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

Roanoke County is located in southwest Virginia and has over 45,000 parcels of land. The real estate market moves fast here because of the county’s affordability, high-performing schools, and access to an outdoor lifestyle. Custodians of property records in the county include the Clerk of the Circuit Court, the Commissioner of Revenue, Real Estate Valuation, and the Treasurer.

The City of Salem is an independent city which also serves as the Roanoke County seat. While the City of Salem keeps its own property records separately, it also physically hosts Roanoke County's independent records hub within its city limits. Single-family and multi-family homes are the most common housing types in the county, with unincorporated suburban areas like Cave Spring and Hollins accounting for the majority. Typical property listings take about 12 to 16 days to go under contract, moving faster than the statewide average.

Recent records reveal the underlying factors influencing the local real estate market, with a median home value of $160,100 and median rent of $919, alongside a median household income of $51,858 and a median real estate tax rate of 1.03 as a percentage of the property's assessed value.

How to Look Up Roanoke County Property Records

In Roanoke County, you can search deeds, deeds of trust, liens, plats, and other land-related documents through the Circuit Court Land Records. The Commissioner of the Revenue Real Property Search provides access to property assessments and ownership details. Use the Treasurer Online Payment Portal to pay and view tax bills.

Who Keeps Roanoke County Property Records?

Under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act, property records are public. These agencies are the official property record keepers for Roanoke County:

• The Roanoke County Clerk of the Circuit Court records and indexes all land-related documents. These records include deeds, deeds of trust, surveys, and other real estate-related documents.

• The Roanoke County Commissioner of Revenue’s Office is responsible for assessments and audits of individual and business personal property. It renders assistance and processes Virginia State income tax returns. In addition, the office handles real estate transfers and real estate tax relief administration.

• The Roanoke County Real Estate Valuation appraises all eligible properties within the county for tax purposes. This office establishes a property’s market value by evaluating the buying and selling of similar surrounding real estate on the open market. You can view the county’s real estate data online through the WebPro Application.

• The Roanoke County Treasurer’s Office is responsible for billing and collecting current real estate and personal property taxes. Real estate taxes consist of over 84,000 bills annually and are sent out twice per year.

How to Search Roanoke County Property Records Online

You can search Roanoke County property records online by following the steps below:

1. Locate the Roanoke County parcel by visiting the Commissioner of the Revenue Real Property Search or GIS Tax Viewer. The search options on these portals include the owner’s name, address, and parcel ID.
2. Click on the matching parcel from the results page to review the property report. Typical reports you can view include property summaries, the owner’s information, lot size, sale date, sale price, and total assessed value.
3. Pull the recorded documents, such as deeds, liens, deeds of trust, and plats through the Circuit Court Land Records to verify the chain of title. You can search by party name, book and page number, or instrument number.
4. Verify the current tax status, check for payment history, or look up delinquent taxes through the Treasurer Online Payment Portal.
5. Certified copies of recorded land records can be obtained by visiting the Roanoke County Clerk of the Circuit Court Office in Salem. This service incurs a nominal fee.

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

The Roanoke County Clerk of the Circuit Court manages deeds, deeds of trust, plats, and other land-related documents. Historical and modern property indexes are searchable in the online database for free, but viewing or printing actual digital document images requires users to maintain a paid subscription.

The County Clerk of the Circuit Court also offers fraud-prevention tracking through the VADeed Alert program, which helps property owners to safeguard their land against unauthorized changes.

Commissioner of the Revenue: Ownership, Values, and Parcel Data

The Roanoke County Commissioner of the Revenue tracks property transfers, manages the tax land books, and administers tax relief programs for elderly, disabled, and veteran residents. In contrast, the Office of Real Estate Valuation calculates the actual physical market value of land and buildings.

Treasurers: Tax Bills and Payments

The Roanoke County Treasurer’s Office is responsible for billing, collecting, and tracking all local real estate property taxes. This office issues official property tax bills, which are split into two installments due on June 5 and December 7.

Property Tax in Roanoke County: Values, Exemptions, and Appeals

You can determine property taxes in Roanoke County by dividing the property's assessed value by $100, then multiplying that figure by the local real estate tax rate. Afterward, subtract any approved exemptions or tax relief from the total.

Exemptions and relief

Appealing your assessment

If there is any question about the property assessment, the property owner may schedule an appointment with the appraiser assigned to their neighborhood. This is considered an informal appeal, and the list of available dates and times appears on the reassessment notice. Appointments may be scheduled by contacting the Real Estate Valuation office at (540) 772-2035. Property owners can also use the Informal Hearing Form to ensure the county has correct information about their property.

The Board of Equalization (BOE) is the next step in the appeal process, which provides property owners the opportunity for a formal hearing. When appealing to the BOE, property owners must download and complete the Application for Formal Hearing Appeal and submit it by the annual deadline. The BOE will determine whether the property in question is assessed at more than its fair market value or is not uniform with other properties.

Information pertaining to your property appeal should come from recent sales of similar properties that show that your property is not uniformly assessed to other properties within the defined neighborhood. If property owners do not agree with the decision rendered by the Board of Equalization, the final step is to file suit in the Roanoke County Circuit Court. A judge will be appointed to hear the case and render a final decision about the appeal.

GIS Maps and Parcel Viewer

The Roanoke County Geographical Information System can be accessed through the TaxView GIS Application. On this portal, you can view parcel details such as parcel boundaries, aerial imagery, and land information, which can be searched by property owner’s name, address, or parcel ID.

Foreclosure and Tax Sales

In Virginia, foreclosure is primarily divided into judicial and non-judicial processes, which property researchers need to understand.

Trustee Foreclosure

When you buy a home in Roanoke County, you sign a Deed of Trust that gives a neutral third party, called a Trustee, the power of sale if you default on your loan. If payments stop, the lender instructs the Trustee to initiate the foreclosure. The Trustee sends out formal default notices, advertises the upcoming sale in a local newspaper, and sells the property at a public auction. This process often plays out right on the steps of the Roanoke County Courthouse in Salem.

Judicial Tax Sale

Judicial tax sales occur when a property owner falls severely behind on their local real estate taxes. Under Virginia law, the County Treasurer files a formal lawsuit against the property owner in the Roanoke County Circuit Court once taxes are delinquent past the statutory timeframe. The property owner has an opportunity to file a defense or redeem the property by paying the back taxes and fees prior to the auction.

If the judge rules in favor of the county, they will appoint a Special Commissioner to auction the home to the highest bidder. This judicial path takes several months or even a year to resolve because of the required legal notifications and court schedules.

Costs to Access Property Records

In Roanoke County, the fees for accessing various property records are outlined as follows.

How to Record a Document

Here are the steps you should take when recording a property document in Roanoke County:

1. When preparing documents for recording in Roanoke County, ensure they meet Virginia's formatting standards. The document must be signed, notarized, and submitted with the proper Virginia Land Record Cover Sheet.
2. Calculate the recording fees before submitting a document. State fees apply to land records instruments, such as the Virginia Outdoor Foundation Fee, the Library of Virginia Fee, and any additional recording fees charged by the clerk’s office. Therefore, you should use the Virginia Supreme Court Deed Calculator to determine the actual fees for recording.
3. Submit the completed documents with the required fees online through approved e-recording vendors or in person at the Clerk of the Circuit Court Office.
4. You can retrieve uncertified copies of recorded land documents online through the Circuit Court Land Records or request certified copies when you visit the clerk's office in Salem.

FAQs

Quick Reference: Your Roanoke County Property Records Checklist

Key Contacts and Official Portals