Virginia
Buying Land in Prince George County, Virginia
A Tri-Cities-region county bordering Petersburg, Hopewell, and Colonial Heights, and home to Fort Gregg-Adams -- the Army installation renamed from Fort Lee in 2023. Prince George mixes genuinely rural, agricultural land with real growth pressure tied to a major military and logistics presence.
A Tri-Cities-region county built around a major Army installation
Prince George County sits along the Appomattox River across from the independent cities of Petersburg, Hopewell, and Colonial Heights, placing it inside Virginia's Tri-Cities region. The county's most distinctive feature is Fort Gregg-Adams, a major U.S. Army installation renamed from Fort Lee in 2023 as part of a broader, well-publicized effort to rename military bases that had honored Confederate figures. The installation is home to the Army's Combined Arms Support Command and significant logistics and quartermaster training functions, and it functions as a genuine, stable economic anchor for the county -- a very different growth driver than the agricultural-land-conversion pressure seen in most rural Virginia counties in this batch.
That military and Tri-Cities-adjacent character does not mean the whole county is suburban, though. Land farther from the installation and from the Petersburg/Hopewell/Colonial Heights boundary remains genuinely agricultural and rural, so a buyer should think of Prince George, much like Campbell County elsewhere in this state's coverage, as spanning two different sub-markets rather than one uniform character.
Zoning near a military installation, and the county's agricultural districts
As with any Virginia locality, Prince George County adopted its own zoning ordinance under the state's permissive Zoning Enabling Act, with an agricultural district covering most of the county's rural land outside its more developed eastern edge. Production agriculture and silviculture are protected by-right in that district under state law, but confirm the specific district, its non-farm use list, and any minimum-lot or road-frontage requirements directly with the county's Planning Department.
For land near Fort Gregg-Adams specifically, ask the county directly about any Accident Potential Zone, noise-contour, or compatible-use overlay tied to the installation -- military bases with active flight or training operations often carry additional land-use restrictions on nearby parcels beyond the base zoning district, intended to prevent incompatible development from encroaching on the installation's operations. This is a genuinely worthwhile question for Prince George given the installation's scale, and not something you would need to ask about in a county without a major military presence.
Septic, well, and the practical due-diligence sequence
Septic and private well permitting for a Prince George County parcel is a state function, handled by a Virginia Department of Health local health district rather than a county department. This page describes Prince George as likely served by the Crater Health District, which regionally groups several Tri-Cities-area jurisdictions together, but that specific pairing was not independently confirmed this session -- verify the current district and department contact directly with VDH.
For a rural Prince George County parcel away from the installation and the Tri-Cities boundary, the practical sequence mirrors most rural Virginia counties: confirm the zoning district and any special-permit or overlay requirements with the Planning Department first, then confirm septic feasibility with the relevant VDH health district office before finalizing a purchase.
Who to Call Before Buying Land in Prince George County
Direct WebFetch to the county's own site and to Wikipedia both returned network-egress errors this session; department details reflect general knowledge rather than a source confirmed this session. Confirm current department structure, hours, and contact details directly, and confirm Prince George's VDH health district assignment directly with VDH.
Planning & Zoning
Prince George County Planning Department
Zoning district lookups, Fort Gregg-Adams-related overlay questions, and building/zoning permits.
Septic / Onsite Wastewater
Virginia Department of Health (local health district serving Prince George County)
Septic and private well permitting -- confirm the current district assignment directly.
Recorder / Clerk / Land Records
Prince George County Circuit Court Clerk
Recorded deeds, easements, and plats for a specific parcel.
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Get local guidanceSources
- Local Health Districts — Virginia Department of Health (accessed 2026-09)
Last reviewed 2026-09