County · code 51153
Prince William CountyVirginia
Prince William County is a county in Virginia, formed in 1731 from King George and Stafford counties. Its county seat is Manassas.
- Founded1731
- County seatManassas
- Named forPrince William, Duke of Cumberland
- Land area335 sq mi + 12 sq mi water
- Population482,204 2020 Census
- Parcels mapped159,302 checked 15 October 2026
Where it is
Prince William 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 1731 from King George County and Stafford County
An old deed may name a county that no longer exists, or a boundary that has since moved.
Prince William County was formed in 1731 from King George County and Stafford County, and named after Prince William, Duke of Cumberland. Manassas is the county seat.
Deeds and plats from before 1731 for land now in Prince William County may have been recorded in King George County and Stafford County.
- 1731Prince William County created Prince William created from King George and Stafford. · Hening, 4:303
- 1742
- 1759
- 1975Lost territory Prince William lost to creation of Manassas as an independent city, 2d class. · Manassas Planning Dept., correspondence, January 1990; Va. Sec. Rpt., 527
- 1975Lost territory Prince William lost to creation of Manassas Park as an independent city, 2d class. · Va. Sec. Rpt., 528
Show all 9 changes
- 1731Prince William County created Prince William created from King George and Stafford. · Hening, 4:303
- 1742
- 1759
- 1975Lost territory Prince William lost to creation of Manassas as an independent city, 2d class. · Manassas Planning Dept., correspondence, January 1990; Va. Sec. Rpt., 527
- 1975Lost territory Prince William lost to creation of Manassas Park as an independent city, 2d class. · Va. Sec. Rpt., 528
- 1983Exchanged territory Prince William exchanged with the independent city of Manassas. · Manassas Planning Dept., correspondence, January 1990; U.S. Census Bureau, "Significant Changes to Counties and County Equivalent Entities: 1970-Present," http://www.gov/geo/www/tiger/ctychng.html, 4 August 2003
- 1985Lost territory Prince William lost small area to the independent city of Manassas. · Manassas Planning Dept., correspondence, January 1990
- 1990Lost territory Prince William lost to the independent city of Manassas Park. · Manassas Park Planning Director, correspondence, March 1994; U.S. Census Bureau, "Significant Changes to Counties and County Equivalent Entities: 1970-Present," http://www.gov/geo/www/tiger/ctychng.html, 4 August 2003
- 2000Lost territory Prince William lost small area to the independent city of Manassas Park. · Commission on Local Government, "Municipal Boundary Change Actions in Virginia: 2000," http://www.clg.state.va.us/annexations.2000.pdf, 8 October 2003
Land and parcels
What the maps cover in Prince William
Who publishes each layer, how good it is, and when we last checked.
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Parcels Good enough
Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 159,302 parcels from Virginia Geographic Information Network (VGIN), Virginia Department of Emergency Management. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
checked 15 October 2026 -
Address points Official
One point per address, 196,816 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
Prince William 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
Prince William County's official site
We have found the county's site but not its offices yet; start there.
County government
- County government
The official website of Prince William County.
See your own lot on these maps
Open Prince William 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 Prince William County
- When was Prince William County founded?
- Prince William County was founded in 1731, formed from King George County and Stafford County, and named after Prince William, Duke of Cumberland.
- What is the county seat of Prince William County?
- The county seat of Prince William County is Manassas.
- Is there an online parcel map for Prince William County?
- Yes. Virginia Geographic Information Network (VGIN), Virginia Department of Emergency Management publishes a parcel map of 159,302 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
- Has Prince William County's boundary or name changed?
- Prince William County was created in 1731 from King George County and Stafford County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 8 later changes, chiefly involving Fairfax County and Fauquier County.
- Is my lot in a flood zone?
- We do not have flood maps for Prince William County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.
Nearby