Locations / Amelia County, VA
Custom Home Builder in Amelia County, VA
Working farmland and woods along the Appomattox — room for a home with real acreage, straight out Route 360 from Richmond.
Why Amelia
Why Build in Amelia County?
Amelia County is working farm country west of Chesterfield, with the Appomattox River along its northern and western edges and out to Lake Chesdin in the east. Route 360 runs straight to Richmond, and the land is the draw: open pasture, hardwood ridges and parcels big enough to build a home around.
- 01
Straight Out Route 360
Chula is about fifty minutes from our Henrico office, Amelia Court House and Mannboro just under an hour, and Jetersville a little over. Route 360 does most of the work.
- 02
$0.46 per $100, and Steady
Amelia’s real estate rate has been $0.46 per $100 of assessed value for 2024, 2025 and 2026 — $3,220 a year on a $700,000 assessment, against $5,670 in Hanover and $5,390 in Powhatan.
- 03
Real Acreage
Amelia’s rural zoning districts start at one acre and run to ten, with a five-acre minimum in the agricultural district. That is room for a long private drive, a detached shop or a barn, and a house set well back from the road.
- 04
A Working Farm County
Amelia has 251 farms on more than 62,000 acres, and ranks among Virginia’s leading counties for poultry, eggs and milk. The landscape around a new home here stays open because it is still being farmed.
- 05
The Appomattox and the Amelia WMA
The whole county drains to the Appomattox. Along the river, the 2,217-acre Amelia Wildlife Management Area keeps a large stretch of former farmland and woods open, with its own 100-acre lake.
How We Build Here
Building on Your Own Land in Amelia
Out here nearly every home is a build-on-your-lot project, and the order matters more than the calendar.
- 01
We Walk the Land Before Anything Is Drawn
Access, slope, tree cover worth keeping, where the well and drainfield can go and how the drive comes in from the road. Every one of those shapes the floor plan, and all of them are cheaper to find on the parcel than on paper. Book a free lot walk and we will walk it with you.
- 02
Well and Septic, Almost Everywhere
Public water and sewer reach only the Sanitary District in and around Amelia Court House. Everywhere else the home is on a private well and septic, and the Health Department soil evaluation decides where the drainfield — and so the house — can sit. We run it before design.
- 03
Soil and Foundations
Parts of the county have shrink-swell clay. If the footing inspection finds it, the county can require a footing and foundation designed by a licensed engineer, so we plan for the possibility from the start rather than discovering it mid-build.
- 04
One Contract, Not Four Trades and a Spreadsheet
Site work, the well and septic, the house and the finishes run as a single contract with one schedule and one point of contact. On a rural build an hour from Richmond, that is the difference between a builder and a project manager you hired by accident.
Frequently Asked Questions
Building in Amelia — Common Questions
Do you build in Amelia County?+
Yes — on your own land anywhere in the county, from Chula and Amelia Court House to Mannboro and Jetersville.
What is the property tax rate in Amelia County?+
$0.46 per $100 of assessed value, unchanged for 2024, 2025 and 2026 — $3,220 a year on a $700,000 assessment. There are no town levies on top.
Do I need a well and septic system?+
Almost certainly. Public water and sewer serve only the Sanitary District around Amelia Court House; elsewhere a home is on a private well and septic, permitted by the Health Department.
How big does a lot need to be?+
It depends on the zoning. Amelia’s rural districts have minimum lots of one, three, five and ten acres — five in the A-5 agricultural district — each with its own frontage and setback rules. We check the parcel’s zoning before design.
Do I need a land disturbance permit?+
Above 10,000 square feet of disturbance, yes — which a house with its driveway, well and drainfield will usually reach. For a single-family home that is normally an Agreement in Lieu of an Erosion and Sediment Control Plan rather than an engineered plan. We handle it as part of the build.
How long does an Amelia custom build take?+
Most custom builds run 10–14 months from contract to move-in. On rural land the front end — lot walk, soil evaluation, design and permits — is where the calendar varies most. You get a written timeline before construction starts.
Sources
Where These Numbers Come From
Every figure on this page comes from a public record, linked below. Tax rates are adopted each spring and we re-check them then; permit data is released annually by the Census Bureau. If a number here is out of date, tell us and we will correct it.
Amelia County real estate tax rate, 2024–2026
Amelia County — Tax Rates (ameliacova.com) · 2026 rate
Hanover County real estate tax rate (comparison)
Hanover County — Tax Rates (hanovercounty.gov) · 2026 rate
Powhatan County real estate tax rate (comparison)
Powhatan County — Tax Rates (powhatanva.gov) · 2026 rate
Public water and sewer in the Sanitary District around Amelia Court House
Amelia County — Amelia County Sanitary District (ameliacova.com)
Wells as the county’s water source; the A-5 zoning and village growth areas
Amelia County — Comprehensive Plan (ameliacova.com)
Shrink-swell clay and engineered footings
Amelia County — Building Department — Permits and Forms (ameliacova.com)
Erosion and sediment control for a single-family home
Amelia County — Erosion & Stormwater Management (ameliacova.com)
The 10,000 square foot land-disturbance threshold
Code of Virginia — § 62.1-44.15:34 (law.lis.virginia.gov)
Farms, acreage and commodity rankings
U.S. Department of Agriculture — 2022 Census of Agriculture, Amelia County profile (nass.usda.gov) · 2022 census
The Amelia Wildlife Management Area
Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources — Amelia WMA (dwr.virginia.gov)
Single-family permit counts and average construction value
U.S. Census Bureau — Building Permits Survey, annual county file (www2.census.gov) · 2025 release
Average construction value is reported valuation divided by units — the structure as declared on the permit. It excludes land and is not a sale price.
Take the Next Step
Talk With Us
Book 15 minutes to answer your home building, financing, or land search questions.
Walk Your Lot
We walk the property with you and flag access, soil, septic, and build constraints.
Plan Your Build
Two ways to get your bearings before you talk to anyone.
Have a question?
What would you like to know about building in Amelia County?