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Virginia County
Madison County, Virginia
Madison and Blue Ridge foothills wine country - from Madison County's scenic position at the base of the Blue Ridge (the county's western edge rises to the Blue Ridge crest and Shenandoah National Park boundary, with Skyline Drive accessible from several county entry points, and the rolling Piedmont terrain descending eastward supports an expanding cluster of wineries, cideries, and craft breweries that have made Madison County a destination along Virginia's wine and agritourism trail) to the Robinson River corridor (the Robinson River drains Madison County's Piedmont landscape, providing trout fishing access and scenic rural character that complements the county's agricultural and viticulture economy).
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Office: Madison County Department of Emergency Management – part-time director/coordinator reporting to the County Administrator
After-hours dispatch: Madison Dispatch Center, (540) 948-5161
Notes: The Emergency Services Coordinator also serves as the county’s designated Hazardous Materials Officer, a role required by state law, responsible for HazMat incident response and reporting to the Virginia DEQ. Madison County EMS, founded to serve the county with a combination of volunteer and career staff, runs two advanced life support ambulances 24/7/365, handling roughly 1,500 calls a year.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-29 and US-231 are primary corridors; the county sits along the eastern boundary of Shenandoah National Park in the Blue Ridge Mountains
Transit: No dedicated fixed-route county transit identified; confirm current regional options directly with the county
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Madison County Building Department – administers the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, including permit applications, plan review, inspections, and certificates of occupancy
Services: Any work in a FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Area must comply with the county’s Floodplain Management Ordinance and Virginia flood code provisions
Notes: The county may only issue a building permit to a properly licensed contractor or someone exempt under Code of Virginia § 54.1-1101 (e.g., an owner building their own primary residence, subject to specific conditions); contractor licensing thresholds are Class C for jobs $1,000-$10,000, Class B for $10,000-$120,000. If a property owner secures a permit under the owner-exemption and then hires contractors, those contractors must still meet licensing requirements – the property owner remains legally responsible as permit holder, and failing to ensure proper licensing is a Class 1 misdemeanor for both parties.
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: Madison County Library – 402 N Main St, Madison, VA 22727 | (540) 948-4720 | P.O. Box 243, Madison, VA 22727
Services: Approximately 50,000 items including audio/DVD, downloadable e-books and audiobooks; 9 computer terminals with internet access, free Wi-Fi; children’s story hour Wednesdays at 11:00 AM; summer reading program in July; a Used Book Room upstairs sells donated books during library hours; the Friends of the Library group, (540) 948-4720, hosts additional events announced in The Madison Eagle
Notes: This is genuinely one of only eight fully independent (non-regional-system) public libraries in the entire Commonwealth of Virginia – most VA counties covered in this project belong to multi-jurisdiction regional library systems, making Madison’s standalone status notable
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Old Rag Mountain, a 3,284-foot peak at the eastern boundary of Shenandoah National Park near Sperryville – one of the most iconic and popular hikes in Virginia, featuring a strenuous ~9-mile circuit with an extended rock scramble section requiring hands-on climbing, typically taking 6-10 hours round trip; a day-use ticket reservation via Recreation.gov is REQUIRED to hike Old Rag (a relatively recent, important change hikers must plan for); pets are NOT allowed on the Old Rag trail; the mountain draws roughly 100,000+ visitors annually and is considered the most popular and most physically demanding trail in Shenandoah National Park
Notes: Standard Shenandoah National Park entrance fees apply in addition to the separate Old Rag day-use ticket. Hikers should carry at least 2 quarts of water per person and allow a full day – this is genuinely one of the more physically demanding and higher-risk popular hikes in the state, not a casual walk.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Madison County GIS – accessible via madisonco.virginia.gov
Parcel Search: Madison County Commissioner of the Revenue records
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Madison County Emergency Management
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Madison County Animal Shelter – housed in the same building as Animal Control, at the entrance to the county’s Transfer Station | P.O. Box 705, Madison, VA 22727 | (540) 948-6945
Services: Provides humane sheltering and care; adoptions and lost-and-found services; unadoptable animals are transferred to partner rescue organizations rather than routinely euthanized
Notes: Volunteers must be 18 or older, and can help socialize, exercise, groom, bathe, and photograph shelter animals. After-hours Animal Control responses are for emergencies only. A separate independent nonprofit, Madison County Humane Society, Landfill Rd, Madison, VA, (540) 948-6945 (same number listed for both in some sources – confirm current separate contact directly), also serves the area.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Madison County Transfer Station, located at the same site as Animal Control/Shelter
Environmental Complaints: Virginia Department of Environmental Quality – deq.virginia.gov
Notes: Contact county administration directly for current transfer station hours and accepted materials, as specifics were not independently confirmed for this entry
NOTES
Madison County anchors the eastern gateway to Shenandoah National Park, home to Old Rag Mountain – one of Virginia’s most iconic and demanding hikes, now requiring an advance day-use ticket reservation. The county’s public library is genuinely one of only eight independent, non-regional library systems remaining in Virginia, a distinctive local institution in a state where most counties now share library systems across multiple jurisdictions. All contact information above was sourced from official county and National Park Service pages as of this writing; phone numbers and hours should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit.
About Madison County
Madison County is central Virginia’s Blue Ridge wine country and Shenandoah access county – the scenic Piedmont foothills at the base of the Blue Ridge support a growing viticulture and agritourism economy while the county’s rural character and national park adjacency attract residents and visitors seeking Virginia’s distinctive Piedmont landscape.
Madison (the county seat, population ~300) is one of Virginia’s smaller county seats, with county residents accessing commercial services primarily through Culpeper and Charlottesville.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Madison County Assessor at 1 N. Main Street, Madison, VA 22727, phone 540-948-4411. VA assessed at 100% fair market value.
Courts & Legal
Madison County Circuit Court at 1 N. Main Street, Madison, VA 22727, phone 540-948-4412, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CIRCUIT COURT CLERK
414 North Main St, Madison, VA 22727
(540) 948-6888
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Madison Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, Madison (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Madison 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
Madison Circuit Court 2 Main Street, PO Box 220, Madison, VA 22727 (540) 948-6888
Madison County is in the Piedmont region near the Blue Ridge Mountains, county seat Madison. 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 Madison 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 Madison 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
106 East Church St, Madison, VA 22727
(540) 948-5161
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
VOTER REGISTRAR
414 North Main St, Madison, VA 22727
(540) 948-4610
ELECTIONS
Madison County Electoral Board, 414 North Main St, Madison, VA 22727
(540) 948-4610
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health District
Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District, 1195 Woodlawn Ave, Madison, VA 22727
(540) 948-5305
Department of Social Services
1815 South Main St, Madison, VA 22727
(540) 948-6531
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District (Virginia Department of Health) – serves Madison 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: Madison
Population: 13,500
Established: 1792
Tier: 3
Public Records
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