Virginia
Buying Land in Buckingham County, Virginia
County seat Buckingham. A rural central Virginia county between Charlottesville and Farmville, Buckingham operates under a zoning ordinance adopted in 2018 -- and has drawn recent attention for large-scale utility solar development on rural land.
A rural Piedmont county between Charlottesville and Farmville
Buckingham County sits in Virginia's Piedmont region, roughly between Charlottesville and Farmville, and remains a genuinely rural county with substantial farmland and forestry across its land area, seated in the community of Buckingham. Like several of its neighbors in this part of Virginia, Buckingham's land-use character is shaped as much by its agricultural and timber economy as by any nearby urban growth pressure.
In recent years, Buckingham has also become one of Virginia's more active utility-scale solar counties, with its own countywide acreage/megawatt cap and a large named operating project already on the ground. Our dedicated wind and solar leasing page for Buckingham County covers the specifics -- the county's cap, its 2026 siting-rule updates, and a real, current compliance dispute over the county's largest project -- in more depth than fits here.
Zoning: an ordinance adopted in 2018, with lot sizes to confirm by district
Buckingham County's current Zoning Ordinance was formally adopted on May 15, 2018, and is maintained through the county's own Zoning and Planning department. Available search-indexed sources reference rural land uses spanning a range of roughly 7 to 19.9 acres in area, but this page could not confirm this session which specific zoning district each of those figures corresponds to -- rather than assume a number applies to your parcel's specific district, confirm the current minimum lot size, allowed uses, and any special-exception requirements directly with the county's Zoning and Planning office.
The county has also had at least one notable, publicly documented land-use controversy in recent years: a proposed natural-gas compressor station tied to the now-cancelled Atlantic Coast Pipeline was sited in the historically Black community of Union Hill within Buckingham County, drawing significant environmental-justice attention before the broader pipeline project was cancelled. This page did not independently re-confirm the current status of that site this session, but it's a real piece of recent county land-use history worth being aware of if you're evaluating land in that part of the county.
Septic, well, and solar-lease due diligence
Septic and private well permitting in Buckingham County follows Virginia's statewide model, handled through VDH's Piedmont Health District, which also covers Amelia, Charlotte, Cumberland, and Lunenburg counties. Confirm soil and site conditions for a specific parcel directly with the health department.
If your interest in Buckingham land includes a solar lease -- either an existing one on a parcel you're buying, or the possibility of leasing your own land to a developer -- see our Buckingham County wind and solar leasing page before signing anything: it covers the county's overall capacity cap, current setback and buffer rules, and a real 2025 enforcement dispute worth understanding before you assume an approved project stays fully compliant.
Who to Call Before Buying Land in Buckingham County
Direct WebFetch to buckinghamcountyva.org was not attempted beyond following search-indexed snippets; department details reflect WebSearch-indexed content. Confirm current department structure and district-specific rules directly.
Planning & Zoning
Buckingham County Zoning & Planning
District-specific minimum lot sizes, allowed uses, and solar-facility zoning treatment.
Environmental Health
Virginia Department of Health -- Buckingham County Health Department (Piedmont Health District)
Septic and private well permitting.
Recorder / Clerk / Land Records
Buckingham County Circuit Court Clerk
Recorded deeds, easements, solar lease agreements, and plats for a specific parcel.
Want to know if this specific parcel actually works?
Tell us what you're looking at and we'll connect you with a local land specialist who can help you sanity-check it before you go further.
Get local guidanceTopics Specific to Buckingham County
Sources
- BUCKINGHAM COUNTY ZONING ORDINANCE — Buckingham County, VA (accessed 2026-09)
- Welcome to Buckingham County, VA -- Zoning & Planning — Buckingham County, VA (accessed 2026-09)
- Zoning District Minimum Lot Size Setback Requirements — Fluvanna County, VA (regional comparison document, via WebSearch-indexed content) (accessed 2026-09)
- Local Health Districts — Virginia Department of Health (accessed 2026-09)
- Court Vacates Atlantic Coast Pipeline Compressor Station Permit — Chesapeake Bay Foundation (via WebSearch-indexed content) (accessed 2026-09)
- Federal court overturns Union Hill compressor station permit — Virginia Mercury (via WebSearch-indexed content) (accessed 2026-09)
Last reviewed 2026-09