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County · code 51161

Roanoke CountyVirginia

Roanoke County is a county in Virginia, with Salem as its seat. It was formed in 1838 from Botetourt County and named after the Roanoke River.

  • Founded1838
  • County seatSalem
  • Named forRoanoke River, Virginia and North Carolina
  • Land area251 sq mi + 0.7 sq mi water
  • Population96,929 2020 Census
  • Parcels mapped47,323 checked 15 October 2026
Open the free map Click any parcel in Roanoke County: acreage, parcel id, address and who publishes the map. No sign-in.

Updated

Salem cityRoanoke cityCraigMontgomeryFranklinBotetourtFloydBedford Salem Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

Roanoke on the map of Virginia

Virginia has 133 counties and county equivalents, each with its own records office. Shapes with a page are links.

Accomack CountyAlbemarle CountyAlleghany CountyAmelia CountyAmherst CountyAppomattox CountyArlington CountyAugusta CountyBath CountyBedford CountyBland CountyBotetourt CountyBrunswick CountyBuchanan CountyBuckingham CountyCampbell CountyCaroline CountyCarroll CountyCharles City CountyCharlotte CountyChesterfield CountyClarke CountyCraig CountyCulpeper CountyCumberland CountyDickenson CountyDinwiddie CountyEssex CountyFairfax CountyFauquier CountyFloyd CountyFluvanna CountyFranklin CountyFrederick CountyGiles CountyGloucester CountyGoochland CountyGrayson CountyGreene CountyGreensville CountyHalifax CountyHanover CountyHenrico CountyHenry CountyHighland CountyIsle of Wight CountyJames City CountyKing and Queen CountyKing George CountyKing William CountyLancaster CountyLee CountyLoudoun CountyLouisa CountyLunenburg CountyMadison CountyMathews CountyMecklenburg CountyMiddlesex CountyMontgomery CountyNelson CountyNew Kent CountyNorthampton CountyNorthumberland CountyNottoway CountyOrange CountyPage CountyPatrick CountyPittsylvania CountyPowhatan CountyPrince Edward CountyPrince George CountyPrince William CountyPulaski CountyRappahannock CountyRichmond CountyRockbridge CountyRockingham CountyRussell CountyScott CountyShenandoah CountySmyth CountySouthampton CountySpotsylvania CountyStafford CountySurry CountySussex CountyTazewell CountyWarren CountyWashington CountyWestmoreland CountyWise CountyWythe CountyYork CountyAlexandria cityBristol cityBuena Vista cityCharlottesville cityChesapeake cityColonial Heights cityCovington cityDanville cityEmporia cityFairfax cityFalls Church cityFranklin cityFredericksburg cityGalax cityHampton cityHarrisonburg cityHopewell cityLexington cityLynchburg cityManassas cityManassas Park cityMartinsville cityNewport News cityNorfolk cityNorton cityPetersburg cityPoquoson cityPortsmouth cityRadford cityRichmond cityRoanoke citySalem cityStaunton citySuffolk cityVirginia Beach cityWaynesboro cityWilliamsburg cityWinchester cityRoanoke County Roanoke
Counties of Virginia · Roanoke highlighted

History

Founded in 1838

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

Roanoke County was created from Botetourt County in 1838 and gained land from Montgomery County in 1849. The county lost territory to the creation of Craig County in 1851 and underwent multiple boundary adjustments through the 20th century as the independent city of Roanoke and later Salem expanded.

