When was Montgomery County founded?

Montgomery County was founded in 1776, formed from Fincastle County, and named after Richard Montgomery.

What is the county seat of Montgomery County?

The county seat of Montgomery County is Christiansburg.

Is there an online parcel map for Montgomery County?

Yes. Montgomery County publishes a parcel map of 45,565 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.

Has Montgomery County's boundary or name changed?

Montgomery County was created in 1776 from Fincastle County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 18 later changes, chiefly involving Botetourt County, Pulaski County and Craig County.

Who issues building permits in Montgomery County?

The county's page on building permits: obtain a permit. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.

Who issues septic and well permits in Montgomery County?

The county's page on septic systems and wells: Health department: septic and well.

Is my lot in a flood zone?

We do not have flood maps for Montgomery County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

County · code 51121

Montgomery CountyVirginia

Montgomery County is a county in Virginia, with its seat at Christiansburg. The county was formed in 1776 from Fincastle County and named after Richard Montgomery.

Founded1776
County seatChristiansburg
Named forRichard Montgomery
Land area387 sq mi + 2.4 sq mi water
Population99,721 2020 Census
Parcels mapped45,565 checked 16 October 2026

Open the free map Click any parcel in Montgomery County: acreage, parcel id, address and who publishes the map. No sign-in.

Updated 20 October 2026

Census outline · seat marked

History

Formed in 1776 from Fincastle County

An old deed may name a county that no longer exists, or a boundary that has since moved.

Montgomery County was created from Fincastle County in 1776, and was exchanged with Washington County in 1777. Over the following decades, the county lost territory to the creation of several new counties, including Greenbrier, Kanawha, Giles, Floyd, and Pulaski, and gained territory from Botetourt and Pulaski through various exchanges and transfers.

Boundary changes from the Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries; the 5 that matter most are shown first.

1776
Montgomery County created Montgomery created from Fincastle (extinct).
from Fincastle
31 December 1776 · Hening, 9:257-261
1777
Exchanged territory Montgomery exchanged with Washington.
with Washington
1 September 1777 · Hening, 9:330-331
1778
Lost territory Montgomery lost to creation of Greenbrier (West Virginia).
to Greenbrier (W. Va.)
1 March 1778 · Hening, 9:420-424
1789
Lost territory Montgomery lost to creation of Kanawha (West Virginia).
to Kanawha (W. Va.)
1 October 1789 · Hening, 12:670-672
1790
Gained territory Montgomery gained from Botetourt, lost to creation of Wythe.
from Botetourt from Wythe
1 May 1790 · Hening, 13:76-78

Show all 20 changes (15 more)

