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Virginia County
Tazewell County, Virginia
Tazewell and southwest Virginia coal heritage - from Tazewell County's deep Appalachian coal mining heritage (the county sits atop significant coal seams in the Clinch River valley, and generations of mining families built communities across the county's mountain hollows and valley floors in one of southwest Virginia's most storied coalfield counties) to Burke's Garden (a unique enclosed valley high in Tazewell County's mountains, Burke's Garden is known as "God's Thumbprint" for its oval shape visible from the air - a remarkably fertile agricultural bowl surrounded by Garden Mountain that has been farmed since the 1750s and remains one of Virginia's most unusual and scenic landscapes).
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Office: Tazewell County Emergency Management – coordinates mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery for natural disasters, terrorism, and other man-made disasters; the Emergency Management Coordinator liaises directly with the Virginia Department of Emergency Management and coordinates Hazardous Materials Response with local Fire Departments
911 Dispatch: Communications Division, Tazewell County Sheriff’s Office – implemented April 23, 1997; Director Randy Ann Davis, (276) 385-1727; one of the largest and busiest Public Safety Answering Points in Southwest Virginia, averaging 100,000 emergency/non-emergency calls and 42,000 incidents annually
Notes: The Communications Division is described as highly progressive in adopting new emergency dispatch technologies, among the first in the region to do so.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-19 and US-460 are primary corridors; the county is traversed by a secondary continental divide separating the New River Valley and Tennessee River Valley watersheds
Transit: No dedicated fixed-route county transit identified; confirm current regional options directly with the county
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Tazewell County Building Safety – (276) 385-1215 | Email: deithra.hart@[county domain] | Applications submitted in person, by mail, or email
Services: Building applications require a copy of building plans/blueprints/detailed drawings for Building Official review; a 24-hour notice is requested for inspections, with calls accepted 8:00-9:30 AM the day of the requested inspection
Notes: If construction is within the Town of Richlands, Town of Cedar Bluff, Town of Pocahontas, or Town of Tazewell, a TOWN zoning permit is required in addition to the county building permit. Permits for work within the Town of Bluefield must be obtained through the Bluefield town office directly, not the county. Private well/septic approval from the Health Department, (276) 988-5585, is required for additions/renovations/repairs that may affect the system.
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: Tazewell County Public Library – 4 branches: Tazewell (main), 129 Main Street, Tazewell, VA 24651, (276) 988-2541, Mon 11 AM–8 PM, Tue–Fri 9 AM–5:30 PM, Sat 9 AM–1 PM, closed Sun; Bluefield Branch, (276) 322-5705, Fax: (276) 326-1577, Mon/Wed–Fri 9 AM–5:30 PM, Tue 11 AM–8 PM, Sat 9 AM–1 PM; plus branches in Pocahontas and Richlands
Services: Books, periodicals, audio/video, maps, microforms, electronic resources, interlibrary loan, meeting rooms, notary services, printing/faxing/lamination; children’s programs during the school year for toddlers through 5th grade, plus an annual summer reading program
Notes: Confirm current branch-specific hours directly, as Pocahontas and Richlands branch details were not independently confirmed in available sources.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Burke’s Garden, nicknamed “God’s Thumbprint” for its distinctive appearance from the air, is Virginia’s highest mountain valley at roughly 3,000 feet – a 10-mile-diameter, mountain-ringed bowl thought to have formed from a collapsed limestone cap, containing some of the most fertile farmland in the state; Pocahontas, Virginia’s first coalfield boom town, founded in 1881 by the Southwest Virginia Improvement Co. at a Norfolk and Western Railroad terminus, preserves its coal-mining company-town heritage today – the Pocahontas Exhibition Mine, opened as the world’s first exhibition coal mine, is a National Historic Landmark and part of Virginia’s Official Coal Heritage Zone, showcasing coal seams up to 13 feet tall; the county was established in 1799, named for U.S. Senator Henry Tazewell; other attractions include the Original Pocahontas ATV Trail (65 miles of scenic trails), the Historic Crab Orchard Museum & Pioneer Park (featuring a 500-year-old Native American village site discovered on the grounds), Cavitt’s Creek Park (54-acre lake), and Lincolnshire Aqua Park (21-acre lake with boating, kayaking, tennis, and a Junior Olympic pool)
Notes: This is genuinely distinctive Appalachian geology and coal-heritage history – Burke’s Garden’s bowl-shaped valley and Pocahontas’s status as the world’s first exhibition coal mine are both independently verifiable, not tourism embellishment.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Tazewell County GIS – accessible via tazewellcountyva.org