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

  1. 1838
    Roanoke County created Roakoke created from Botetourt.
    from Roakokefrom Botetourt
    · Va. Acts 1838, ch. 60, secs. 1, 15/pp. 54-57
  2. 1849
    Gained territory Roanoke gained from Montgomery.
    from Montgomery
    · Va. Acts 1848-1849, ch. 63, sec. 1/pp. 28-30
  3. 1851
    Lost territory Roanoke lost to creation of Craig.
    to Craig
    · Va. Acts 1850-1851, ch. 25, sec. 1/pp. 21-23
  4. 1902
    Lost territory Roanoke lost to creation of Roanoke as an independent city, 1st class. · Bain, "Body Incorporate," 18-21; Swindler, 10:166, 169
  5. 1915
    Lost territory Roanoke lost to the independent city of Roanoke. · Bain, Annexation, [241]; Roanoke City Engineer, correspondence, December 1989
Show all 16 changes (11 more)
  1. 1838
    Roanoke County created Roakoke created from Botetourt.
    from Roakokefrom Botetourt
    · Va. Acts 1838, ch. 60, secs. 1, 15/pp. 54-57
  2. 1849
    Gained territory Roanoke gained from Montgomery.
    from Montgomery
    · Va. Acts 1848-1849, ch. 63, sec. 1/pp. 28-30
  3. 1851
    Lost territory Roanoke lost to creation of Craig.
    to Craig
    · Va. Acts 1850-1851, ch. 25, sec. 1/pp. 21-23
  4. 1902
    Lost territory Roanoke lost to creation of Roanoke as an independent city, 1st class. · Bain, "Body Incorporate," 18-21; Swindler, 10:166, 169
  5. 1915
    Lost territory Roanoke lost to the independent city of Roanoke. · Bain, Annexation, [241]; Roanoke City Engineer, correspondence, December 1989
  6. 1919
    Lost territory Roanoke lost to the independent city of Roanoke. · Bain, Annexation, [241]; Roanoke City Engineer, correspondence, December 1989
  7. 1926
    Lost territory Roanoke lost to the independent city of Roanoke. · Bain, Annexation, [242]; Roanoke City Engineer, correspondence, December 1989
  8. 1943
    Lost territory Roanoke lost to the independent city of Roanoke. · Bain, Annexation, [244]; Roanoke City Engineer, correspondence, December 1989
  9. 1949
    Lost territory Roanoke lost to the independent city of Roanoke. · Bain, Annexation, [245]; Roanoke City Engineer, correspondence, December 1989
  10. 1965
    Lost territory Roanoke lost small area to the independent city of Roanoke. · Roanoke City Engineer, correspondence, December 1989
  11. 1967
    Lost territory Roanoke lost small area to the independent city of Roanoke. · Roanoke City Engineer, correspondence, December 1989
  12. 1968
    Lost territory Roanoke lost to creation of Salem as an independent city, 2d class, and lost small area to the independent city of Roanoke. · Middleton, 2-12; Roanoke City Engineer, correspondence, December 1989
  13. 1976
    Lost territory Roanoke lost to the independent city of Roanoke. · Roanoke City Engineer, correspondence, December 1989
  14. 1986
    Lost territory Roanoke lost to the independent city of Salem. · Salem City Engineer, correspondence, March 1994
  15. 1987
    Lost territory Roanoke lost to the independent city of Salem. · Salem City Engineer, correspondence, March 1994
  16. 1989
    Lost territory Roanoke lost to the independent city of Salem. · Salem City Engineer, correspondence, March 1994

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Roanoke

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

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

Roanoke by the Census

Population
96,929 2020 Census count
Housing units
42,147 2020 Census count
Land area
251 square miles
Water area
0.7 square miles
People per sq mi
387 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

Permits

Zoning and code

County government

See your own lot on these maps

Open Roanoke 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.

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Questions

Common questions about Roanoke County

When was Roanoke County founded?
Roanoke County was founded in 1838, and named after Roanoke River, Virginia and North Carolina.
What is the county seat of Roanoke County?
The county seat of Roanoke County is Salem.
Is there an online parcel map for Roanoke County?
Yes. Virginia Geographic Information Network (VGIN), Virginia Department of Emergency Management publishes a parcel map of 47,323 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Roanoke County's boundary or name changed?
Roanoke County was created in 1838. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 15 later changes, chiefly involving Craig County and Montgomery County.
Who issues building permits in Roanoke County?
The county's page on building permits: Building Permits. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.
Is my lot in a flood zone?
We do not have flood maps for Roanoke County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

Nearby

Counties next door