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Office: Highland County Department of Emergency Management – P.O. Box 130, Monterey, VA 24465
911 Dispatch: Provides police, fire, and rescue dispatch for the county
Notes: Emergency response is delivered through a network of small volunteer companies: Highland County Volunteer Fire Department (Monterey office, (540) 468-2484; Blue Grass Substation, (540) 474-2484), Highland County Volunteer Rescue Squad, (540) 468-2295, and McDowell Volunteer Fire Department, (540) 396-3445 (Doe Hill Substation, (540) 396-6245). The Highland County Department of Emergency Medical Services (HCEMS), founded in 2019, is the county’s first and only career EMS agency, supplementing the volunteer companies with at least one EMT or higher staffed 24 hours a day (with some exceptions), operating under an agreement with the Volunteer Rescue Squad that lets HCEMS staff use their station and equipment.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-220 and SH-84 are primary corridors through this mountainous county; I-64 connects from Richmond and Staunton to reach the region
Transit: No dedicated fixed-route county transit identified; confirm current regional options directly with the county
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Highland County Department of Building and Zoning – 30 Spruce Street, P.O. Box 188, Monterey, VA 24465 | (540) 468-2323
Services: Administers the county ordinance and Comprehensive Plan; issues building, zoning, land disturbance, and erosion/sediment control permits; approves plans and plats; issues E-911 addresses – genuinely handles an unusually broad range of functions in a single small department, reflecting the county’s small size
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: Highland County Public Library – 31 N. Water St, P.O. Box 519, Monterey, VA 24465 | (540) 468-2373 | Fax: (540) 468-2085 | [email protected]
Services: Functions as both a public library and community center; offers Brainfuse HelpNow (live online tutoring, writing help, test prep) and Brainfuse JobNow (resume/cover letter help, interview prep, live career coaching); Hoopla Magazines BingePass for digital magazine access
Notes: The library was established through a genuine grassroots community effort, overcoming local opposition in its early history – the library’s own director describes it as something that “still belongs to the community that built it.” Confirm current hours directly, as the library also serves as a community gathering space with regular programming.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Highland County Maple Festival, held the second and third weekends of March since 1959 – designated a “Local Legacy” by the Library of Congress in 1999 and the official maple festival of Virginia by state law in 2014; the festival draws tens of thousands of visitors (a 2023 economic impact study found $2.4 million in direct local spending) to tour real working maple sugar camps (10 open camps in 2026, 9 during the second weekend), with maple doughnuts served from 6 AM and pancake meals from 7 AM, plus clogging, bluegrass, and square dancing at the Highland Center; Hayfields State Park, Virginia’s 44th state park, newly opened south of McDowell for hiking and fishing; Highland County is nicknamed “Virginia’s Switzerland” for its mountainous scenery and is Virginia’s second-highest county by average elevation after Grayson County; the county is also home to Virginia’s first Barn Quilt Trail
Notes: The festival was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19 but returned to record crowds in 2022 – check highlandcounty.org/maple-festival for current dates and event schedules, as these change annually
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Highland County GIS – accessible via highlandcova.org
Parcel Search: Highland County Commissioner of the Revenue records
Addressing/911: Coordinated through the Department of Building and Zoning, which issues E-911 addresses directly
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Highland SPCA – located in the county seat of Monterey; the county provides the shelter building and utilities, while the independent Highland SPCA finances and operates it, employing a part-time (25 hours/week) shelter manager
Capacity: 5 dogs and 25 cats – a genuinely small facility reflecting the county’s tiny population and correspondingly low pet population; local residents often provide additional foster space when the shelter is full
Notes: Virginia’s State Veterinarian inspects all animal shelters, including this one, annually. This is about as small-scale and community-run as animal welfare gets in Virginia – worth knowing if you’re inquiring about capacity for a large intake or surrender.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Environmental Complaints: Virginia Department of Environmental Quality – deq.virginia.gov
Notes: Contact Highland County Administration directly for current refuse collection and recycling program details, as specifics were not independently confirmed for this entry
NOTES
Highland County, Virginia’s least populous jurisdiction at roughly 2,300 residents, is genuinely known as “Virginia’s Switzerland” for its high mountain elevation and scenery, and hosts one of the state’s most beloved annual traditions – the Highland County Maple Festival, a Library of Congress “Local Legacy” and Virginia’s official state maple festival since 2014. Both the county’s animal shelter (5 dogs, 25 cats capacity) and its public library reflect the intimate, community-run scale typical of the state’s smallest counties. 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 Highland County County
Highland County is Virginia’s Little Switzerland and maple sugar county – the state’s highest average elevation, Alpine pastoral valleys, and the Highland Maple Festival that draws thousands to one of Virginia’s most remote communities each March define a county of extraordinary mountain character and natural beauty near the West Virginia border.
Monterey (the county seat, population ~200) is Highland County’s governmental hub, one of Virginia’s smallest county seats – a tiny Allegheny Highlands community whose maple festival, Swiss mountain character, and remote setting anchor its identity as one of Virginia’s most distinctive and least-visited communities.
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Highland County Commissioner of Revenue at 165 W. Main Street, Monterey, VA 24465, phone 540-468-2142. VA assessed at 100% fair market value.
Courts & Legal
Highland County Circuit Court at 165 W. Main Street, Monterey, VA 24465, phone 540-468-2447, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CIRCUIT COURT CLERK
84 Court House Hill Rd, Monterey, VA 24465
(540) 468-2447
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Highland Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, Monterey (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Highland 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
Highland Circuit Court 165 West Main Street, PO Box 190, Monterey, VA 24465 (540) 468-2447
Highland County is in Western Virginia’s mountains, Virginia’s least populous county and known as “Virginia’s Switzerland,” county seat Monterey. 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 Highland 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 Highland 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
84 Court House Hill Rd, Monterey, VA 24465
(540) 468-2044
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
VOTER REGISTRAR
84 Court House Hill Rd, Monterey, VA 24465
(540) 468-2447
ELECTIONS
Highland County Electoral Board, 84 Court House Hill Rd, Monterey, VA 24465
(540) 468-2447
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, 161 Mustoe Rd, Monterey, VA 24465
(540) 468-2453
Department of Social Services
68 Court House Hill Rd, Monterey, VA 24465
(540) 468-2141
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Central Shenandoah Health District (Virginia Department of Health) – serves Highland 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: Monterey
Population: 2,200
Public Records
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