Buying Land in Nottoway County, VA: Zoning & Septic

Buying Land in Nottoway County, Virginia

County seat Nottoway (Nottoway Courthouse), with the towns of Blackstone and Crewe inside the county. A rural Southside Virginia county zoned largely Agricultural, with septic and well permitting handled through VDH's Piedmont Health District.

Rural Southside County with Two Larger Incorporated Towns

Generally favorable

Nottoway County had 15,642 residents at the 2020 Census, with the incorporated towns of Blackstone (pop. 3,352) and Crewe (pop. 2,262) accounting for a meaningful share of that total -- rural land outside those towns is where most raw-acreage buying activity happens.

A-1 Agricultural Zoning Governs Most Rural Land

Generally favorable

The county's zoning ordinance includes an A-1 Agricultural classification with its own list of special-exception uses (Section 2-1-4-3). Confirm the current by-right versus special-exception breakdown for your intended use directly with the Planning and Zoning Department.

Septic and Well Permitting Runs Through Piedmont Health District

Generally favorable

The Nottoway County Health Department, part of VDH's Piedmont Health District, handles septic and private well permitting -- not a county department.

A rural Southside county centered on Nottoway Courthouse

Nottoway County sits in Virginia's Southside region, with its county seat at the small unincorporated community of Nottoway (also called Nottoway Courthouse) -- distinct from the county's two larger incorporated towns, Blackstone and Crewe, which together account for a substantial share of the county's 15,642 residents (2020 Census). Outside those towns, the county is genuinely rural and agricultural, historically tied to tobacco and diversified row-crop farming typical of Southside Virginia.

The county also has an institutional presence uncommon for a county its size: part of Fort Pickett, a Virginia National Guard training installation, lies within Nottoway County. That kind of nearby military and institutional land use can affect nearby land values, noise, and easement considerations for adjoining parcels -- worth asking about directly if you're evaluating land near the installation boundary rather than assuming a purely agricultural context.

Zoning: A-1 Agricultural, with special-exception uses spelled out separately

Nottoway County's zoning ordinance includes an Agricultural (A-1) classification covering most of the county's rural land, along with a Board of Zoning Appeals that hears variance and appeal requests. The ordinance's Section 2-1-4-3 specifically addresses uses permitted by special exception in this district -- meaning some non-farm uses in A-1 require a special-exception approval rather than being allowed outright. As with every Virginia locality, production agriculture and silviculture themselves are protected by-right under the state Zoning Enabling Act and cannot be made subject to a special-exception requirement, but anything beyond core farming and forestry (a home business, an event venue, additional dwellings) should be confirmed directly with the county's Planning and Zoning Department before you assume it is allowed.

The county maintains an adopted comprehensive plan that guides how the zoning ordinance is applied and periodically updated -- worth a look if you want context on where the county anticipates growth versus where it intends to preserve agricultural and rural character over the coming years.

Septic, well, and the practical due-diligence sequence

Septic and private well permitting in Nottoway County runs through the Nottoway County Health Department, the local office of VDH's Piedmont Health District, which also serves several neighboring Southside counties. As everywhere in Virginia, this is a state health function rather than a county one: the health department reviews soil conditions and issues the construction permit for a typical single-family system, and a combined well-and-septic permit is generally valid for 18 months once issued.

For a rural Nottoway County parcel, the practical sequence is the same as in most rural Virginia counties: confirm the zoning district and any special-exception requirements with the Planning and Zoning Department first, then confirm septic feasibility with the Piedmont Health District office before finalizing a purchase contingent on either. Do not assume a parcel's buildability from a neighboring lot's history -- soil conditions and the exact zoning-district boundary can both vary within a single tract in a county this rural.

Who to Call Before Buying Land in Nottoway County

Direct WebFetch to nottoway.org returned a network-egress error this session; department details reflect WebSearch-indexed content. Confirm current department structure, hours, and contact details directly.

Planning & Zoning

Nottoway County Planning and Zoning Department

Zoning district lookups, A-1 special-exception use determinations, and building/zoning permits.

Phone: 434-645-8696Official website →

Septic / Onsite Wastewater

Virginia Department of Health -- Piedmont Health District (Nottoway County Health Department)

Septic and private well permitting.

Phone: 434-645-7595Official website →

Recorder / Clerk / Land Records

Nottoway County Circuit Court Clerk

Recorded deeds, easements, and plats for a specific parcel.

Official website →

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Last reviewed 2026-09