Nelson County
Nelson County is a Virginia political subdivision (founded 1807) that delivers mandated local government services—including public safety, tax administration, social services, planning/zoning, and emergency management—to approximately 14,000+ residents across 471 square miles, funded primarily through property taxes and intergovernmental aid.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1807
- HeadquartersLovingston, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
Nelson County firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Nelson County
- Legal name
- County of Nelson
- Website
- https://nelsoncounty-va.gov
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1807
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Nelson County is a Virginia political subdivision (founded 1807) that delivers mandated local government services—including public safety, tax administration, social services, planning/zoning, and emergency management—to approximately 14,000+ residents across 471 square miles, funded primarily through property taxes and intergovernmental aid.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Nelson County industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Local Government / Public Administration
- NAICS
- Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Local Public Health & Human Services Administration (BPAIACAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Community Safety Administration (Fire/EMS, Emergency Management) (BPAIACAL), County/District/Local Health Departments (HLAJAAAB)
Keywords
Where Nelson County is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lovingston
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Nelson County business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Property Taxes: General property taxes including real estate ($0.58 per $100 assessed value), personal property ($2.79 per $100), and machinery & tools ($1.25 per $100) constitute the largest local revenue source at approximately $33 million annually.
- State Revenue: Non-categorical aid and categorical aid from the Commonwealth of Virginia totaling approximately $5.4 million annually.
- Federal Revenue: Federal categorical aid totaling approximately $1.3 million annually, including opioid abatement grants.
- Education Funding: School division funding including state aid ($6.4M), state sales tax ($2.6M), and federal categorical aid ($2.4M) totaling approximately $11.4 million annually.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Annual | Real Property Tax - $0.58 per $100 assessed value |
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Nelson County product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Nelson County is a county government entity providing essential public services to approximately 14,000 residents of Central Virginia. Its core offerings include public safety (sheriff, fire and rescue, emergency management), property taxation and assessment, planning and zoning administration, social services, public education, parks and recreation, waste management, and emergency alerts. The county delivers these services through a unified government services portal and in-person offices at its Courthouse Square headquarters in Lovingston.
Product overview
Nelson County operates as a county government providing public services through a unified website portal that integrates department services, administrative functions, and citizen-facing digital tools. The core offering is the county government services portal (nelsoncounty-va.gov) which encompasses sub-products including online tax payment, GIS real estate data, emergency alerts, budget/financial document access, Board of Supervisors meeting portals, planning and zoning services, transfer station/waste management, Social Services building project, school division services, and the Wild Rose Solar Project. The portfolio functions as an integrated government service platform rather than a commercial product suite, with services organized by government function (Government, Departments & Offices, Business, Services, Community).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Public Safety Services (Sheriff, Fire & Rescue, Emergency Services)
- Online Tax Payment System Electronic payment platform enabling Nelson County property owners to pay real estate and personal property taxes online and by phone.
- GIS / Real Estate Data System Public Geographic Information System providing real estate data, parcel mapping, and spatial information for properties within Nelson County.
- Emergency Alerts Service Public notification system delivering extreme weather warnings, road closure alerts, emergency declarations, and critical community alerts to Nelson County residents.
- Planning & Zoning Services Planning and zoning administration including zoning applications, subdivision ordinance updates, special use permits, rezoning requests, and Board of Zoning Appeals proceedings for property owners and developers.
- Transfer Station & Waste Management Solid waste transfer station services including household hazardous waste collection, recycling programs, and collection center schedules for Nelson County residents.
- Social Services Social services programs for Nelson County residents including benefits administration, family services, and the Children's Services Act (CSA) program, with a new Social Services building under construction (FY27 Capital Fund $5,014,141).
- Public Education (Nelson County Schools Division) Public K-12 education services for Nelson County students, funded through a school division budget of $34.3M (FY27 proposed), including school bus transportation and capital improvements such as the $8.9M Nelson County High School renovation.
- Parks & Recreation Services Parks and recreation services for Nelson County residents, including ongoing park operations and development of the Rockfish River access site on Rockfish River Road in Schuyler.
- Building Inspections Building inspection and permitting services enforcing building codes for construction projects within Nelson County.
- Animal Control Animal control services for Nelson County residents including animal shelter operations, pet licensing, and field enforcement of animal-related ordinances.
- Health Department Services Public health services delivered through the Blue Ridge Health District including WIC, immunizations, and health inspections for Nelson County residents.
- Wild Rose Solar Project Renewable energy initiative in partnership for sustainable infrastructure development in Nelson County.
Quantifiable outcome
- Property tax rate maintained at $0.58 per $100 with purchase fitting within established debt capacity strategy
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Nelson County
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Nelson County technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Nelson County partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor and core.
