with the spring appeal deadline typically around April 1. Circuit Court appeal follows. Augusta County’s senior and disabled relief: qualifying residents 65 or older (or permanently disabled) with income below approximately $75,000 and net worth below $540,000 may receive a partial or full real estate tax exemption; applications are due March 31. Virginia has no estate or inheritance tax. 100% service-connected disabled veterans are fully exempt from real estate tax on their primary residence.
Courts & Legal
Courts & Legal
Augusta County Circuit Court: 6 East Johnson Street, Staunton, VA 24401 | (540) 245-5321. The Circuit Court Clerk serves Augusta County, Staunton, and Waynesboro for probate qualification, deed recording, and estate filings. Augusta County’s large agricultural land base creates a specific estate planning need: farm and forest tracts held for multiple generations often have complex ownership histories, undivided interests among many heirs, and informal succession that creates title problems. A deed review and formal estate plan coordinated with land use tax status (agricultural or silvicultural enrollment) are the most common and consequential planning steps for rural Augusta families.
Senior Services
Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission – Aging Services / Valley Program for Aging Services (VPAS)
325 Pine Avenue, Waynesboro, VA 22980
Phone: (540) 942-8624
Senior transportation, Meals on Wheels, caregiver support, home care coordination, and long-term care referrals across Augusta County, Staunton, and Waynesboro.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CIRCUIT COURT CLERK
1 East Johnson St, Staunton, VA 24401
(540) 245-5321
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Augusta Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, Staunton (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Augusta County was one of the original Virginia counties formed from the vast colonial-era Augusta County (1738), historically encompassing much of what is now West Virginia, Kentucky, and beyond – significant for researchers tracing westward migration from the Shenandoah Valley.
Local societies
No dedicated Augusta County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Augusta Circuit Court 1 East Johnson Street, PO Box 689, Staunton, VA 24402 (540) 245-5321
Augusta County is in the Shenandoah Valley, county seat Staunton (an independent city). Virginia has NO separate probate court – probate (“qualification”) is handled entirely by the Circuit Court Clerk’s Office.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Virginia calls the probate process “qualification” rather than “appointment,” and it happens administratively at the Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, not before a judge, unless a dispute arises.
Small Estate Affidavit (Va. Code § 64.2-601, the “Virginia Small Estate Act”) – available when the decedent’s entire personal probate estate (excluding real estate) does not exceed $75,000, at least 60 days have passed since death, and no personal representative has been appointed or has a pending application in any jurisdiction. If a will exists, it must first be admitted to probate (recorded with the Clerk) even though no executor is appointed. As of July 1, 2026, the affidavit must be filed on the statewide form (CC-1685).
Single Small Asset Release (Va. Code § 64.2-602) – any person or institution holding a single asset of $35,000 or less may release it directly to a successor once 60 days have passed since death and no personal representative has qualified, without any affidavit required at all.
Real Estate Affidavit (Form CC-1612) – if the decedent owned only real estate, this can be recorded directly in land records without full probate. Real estate generally cannot be transferred through the small estate affidavit process.
Full Qualification / Administration – the standard path for larger or more complex estates. The personal representative appears before the Clerk, takes an oath, files the will and death certificate, and typically posts a surety bond. The estate is then supervised by a Commissioner of Accounts throughout administration.
Step 2: filing for administration
The person seeking to qualify as executor or administrator brings the original will (if any) and a certified death certificate to the Augusta Circuit Court Clerk’s Office.
The Clerk reviews the will’s validity and admits it to probate.
The personal representative takes an oath and qualifies, posting a bond if required; the Clerk issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
The Commissioner of Accounts oversees the estate going forward.
The personal representative notifies creditors, pays valid debts, and manages estate assets.
Remaining assets are distributed to beneficiaries or heirs, and the estate is closed once final accounting is approved.
What it costs
Virginia imposes a PROBATE TAX on most wills admitted to probate and grants of administration: $1 state tax + $0.33 local tax for every $1,000 of estate value. No tax is imposed on estates valued at $15,000 or less.
Filing fees for qualification vary by estate size; confirm current Augusta County fees directly.
Virginia does NOT impose a state estate tax or inheritance tax – repealed for deaths on or after July 1, 2007. Only the federal estate tax may apply, and only to very large estates.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
20 Government Center Ln, Verona, VA 24482
(540) 245-5333
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
VOTER REGISTRAR
18 Government Center Ln, Verona, VA 24482
(540) 245-5734
ELECTIONS
Augusta County Electoral Board, 18 Government Center Ln, Verona, VA 24482
(540) 245-5734
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health District
Central Shenandoah Health District, 25 Jefferson St, Staunton, VA 24401
(540) 332-7830
Department of Social Services
13 Government Center Ln, Verona, VA 24482
(540) 245-5800
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Virginia Department of Health office serving Augusta County – 1426 North Augusta Street, Staunton, VA | (540) 332-7830
Services: Private water supply and sewage disposal system guidance, immunizations, WIC, environmental health, vital records
Notes: For private well/septic questions specifically, the county directs residents to this Staunton health department office rather than county Building Inspection
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Staunton (independent city)
Population: 77,000
Area: 971 mi²
Tier: 3
Inmate Services
Care Packages
Send care packages to inmates in Augusta County facilities via Amazon.
