County · code 51067
Franklin CountyVirginia
Franklin County is in Virginia and was established in 1786. The county seat is Rocky Mount.
- Founded1786
- County seatRocky Mount
- Named forBenjamin Franklin
- Land area691 sq mi + 21 sq mi water
- Population54,477 2020 Census
- Parcels mapped49,468 checked 15 October 2026
Where it is
Franklin on the map of Virginia
Virginia has 133 counties and county equivalents, each with its own records office. Shapes with a page are links.
History
Formed in 1786 from Bedford County and Henry County
An old deed may name a county that no longer exists, or a boundary that has since moved.
Franklin County was created in 1786 from Bedford County and Henry County. The county was named after Benjamin Franklin. Franklin gained territory from Patrick County in 1848 and lost a small area to Floyd County in 1873.
- 1786Franklin County created Franklin created from Bedford and Henry. · Hening, 12:70-71
- 1848Gained territory Franklin gained from Patrick. · Va. Acts 1847-1848, ch. 62, secs. 1, 3/p. 42
- 1873Lost territory Franklin lost small area to Floyd. · Va. Acts 1872-1873, Dec. reg. sess., ch. 103, sec. 1/p. 85
Land and parcels
What the maps cover in Franklin
Who publishes each layer, how good it is, and when we last checked.
-
Parcels Good enough
Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 49,468 parcels from Franklin County. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
edited 17 June 2026 · checked 15 October 2026 -
Address points Official
One point per address, 33,317 in all from Virginia Geographic Information Network (VGIN), Virginia Dept of Emergency Management (VDEM; VGIN moved from VITA to VDEM).
checked 14 October 2026 -
Buildings Reference
Roof outlines traced from aerial imagery from FEMA Response Geospatial Office with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Good for seeing what is on a lot; not accurate enough to set a fence from.
checked 18 October 2026
- Official
- from the office that keeps the record
- Good enough
- a reliable statewide or national copy
- Fallback
- a guide only; check the official record
- Missing
- nothing public found yet
People and land
Franklin by the Census
Source: US Census Bureau, 2020 Census; US Census Bureau, 2020 Gazetteer Files. Not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Rules and offices
Who to ask before you build, dig or sell
Official county pages only. We link to them; we do not copy them, because they change.
Inside a city or town, permits usually come from that city rather than the county.
County government
- County government
The official website of Franklin County.
See your own lot on these maps
Open Franklin County on Parcel Chart's free map and click your parcel. Save it with a free account; the full record of your place (site map, projects, documents) is Pro, in early access.
Questions
Common questions about Franklin County
- When was Franklin County founded?
- Franklin County was founded in 1786, formed from Bedford County and Henry County, and named after Benjamin Franklin.
- What is the county seat of Franklin County?
- The county seat of Franklin County is Rocky Mount.
- Is there an online parcel map for Franklin County?
- Yes. Franklin County publishes a parcel map of 49,468 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
- Has Franklin County's boundary or name changed?
- Franklin County was created in 1786 from Bedford County and Henry County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 2 later changes, chiefly involving Floyd County and Patrick County.
- Is my lot in a flood zone?
- We do not have flood maps for Franklin County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.
Nearby