Goochland County, VA Property Records: Search Deeds, Owners, Tax Records, and Maps

Under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act, you can access Goochland County property records from the Clerk of the Circuit Court, Assessor’s Office, and the Treasurer’s Office. These local offices ensure public access to these records for over 17,000 land parcels across the county.

Listed homes in Goochland County sell in approximately 12 days, slightly faster than the statewide average. About 90% of the county’s housing units are single-family detached homes.

Recent records reveal the underlying factors influencing the local real estate market, with a median home value of $362,450 and median rent of $1,102, alongside a median household income of $105,467 and a median real estate tax rate of 0.52 as a percentage of the property's assessed value.

How to Look Up Goochland County Property Records

Goochland County property records are available through online portals maintained by local offices, including the Clerk of the Circuit Court, Assessor’s Office, and Treasurer. Anyone can look up property information on these portals by the property address, recorded date, parcel ID, or references.

Who Keeps Goochland County Property Records?

Under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act, Goochland County property records are public information that any individual can access. These records are maintained by the following county departments:

• The Clerk of the Circuit Court records property documents and maintains Goochland’s official land records, including deeds, deeds of trust, plats, powers of attorney, easements, assignments, liens, and land contracts.

• The Assessor’s Office assesses parcels in the county and maintains real estate ownership and assessment information. The office also handles assessment appeals.

• The Treasurer's Office mails tax bills to homeowners and processes payments. The office also serves as the custodian of property tax records.

How to Search Goochland County Property Records Online

To search Goochland County property records online, follow these steps across the available search portals:

1. Search for the property by name or address through the Goochland Parcel Viewer. Locate the property on the portal to view the owner’s name, assessment history, recent sale, zoning, and sketches.
2. Access Goochland land records through the Circuit Court Secure Remote Access to search for documents by name, book/page, instrument number, or recorded date.
3. Obtain deeds through the Circuit Court’s portal to verify the property’s chain of title. Look up each grantor's information to ensure it matches the grantee on the prior deed.
4. Look up deeds of trust and liens through the Circuit Court’s portal to check for property debts and active liens.
5. Verify the tax status of a Goochland property through the Treasurer’s payment portal. The portal provides information on real estate tax bills and delinquent taxes.

Clerk of the Circuit Court: Deeds, Deeds of Trust, and Plats

The Goochland County Clerk of the Circuit Court records and indexes real estate documents under the county’s official land records. These documents include:

• Deeds, including general and special warranty deeds and quitclaim deeds

• Deeds of trust, releases, assignments, and modifications

• Judgment liens, mechanic's liens, and state and federal tax liens

• Easements, restrictive covenants, and powers of attorney

• Subdivision plats, condominium plats, and surveys

Assessor’s Office: Ownership, Values, and Parcel Data

The Assessor’s Office handles land assessments across all Goochland municipalities. By state law, the county assesses each property at 100% of fair market value, with reassessments occurring annually. The office also maintains the following property information:

• The current owner of record for any parcel

• The GPIN and legal description

• Assessed land value and improvement value

• Property characteristics such as square footage, year built, and acreage

• Parcel maps and property sketches

• Any elderly, disabled, or veteran exemption on file

Treasurer: Tax Bills and Payments

The Treasurer's Office in Goochland County collects real estate taxes and mails the annual bills in two installments. Property tax payments are due June 5 and December 5.

Property Tax in Goochland County: Rates, Exemptions, and Appeals

Va. Code tit. 58.1, subt. III subjects all real property in Goochland County to taxation. Real estate taxes are calculated by multiplying the property’s assessed value by the current real estate tax rate set by the County Board of Supervisors.

Exemptions and relief

Appealing your assessment

In Goochland County, you can request an informal appeal of your property assessment from the Assessor’s Office. The assessor will review your claim and may change the assessment or dismiss the appeal. If you disagree with the assessor’s decision, take the appeal to the Board of Equalization and present evidence of incorrect property data or comparable sales to support your case. The final option for appealing your assessment is to file an appeal with the Goochland County Circuit Court.

GIS Maps and Parcel Viewer

Goochland County provides a Geographic Information System (GIS) map and Parcel Viewer portal to help anyone locate land parcels within the county and access property information. Use the interactive map to find a property or search by address, tax parcel ID, GPIN, or account number. The portal provides detailed property cards, ownership data, assessment history, sales history, land boundaries, parcel maps, acreage, zoning, and sketches.

The Virginia GIS Clearinghouse also provides access to statewide GIS data for properties.

Foreclosure and Tax Sales

Virginia authorizes two types of foreclosures with different processes:

Trustee foreclosure

The trustee foreclosure follows a non-judicial process that authorizes the sale of a property with debts by the third-party trustee named in the Deed of Trust. To commence the foreclosure, the trustee must send a written notice to the property owner and advertise the auction to the public. The property owner loses rights over the property after it is sold to a buyer at the auction.

Judicial tax sale

Va. Code 58.1-3965 authorizes the Circuit Court to approve the judicial tax sale of any property in Goochland County with delinquent taxes for more than two years. Before filing the matter in the county court, the county must notify the homeowner and any party with an interest in the tax-delinquent property. The judge will review the case and may issue a decree of sale to authorize the public auction. To redeem the property, the owner must pay the delinquent taxes and other associated fees before the property is sold.

Costs to Access Property Records

The following include the various costs to access property records in Goochland County:

Virginia requires a statewide recordation tax under Va. Code 58.1-801, and the grantor’s tax paid upon selling a property under Va. Code 58.1-802. You can contact the Clerk of the Circuit Court to confirm the fees for recording different property instruments.

How to Record a Document

Under Va. Code 17.1-223, the Goochland County Clerk of the Circuit Court functions as the recorder of land documents, including deeds, deeds of trust, liens, releases, easements, and plats. To record a document with the Clerk, follow these steps:

1. Prepare the document in compliance with Virginia’s formatting rules, including signature, notarization, margins, required addresses, sheet size, cover sheet, and property description.
2. Calculate the total cost of recording documents and applicable taxes using the Circuit Court Deed Calculator. In addition to the Clerk’s recording fees, Virginia imposes local and state recordation taxes. A grantor’s tax also applies to property conveyance.
3. Submit the document to the Clerk of the Circuit Court for recording in person, by mail, or through an authorized e-recording vendor. The Clerk’s Office accepts in-person submissions on weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m.
4. The Clerk returns the original documents after recording. Anyone can access recorded property documents online through the Circuit Court’s land records portal.

FAQs

Quick Reference: Your Goochland County Property Records Checklist

Key Contacts and Official Portals