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Virginia County
Buckingham County, Virginia
Buckingham and Virginia slate quarrying heritage - from Buckingham County's significant natural slate deposits (the county contains some of Virginia's most productive slate quarries, and Buckingham slate has been used in buildings and roofs across the eastern United States for over a century, giving the county a distinctive industrial heritage tied to its geological character) to the county's central Virginia Piedmont agricultural landscape (the rolling terrain between the James River and the Appomattox watershed supports timber, cattle, and some crop farming across a largely rural county that has maintained its quiet agricultural character while absorbing some spillover residential growth from Charlottesville and Lynchburg).
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What do you need to do?
Tell us your goal and we'll guide you step-by-step to the right office, forms, and official resources.
Notes: The county’s Emergency Operations Plan is kept at the county administration office; during a countywide emergency, the county directs residents to local media (95.7 WFLO FM, 105.3 WBNN FM, and regional TV stations) for updates. E-911 addresses are issued after the footer inspection performed by the county building inspector – contact Charles Kirby with address-assignment questions.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-15 and US-60 are primary corridors; the county sits in the Piedmont between Charlottesville and Farmville
Transit: No dedicated fixed-route county transit identified; confirm current regional options directly with the county
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Buckingham County Building Inspection – 13380 W. James Anderson Hwy, Buckingham, VA 23921 | (434) 969-4243 ext. (confirm current extension) | Fax: (434) 969-1638
Building Official: Charles Kirby, (434) 969-4242 | [email protected]
Services: Permits reviewed under the 2021 Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code (Part 1, Sec. 101.2); applications can be submitted in person, by fax, or by email to the Permit Technician
Notes: Estimated cost of construction (labor and materials at current market value) must be included on the application; all structures are subject to field/site inspections for final code compliance
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: Buckingham County Public Library
Notes: Confirm current address and hours directly via the county website, as detailed branch information was limited in available sources
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Appomattox-Buckingham State Forest, the largest state forest in Virginia at 19,513 acres, shared with neighboring Appomattox County and managed by the Virginia Department of Forestry, established in 1954 on former farmland; Cumberland State Forest, 16,169 acres shared with Cumberland County, established in 1939
Notes: Buckingham’s two state forests together make it one of the more significant public-forestland counties accessible anywhere in Central Virginia for hiking, hunting, and outdoor recreation
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Buckingham County GIS – accessible via buckinghamcountyva.org
Parcel Search: Buckingham County Commissioner of the Revenue records
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Buckingham County Emergency Services (E-911 addresses issued after building inspector footer inspection)
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Buckingham County Animal Control / Shelter – 13360 West James Anderson Highway, Buckingham, VA
Animal Control Officer: Danny Shumaker; Assistant ACO: Maurice Jones – [email protected]
After-hours emergencies: Buckingham County Sheriff’s Office, (434) 969-1772 – a dispatcher will contact the on-duty ACO
Services: Shelter intake for dogs and cats by appointment only, Monday–Friday, as space is available; each animal is evaluated on arrival; a county rabies vaccination clinic is also offered
Notes: ACOs respond only to domestic animal calls – for wild game encounters or questions, contact the Sheriff’s Office, which will connect you with a game warden rather than an ACO. After hours, an ACO is on-call for true emergencies only (animals destroying property, attacking humans/other pets, or other severe circumstances) – a loose but non-threatening animal is not treated as an after-hours emergency.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Environmental Complaints: Virginia Department of Environmental Quality – deq.virginia.gov
Notes: Contact Buckingham County Administration directly for current refuse collection, transfer station, and recycling program details, as specifics were not independently confirmed for this entry
NOTES
Buckingham County holds a significant share of Virginia’s public forestland, home to both the Appomattox-Buckingham State Forest – the largest state forest in Virginia at over 19,500 acres – and a portion of the Cumberland State Forest, giving the county substantial hiking, hunting, and outdoor recreation acreage in the Piedmont region. The county’s animal control program draws a clear line between domestic-animal calls (handled by ACOs) and wildlife encounters (routed to a game warden through the Sheriff’s Office), a distinction worth knowing before calling. 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 Buckingham County
Buckingham County is central Virginia’s slate heritage and Piedmont agricultural county – the county’s natural slate deposits provided roofing material for generations of eastern American buildings while the surrounding Piedmont farmland and timber operations define a rural county positioned between the Charlottesville and Lynchburg metros in the heart of Virginia’s central Piedmont.
Buckingham (the county seat, population ~300) is one of Virginia’s smaller county seats, with county residents accessing commercial services primarily through Farmville to the east and Charlottesville to the north.
All Services
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Buckingham County Assessor at 13062 W. James Anderson Highway, Buckingham, VA 23921, phone 434-969-4744. VA assessed at 100% fair market value.
Courts & Legal
Buckingham County Circuit Court at 13061 W. James Anderson Highway, Buckingham, VA 23921, phone 434-969-4752, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CIRCUIT COURT CLERK
13380 West James Anderson Hwy, Buckingham, VA 23921
(434) 969-4972
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Buckingham Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, Buckingham (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Buckingham 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
Buckingham Circuit Court 13061 West James Anderson Highway, Buckingham, VA 23921 (434) 969-4734
Buckingham County is in Central Virginia, county seat Buckingham. 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 Buckingham 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 Buckingham 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
13439 West James Anderson Hwy, Buckingham, VA 23921
(434) 969-4364
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
VOTER REGISTRAR
13380 West James Anderson Hwy, Buckingham, VA 23921
(434) 969-4462
ELECTIONS
Buckingham County Electoral Board, 13380 West James Anderson Hwy, Buckingham, VA 23921
(434) 969-4462
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health District
Piedmont Health District, 13390 West James Anderson Hwy, Buckingham, VA 23921
(434) 969-4245
Department of Social Services
15579 James Madison Hwy, Buckingham, VA 23921
(434) 969-1811
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Piedmont Health District (Virginia Department of Health) – serves Buckingham 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: Buckingham
Population: 17,000
Established: 1761
Tier: 3
Public Records
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