- Wintergreen ResortmajorMajor economic development partner since 1972. Wintergreen Resort is a key tourism driver and property taxpayer in Nelson County, located in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The county continues to work with Wintergreen on infrastructure including the Wintergreen Wastewater Treatment Plant.
- Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT)majorAnnual joint public hearings on Secondary Six-Year Road Plan (FY27-32) and coordination on Route 29 intersection improvements and Route 653 projects. VDOT manages road maintenance and improvements within the county.
- Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM)majorCoordination on extreme weather preparedness including heat waves and winter storms. VDEM provides preparedness resources and Governor's emergency declarations.
- Remote Area Medical (RAM)minorFree medical clinic provider offering dental, vision, and medical services to underserved residents at periodic events.
- Jefferson-Madison Regional Library (JMRL)minorRegional library system serving Nelson County residents. County provides funding support and hosts the Nelson Memorial Library location.
- Region Ten Community Services BoardminorRegional behavioral health and developmental services provider. County budget includes funding for Region Ten services.
- Jaunt MobilitycoreRegional transportation provider offering CONNECT commuter service in Lovingston. 50th anniversary refresh in 2026 with updated buses and branding for Nelson County routes.
- Nelson County Service AuthoritymajorJoint meetings with Board of Supervisors on infrastructure including Wintergreen Wastewater Treatment Plant. Separate governing board overseeing water and sewer services.
- Blue Ridge Health DistrictminorCounty Health Department operates under Blue Ridge Health District providing public health services including WIC, immunizations, and health inspections.
- Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ)majorRegulatory oversight of Nelson County Service Authority wastewater operations including Wintergreen Mountain WWTP. Proposed consent order for enforcement action regarding violations.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Nelson County competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Albemarle County, Virginia: Larger neighboring Virginia county sharing the same Central Virginia corridor between Charlottesville and Lynchburg. Operates an expanded version of the same county-government service portfolio, serving as a regional reference point for service scope and budget scale.
- Augusta County, Virginia: Larger western Virginia county operating the same county-government functions — public safety, schools, social services, planning — in a similar Shenandoah-Valley-adjacent geography, providing a regional comparison for scale-up of service delivery.
- Louisa County, Virginia: Central Virginia county operating a comparable county-government stack of services in a similar rural-to-growing profile, useful as a regional peer for budgeting, capital planning, and economic-development approach.
Direct peers
- Buckingham County, Virginia: Adjacent rural Virginia county with a comparable small population base (~15,500 residents). Delivers the same core county-government portfolio of public safety, social services, planning & zoning, and property tax administration in a similar Central Virginia geography.
- Highland County, Virginia: Virginia's least-populated county and a direct rural peer in scale, governance structure, and economic base. Demonstrates the operating constraints and service-delivery model of very small Virginia counties analogous to Nelson County.
- Fluvanna County, Virginia: Neighboring Central Virginia county with a similar rural-to-exurban population profile and a comparable operating model for county-level services including tax administration, public safety, and social services.
- Amherst County, Virginia: Neighboring Virginia county carved from the same original county as Nelson (Nelson was formed from Amherst in 1807). Operates a similar small-rural county government model with comparable population scale, tax-base structure, and service delivery scope including public safety, social services, and property taxation.
- Greene County, Virginia: Nearby Virginia county of similar small scale operating the same core county-government functions — property taxation, public safety, planning and zoning, social services, and emergency management.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Nelson County social profiles
Digital presenceNelson County compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Nelson County financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Nelson County leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Nelson County funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Nelson County M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Nelson County
What does Nelson County do?
Nelson County is a county government entity providing essential public services to approximately 14,000 residents of Central Virginia. Its core offerings include public safety (sheriff, fire and rescue, emergency management), property taxation and assessment, planning and zoning administration, social services, public education, parks and recreation, waste management, and emergency alerts. The county delivers these services through a unified government services portal and in-person offices at its Courthouse Square headquarters in Lovingston.
Is Nelson County a public or private company?
Nelson County is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Nelson County founded?
Nelson County was founded in 1807. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Nelson County based?
Nelson County is headquartered in Lovingston, United States, in the North America region.
How does Nelson County make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Property Taxes are the primary driver. The others are state Revenue, federal Revenue and education Funding.
Who are Nelson County's main competitors?
Regional players on record are Albemarle County, Virginia, Augusta County, Virginia and Louisa County, Virginia. Direct peers are Buckingham County, Virginia, Highland County, Virginia, Fluvanna County, Virginia, Amherst County, Virginia and Greene County, Virginia.
Does Nelson County have an API?
No public API is recorded for Nelson County.
What industry is Nelson County in?
Nelson County's product category is Local Government / Public Administration. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAIACAK, Local Public Health & Human Services Administration, with a secondary code of BPAIACAL, Community Safety Administration (Fire/EMS, Emergency Management). Its NAICS code is 6242 and its SIC code is 8300.