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Virginia County
Bedford County, Virginia
National D-Day Memorial and Smith Mountain Lake - from Bedford's National D-Day Memorial (Bedford lost more men per capita on D-Day than any other American community, and the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford honors the sacrifice of the Bedford Boys and all who served in the Normandy invasion, making the city one of the nation's most poignant World War II remembrance sites) to Smith Mountain Lake (one of Virginia's largest and most popular lakes, Smith Mountain Lake straddles Bedford, Franklin, and Pittsylvania counties, attracting boaters, vacation home owners, and retirees to its 500-plus miles of shoreline in the Blue Ridge foothills).
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Office: Bedford County Office of Emergency Management – 1185 Turning Point Road, Bedford, VA 24523 | (540) 587-0700
Alert System: Alert Bedford – the county’s emergency notification system
Notes: The office works with the Bedford Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC), which meets quarterly to maintain a comprehensive chemical emergency response plan covering both the Town and County of Bedford under SARA Title III (Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986)
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: SH-43 and US-460, primary corridors; the county sits between the cities of Lynchburg (east) and Roanoke (west) along the Blue Ridge
Transit: No dedicated fixed-route county transit identified; confirm current regional options directly with the county
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Bedford County Department of Community Development, Building Inspections – 122 E. Main Street, Suite G-03, Bedford, VA 24523 | (540) 586-7616
Inspection scheduling: (540) 586-7611 (voicemail) or the online Citizen Self-Service (CSS) portal – provide your permit number, name, and address; requests received before 4 PM are typically scheduled for the next business day
Hours (effective Jan. 2, 2025): Monday–Friday, 8 AM–4:30 PM; permits stop being issued and new applications stop being accepted at 4 PM daily
Services: New home construction permits are generally reviewed within 5–10 business days of a complete application; electrical permits can often be issued same-day when submitted in person; applications available via the CSS portal or by mail
Notes: A $25 reinspection fee applies if the site isn’t posted with the building permit, or if work isn’t ready when an inspection is requested. Bedford County has issued building and land-disturbance permits for the (former) City/now-Town of Bedford since November 1, 2012 – an approved Town of Bedford zoning permit is still required in addition to any county plan review before a county permit is issued for work within town limits.
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: Bedford Public Library System – 6 branches across the county
Notes: Confirm current branch addresses and hours directly via the county website, as detailed per-branch information was limited in available sources
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Peaks of Otter (Sharp Top, Flat Top, and Harkening Hill), a well-known Blue Ridge Parkway destination with a National Park Service visitor center, lodge, campground, and Abbott Lake, roughly 9 miles from the Town of Bedford; Smith Mountain Lake, a major regional reservoir for boating and fishing, partially covered by the Smith Mountain Cooperative Wildlife Management Area (4,996 acres, cooperatively managed by the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources and Virginia Outdoors Foundation on land owned by Appalachian Power); the National D-Day Memorial, honoring Bedford’s uniquely high proportion of D-Day casualties relative to its population; Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest retreat home, open for tours June–September with free access to the restored 1930s farmhouse, gardens, and orchard
Notes: The National D-Day Memorial’s location in Bedford commemorates the town’s historically documented disproportionate loss of local soldiers on D-Day, one of the highest per-capita losses of any American community that day – this is a well-documented historical fact, not a marketing claim
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Bedford County GIS – accessible via bedfordcountyva.gov
Parcel Search: Bedford County Commissioner of the Revenue records
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Bedford County Emergency Communications (911)
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Bedford County Animal Shelter – 1307 Falling Creek Rd, Bedford, VA 24523
Hours: Tuesday–Friday 1 PM–6 PM, Saturday 10 AM–2 PM, closed Sunday/Monday and state holidays
Services: Boarding for abandoned and stray animals, adoptions; stray animals picked up by county Animal Control Officers are brought here
Notes: In 2026 the shelter completed a major expansion adding roughly 3,000 feet of kennel space and outdoor dog runs. For an active emergency, call 911. The independent nonprofit Bedford Humane Society (separate from the county shelter) runs its own spay/neuter partnership network, a “Forgotten Felines” trap/neuter/release program, and “Animeals,” a pet food pantry for families experiencing financial hardship – worth knowing about if you need pet-food assistance rather than shelter services specifically. “Friends of Bedford County Animal Shelter” is a separate nonprofit that supports the county shelter itself.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Bedford County Waste Management – gated waste convenience centers plus a central Waste Management Facility (open even on holidays when county offices are closed)
Environmental Complaints: Virginia Department of Environmental Quality – deq.virginia.gov
Notes: Check bedfordcountyva.gov directly for current convenience center hours and locations
NOTES
Bedford County absorbed its former county seat, the independent City of Bedford, when Bedford reverted to town status on July 1, 2013 – one of only three Virginia localities to ever do so (the others being South Boston and Clifton Forge). Because of that history, county building permits for work within the Town of Bedford still require a separate town zoning permit as well. The county’s identity is shaped by the Blue Ridge Parkway’s Peaks of Otter, Smith Mountain Lake, Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest, and the National D-Day Memorial, which commemorates the town’s historically significant losses on D-Day. All contact information above was sourced from official county pages as of this writing; phone numbers and hours should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit.
About Bedford County
Bedford County is central Virginia’s D-Day heritage and Smith Mountain Lake county – the National D-Day Memorial honors Bedford’s extraordinary sacrifice in World War II while Smith Mountain Lake drives a significant recreation and retirement economy across the Blue Ridge foothills between Roanoke and Lynchburg.
Bedford (the county seat, population ~6,300) anchors the county’s governmental functions and serves as the cultural home of the D-Day Memorial while the lake communities and Blue Ridge foothills landscape define the county’s broader character.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Bedford County Assessor at 122 E. Main Street, Bedford, VA 24523, phone 540-586-7621. VA assessed at 100% fair market value.
Courts & Legal
Bedford County Circuit Court at 123 E. Main Street, Bedford, VA 24523, phone 540-586-7632, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CIRCUIT COURT CLERK
123 East Main St, Bedford, VA 24523
(540) 586-7632
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Bedford Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, Bedford (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Bedford County is notable for the National D-Day Memorial, reflecting the town’s disproportionate WWII losses at Normandy – a documented point of local historical record.
Local societies
No dedicated Bedford 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
Bedford Circuit Court 123 East Main Street, Suite 201, Bedford, VA 24523 (540) 586-7632
Bedford County is in Central Virginia near the Blue Ridge Mountains, county seat Bedford (formerly an independent city, which reverted to town status within the county in 2013 – a rare reversal in Virginia). 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 Bedford 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 Bedford 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
1900 Falling Creek Rd, Bedford, VA 24523
(540) 586-7827
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
VOTER REGISTRAR
122 East Main St, Bedford, VA 24523
(540) 587-5651
ELECTIONS
Bedford County Electoral Board, 122 East Main St, Bedford, VA 24523
(540) 587-5651
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health District
Central Virginia Health District, 1225 Falling Creek Rd, Bedford, VA 24523
(540) 586-7930
Department of Social Services
1300 Falling Creek Rd, Bedford, VA 24523
(540) 586-7708
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Central Virginia Health District (Virginia Department of Health) – serves Bedford County
Services: Immunizations, WIC, environmental health, vital records
Notes: Virginia delivers public health primarily through regional Virginia Department of Health districts rather than standalone county health departments
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Bedford
Population: 79,000
Established: 1753
Tier: 2
Public Records
TruthFinder
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