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Virginia County
Clarke County, Virginia
Berryville and northern Shenandoah Valley horse and orchard country - from Clarke County's fertile limestone valley floor (the county's Shenandoah Valley limestone soils produce some of Virginia's finest apple orchards, with the Clarke County-Frederick County corridor being a center of Virginia's apple industry, and the same limestone terrain supports the equestrian estates and fox hunting traditions that give northern Clarke County its distinctive horse country character) to the Shenandoah River's South Fork and North Fork confluence region (the county's Shenandoah River access provides fishing, canoeing, and scenic river corridor that complement the pastoral horse farm landscape).
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Office: Clarke County Fire, EMS & Emergency Management – 101 Chalmers Ct., Berryville, VA 22611 (Berryville-Clarke County Government Center, 1st floor) | (540) 955-5113 | Fax: (540) 955-5180 | Chief Wayne Whetsell – [email protected]
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:30 AM–4:30 PM
Communications Center (911/non-emergency dispatch): 100 N. Church St., Berryville – non-emergency (540) 955-1234
Notes: The department coordinates Clarke County’s three volunteer fire and rescue companies and maintains the county’s Emergency Operations Plan (last updated May 2023). Because Clarke is an agricultural community, the Sheriff’s Office separately maintains a livestock owner contact list so deputies can quickly notify an owner if cattle, horses, or sheep are found loose or injured – livestock owners can submit a Livestock Owner Contact Form to the Sheriff’s Office. The Sheriff’s Office lobby also has a 24-hour drug collection unit.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-50 and US-340 are primary corridors; the Shenandoah River runs through the county
Transit: No dedicated fixed-route county transit identified; confirm current regional options directly with the county
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Clarke County Building Department – 101 Chalmers Ct., Suite B, Berryville, VA 22611 | (540) 955-5112 | [email protected]
Services: Applications submitted by email or in person; inspection requests require a minimum 3–5 business days notice, and must include the permit number, property owner’s name, job site address, inspection type, desired date, and daytime phone number
Notes: The Clarke County Building Department also issues building permits for the Town of Boyce, one of the county’s incorporated towns – a useful detail if your property is within town limits, as you don’t need a separate town building office for that purpose (though Boyce does separately require its own yard-sale permit from Town Hall).
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: Clarke 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: Blandy Experimental Farm and the State Arboretum of Virginia, a 700+ acre University of Virginia research field station in Boyce, bequeathed to UVA in 1926 by the widow of Graham F. Blandy; designated the official State Arboretum of Virginia in 1986; features more than 1,000 species and varieties of woody plants, including a notable 300-tree Gingko Grove and significant pine, oak, and boxwood collections; 172 acres are open to self-guided walking daily, year-round, at no cost; the historic district (712 acres) is listed on the National Register of Historic Places; Cool Spring Battlefield along the Shenandoah River, part of Blandy’s broader campus, with grounds open dawn to dusk
Notes: Blandy also serves as a working research field station for UVA’s Department of Environmental Sciences – a genuine dual-purpose asset combining public recreation/education with active scientific research
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Clarke County GIS – accessible via clarkecounty.gov
Parcel Search: Clarke County Commissioner of the Revenue records
Addressing/911: Coordinated through the Clarke County Communications Center
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Clarke Animal Shelter – an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded 2000 | (540) 955-5104
Services: Open-admission shelter serving Clarke, Frederick, and Warren counties plus parts of Northern Virginia and the West Virginia Eastern Panhandle; same-day adoptions possible if a pre-adoption application is submitted and approved before your visit; all animals must be spayed/neutered before adoption – if an animal is too young, shelter staff will schedule an age-appropriate appointment (and can provide transport if you bring the animal in the day before and can’t make the appointment yourself)
Notes: The Sheriff’s Office (not the shelter) is the correct contact for stray dogs and wandering livestock reports. Blue Ridge Wildlife Center, a separate licensed wildlife hospital and rehabilitation facility, handles injured wildlife rather than the Clarke Animal Shelter – know which one you need before calling.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Environmental Complaints: Virginia Department of Environmental Quality – deq.virginia.gov
Notes: Contact Clarke County Administration directly for current refuse collection, transfer station, and recycling program details, as specifics were not independently confirmed for this entry
NOTES
Clarke County is home to Blandy Experimental Farm and the State Arboretum of Virginia, a genuine dual-purpose asset – a working University of Virginia environmental research station that also welcomes the public daily, year-round, to explore more than 1,000 species of trees and shrubs at no cost. The county’s agricultural character shapes several of its public safety practices, from the Sheriff’s Office livestock-owner contact registry to the Clarke Animal Shelter’s role as a regional open-admission facility serving multiple neighboring jurisdictions. All contact information above was sourced from official county and nonprofit pages as of this writing; phone numbers and hours should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit.
About Clarke County
Clarke County is Virginia’s northern Shenandoah Valley horse country and apple orchard county – the fertile limestone valley floor supports a landscape of equestrian estates, apple orchards, and pastoral farmland that has made Clarke County one of Virginia’s most scenically appealing small counties, conveniently accessible from the Washington DC area via Route 7 and Route 340.
Berryville (the county seat, population ~4,200) is Clarke County’s governmental and commercial hub, a charming small town whose Main Street and surrounding countryside attract both permanent residents and weekend visitors from the Washington metro.
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Clarke County Assessor at 101 Chalmers Court, Berryville, VA 22611, phone 540-955-5108. VA assessed at 100% fair market value.
Courts & Legal
Clarke County Circuit Court at 102 E. Main Street, Berryville, VA 22611, phone 540-955-5116, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CIRCUIT COURT CLERK
102 North Church St, Berryville, VA 22611
(540) 955-5116
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Clarke Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, Berryville (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above). The Old Clarke County Courthouse (built 1837) is on the National Register of Historic Places and served the county until 1977.
Local societies
No dedicated Clarke 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
Clarke Circuit Court 102 North Church Street, Berryville, VA 22611 (540) 955-5188
Clarke County is in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley/Northern Virginia border area, county seat Berryville. 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 Clarke 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 Clarke 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
200 East Main St, Berryville, VA 22611
(540) 955-1234
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
VOTER REGISTRAR
102 North Church St, Berryville, VA 22611
(540) 955-5138
ELECTIONS
Clarke County Electoral Board, 102 North Church St, Berryville, VA 22611
(540) 955-5138
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health District
Lord Fairfax Health District, 1000 Parkins Mill Rd, Berryville, VA 22611
(540) 955-1155
Department of Social Services
100 Chalmers Ct, Berryville, VA 22611
(540) 955-5124
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Lord Fairfax Health District (Virginia Department of Health) – serves Clarke 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: Berryville
Population: 15,000
Established: 1836
Tier: 3
Public Records
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