Virginia
Buying Land in Highland County, Virginia
County seat Monterey. With just 2,232 residents at the 2020 Census, Highland is Virginia's smallest county by population -- a genuinely rural, high-elevation Allegheny Highlands county known for sheep, maple syrup, and its annual Maple Festival. Mountainous terrain makes septic feasibility, not zoning restriction, the main site-specific question here.
'Virginia's Switzerland': a genuinely rural, high-elevation county
Highland County occupies Virginia's Allegheny Highlands along the West Virginia border, at a high average elevation that has long earned it the nickname "Virginia's Switzerland." At just 2,232 residents as of the 2020 Census, it is the least populous county or independent city anywhere in Virginia -- a genuinely rural mountain market rather than a suburban or resort one, with correspondingly large, inexpensive tracts of forested and pastured mountain land available relative to almost anywhere else in the state.
The county's economy has historically centered on sheep and wool production, complemented by lumber operations, forestry, and a growing seasonal tourism trade built around its mountain scenery and its best-known local product: maple syrup. Highland is one of the southernmost maple-syrup-producing regions in the country, and its annual Highland County Maple Festival draws visitors from well beyond the county -- a genuine local distinctive worth knowing if you're evaluating forested acreage with sugar-maple stands, since an existing or potential sugarbush operation can add real value to a Highland parcel that it would not add elsewhere in Virginia.
Mountain terrain: septic feasibility is the real gatekeeper, not zoning
Highland County's Department of Building and Zoning administers the county's zoning ordinance and Comprehensive Plan, and issues building, zoning, land-disturbance, and erosion-and-sediment-control permits directly. Given the county's low population and rural character, zoning in Highland tends to be less restrictive in practice than in Virginia's faster-growing suburban counties -- but this page did not independently confirm district-by-district minimum lot sizes or the specific by-right versus special-permit use list for the county's agricultural or rural districts this session, so confirm those directly with the Zoning Administrator before finalizing a plan.
The more distinctive feasibility question in Highland is topographic rather than regulatory: much of the county consists of steep mountain slopes with shallow, rocky soils typical of Allegheny Highlands terrain, and that combination is a well-documented general constraint on siting a conventional septic drainfield across much of Appalachian Virginia. A parcel's grade and soil depth -- not its zoning classification -- are the more likely reason a specific Highland lot cannot support a standard system and would instead need an alternative design (or might not be buildable for a conventional home site at all). Get a site-specific soil and slope evaluation from the health department or a licensed onsite soil evaluator before counting on a mountain parcel's buildability, especially if the listing does not already include a valid perc test or soil evaluation.
Septic and well permitting: a state health agency function
As with every Virginia locality, septic and well permitting in Highland County runs through the Virginia Department of Health rather than a county department. Highland is part of VDH's Central Shenandoah Health District, the same regional district serving neighboring Bath, Rockbridge, and Augusta counties and the city of Harrisonburg -- confirm the current local health department contact and site-visit turnaround directly, since a mountainous, sparsely populated county like Highland can see longer scheduling windows than a more populous district.
Water rights in Highland follow Virginia's statewide riparian doctrine described on our state page, with the same DEQ Virginia Water Protection Permit threshold (generally 10,000 gallons per day averaged monthly) applying to any nontidal surface withdrawal a buyer might plan for irrigation, livestock watering at scale, or a small aquaculture operation -- worth checking if your plan for a Highland parcel involves drawing meaningfully from a mountain stream.
Who to Call Before Buying Land in Highland County
WebFetch to highlandcova.org and vdh.virginia.gov was blocked by network egress rules this session; department details reflect WebSearch-indexed content. Highland's placement in the Central Shenandoah Health District reflects general knowledge of VDH's regional map rather than an independently re-fetched page -- confirm directly.
Planning & Zoning
Highland County Department of Building and Zoning
Zoning district lookups, permitted-use determinations, and building/land-disturbance permits.
Environmental Health
Virginia Department of Health -- Central Shenandoah Health District
Septic and private well permitting, including site evaluations for slope- and soil-constrained mountain parcels.
Recorder / Clerk / Land Records
Highland County Circuit Court Clerk
Recorded deeds, easements, and plats for a specific parcel.
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Get local guidanceSources
- Highland County, Virginia — Wikipedia (via WebSearch-indexed content) (accessed 2026-09)
- Highland County, Virginia — Grokipedia (via WebSearch-indexed content) (accessed 2026-09)
- Department of Building and Zoning — Highland County, VA (accessed 2026-09)
- Zoning — Highland County, VA (accessed 2026-09)
Last reviewed 2026-09