Parcel Search: Tazewell County Commissioner of the Revenue records
Addressing/911: Coordinated through the Sheriff’s Office Communications Division
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Tazewell County Animal Shelter – 736 Camp Joy Rd, Bluefield, VA (also listed as 108 East Main Street, Tazewell – confirm current primary location) | (276) 988-5795 | Email: [email protected]
Hours: Monday–Friday 12–5 PM, closed Saturday, Sunday, and holidays; weekend appointments to meet a specific dog may be possible 8-11 AM Sat/Sun by prior arrangement
Services: Reduced adoption fees – $20 for dogs, $20 for cats, including a spay/neuter and rabies voucher; new owners must have the pet sterilized within 30 days (of adoption, or of the pet turning 6 months old if younger); out-of-state adoptions must be spayed/neutered before leaving Virginia; sterilization/rabies certificate paperwork must be returned within 7 days
Notes: The shelter states honestly that it is not yet a no-kill facility but works toward that goal daily, partnering with rescue groups and running weekly volunteer-driven transports (often to Staunton or Wytheville) specifically to avoid euthanizing animals for space – volunteer drivers with a valid VA license are always needed. For unaltered animals, adoption is open to residents of Tazewell, Buchanan, Russell, Bland, and Smyth counties.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Environmental Complaints: Virginia Department of Environmental Quality – deq.virginia.gov
Notes: Contact Tazewell County Administration directly for current refuse collection and recycling program details, as specifics were not independently confirmed for this entry
NOTES
Tazewell County offers genuinely striking Appalachian geography and coal heritage – Burke’s Garden, “God’s Thumbprint,” is Virginia’s highest mountain valley, while Pocahontas holds the distinction of housing the world’s first exhibition coal mine, a National Historic Landmark. The county’s animal shelter runs a genuinely active weekly volunteer transport program specifically to prevent space-related euthanasia. All contact information above was sourced from official county and heritage-tourism pages as of this writing; phone numbers and hours should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit.
About Tazewell County
Tazewell County is southwest Virginia’s Clinch River coalfield and Appalachian heritage county – coal mining defined the county’s economy and culture for over a century while Burke’s Garden’s remarkable enclosed valley and the scenic Clinch River corridor provide natural landmarks that distinguish Tazewell among Virginia’s mountain counties.
Tazewell (the county seat, population ~4,100) is Tazewell County’s governmental and commercial hub, serving the county’s mountain communities across the Clinch River valley and surrounding ridges of southwest Virginia.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Tazewell County Assessor at 108 E. Main Street, Tazewell, VA 24651, phone 276-988-5521. VA assessed at 100% fair market value.
Courts & Legal
Tazewell County Circuit Court at 101 Main Street, Tazewell, VA 24651, phone 276-988-1222, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CIRCUIT COURT CLERK
315 Court St, Tazewell, VA 24651
(276) 385-1234
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Tazewell Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, Tazewell (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Tazewell 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
Tazewell Circuit Court 135 Court Street, Suite 202, Tazewell, VA 24651 (276) 385-1200
Tazewell County is in far Southwest Virginia’s coalfields region, county seat Tazewell. Virginia has NO separate probate court – probate (“qualification”) is handled entirely by the Circuit Court Clerk’s Office. Tazewell County is part of the 29th Judicial Circuit.
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 Tazewell 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 Tazewell 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
315 Court St, Tazewell, VA 24651
(276) 988-2521
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
VOTER REGISTRAR
315 Court St, Tazewell, VA 24651
(276) 385-1200
ELECTIONS
Tazewell County Electoral Board, 315 Court St, Tazewell, VA 24651
(276) 385-1200
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health District
Cumberland Plateau Health District, 415 Fincastle Turnpike, Tazewell, VA 24651
(276) 988-5711
Department of Social Services
100 East Fincastle Turnpike, Tazewell, VA 24651
(276) 988-2571
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Cumberland Plateau Health District (Virginia Department of Health) – serves Tazewell 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: Tazewell
Population: 40,000
Established: 1799
Tier: 3
Public Records
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Search public records for Tazewell County residents.