1776
Montgomery County created Montgomery created from Fincastle (extinct).
from Fincastle
31 December 1776 · Hening, 9:257-261
1777
Exchanged territory Montgomery exchanged with Washington.
with Washington
1 September 1777 · Hening, 9:330-331
1778
Lost territory Montgomery lost to creation of Greenbrier (West Virginia).
to Greenbrier (W. Va.)
1 March 1778 · Hening, 9:420-424
1789
Lost territory Montgomery lost to creation of Kanawha (West Virginia).
to Kanawha (W. Va.)
1 October 1789 · Hening, 12:670-672
1790
Gained territory Montgomery gained from Botetourt, lost to creation of Wythe.
from Botetourt from Wythe
1 May 1790 · Hening, 13:76-78
1795
Exchanged territory Montgomery exchanged with Botetourt.
with Botetourt
14 December 1795 · Shepherd, 1:406
1796
Exchanged territory Montgomery exchanged with Botetourt.
with Botetourt
7 December 1796 · Shepherd, 2:64
1802
Lost territory Montgomery lost to Monroe (West Virginia).
to Monroe (W. Va.)
2 January 1802 · Shepherd, 2:345-346
1806
Lost territory Montgomery lost to creation of Giles.
to Giles
1 May 1806 · Shepherd, 3:244-245
1831
Lost territory Montgomery lost to creation of Floyd.
to Floyd
1 February 1831 · Va. Acts 1830-1831, ch. 72, secs. 1, 12/pp. 137-138
1839
Lost territory Montgomery lost to creation of Pulaski.
to Pulaski
30 March 1839 · Va. Acts 1839, Jan. sess., ch. 50, sec. 1/pp. 30-33
1840
Boundary clarified Boundary between Montgomery and Pulaski clarified (no change).
with Pulaskino change
7 January 1840 · Va. Acts 1839-1840, ch. 35, sec. 1/pp. 35-36
1842
Gained territory Montgomery gained from Pulaski.
from Pulaski
14 February 1842 · Va. Acts 1841-1842, ch. 62, sec. 1/pp. 39-40
1849
Lost territory Montgomery lost to Roanoke.
to Roanoke
2 February 1849 · Va. Acts 1848-1849, ch. 63, sec. 1/pp. 28-30
1853
Lost territory Montgomery lost to Craig.
to Craig
1 March 1853 · Va. Acts 1852-1853, ch. 153, secs. 1, 3/pp. 130-131
1902
Lost territory Montgomery lost to creation of Radford as an independent city, 2d class. 10 July 1902 · Bain, "Body Incorporate," 18-21; Swindler, 10:166, 169
c. 1966
Lost territory Montgomery lost to the independent city of Radford. 31 December 1966 · Bain, Annexation, [248]; Radford Zoning Dept., correspondence, March 1994
c. 1977
Lost territory Montgomery lost to the independent city of Radford. 31 December 1977 · Radford Zoning Dept., correspondence, March 1994
c. 1980
Lost territory Montgomery lost to the independent city of Radford. 31 December 1980 · Radford Zoning Dept., correspondence, March 1994
c. 1986
Lost territory Montgomery lost to the independent city of Radford. 31 December 1986 · Radford City Cartographer, correspondence, December 2002

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Montgomery

Who publishes each layer, how good it is, and when we last checked.

Parcels Good enough

Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 45,565 parcels from Montgomery County. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
edited 5 March 2026 · checked 16 October 2026
Address points Official

One point per address, 50,260 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

Montgomery by the Census

Population

99,721 2020 Census count

Housing units

41,134 2020 Census count

Land area

387 square miles

Water area

2.4 square miles

People per sq mi

258 population ÷ land area

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.

Records

Assessor and property recordsfrom montva.com · checked 13 October 2026
Clerk of court: deeds and plats 540-382-5760from montva.com · checked 13 October 2026

Permits

Health department: septic and wellfrom montva.com · checked 13 October 2026
obtain a permitfrom forms.montva.com

Zoning and code

Planning and zoning 540-382-6915from montva.com · checked 13 October 2026
municodefrom montgomery.municipalcodeonline.com
Zoning Permitsfrom montva.com

GIS and maps

County GIS and maps 540-394-2148from montva.com · checked 13 October 2026

County government

County government
The official website of Montgomery County.
montva.com

See your own lot on these maps

Open Montgomery 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.

Open the free map no sign-in Pro early access

Questions

Common questions about Montgomery County

When was Montgomery County founded?: Montgomery County was founded in 1776, formed from Fincastle County, and named after Richard Montgomery.
What is the county seat of Montgomery County?: The county seat of Montgomery County is Christiansburg.
Is there an online parcel map for Montgomery County?: Yes. Montgomery County publishes a parcel map of 45,565 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Montgomery County's boundary or name changed?: Montgomery County was created in 1776 from Fincastle County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 18 later changes, chiefly involving Botetourt County, Pulaski County and Craig County.
Who issues building permits in Montgomery County?: The county's page on building permits: obtain a permit. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.
Who issues septic and well permits in Montgomery County?: The county's page on septic systems and wells: Health department: septic and well.
Is my lot in a flood zone?: We do not have flood maps for Montgomery County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

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