Frequently Asked Questions

Do not hang up. Stay on the line and let the dispatcher know that it was a mistake. When someone hangs up the dispatcher does not know what the circumstances are at the occurring location. Law enforcement units will be dispatched on all 911 hang-ups, misdials, and open lines. By staying on the line and letting the dispatcher know that the call was a mistake allows that information to be relayed to the responders, giving them accurate information about the 911 call.

Dispatchers have mapping software that automatically plots a point when an E-911 call is received; the dispatcher will confirm this information with the caller. This allows dispatchers to help responders find your location. A well-posted E-911 address will do a great deal to ensure that responders don't spend an unnecessary amount of time getting to your home or business.

Dispatchers will transmit information about an emergency by way of an analog paging system and digital radio frequencies. Information from the Computer Assisted Dispatching (CAD) software will also push certain information out to the responder by way of a mobile application called Active911. Information such as the location and call specifics will be relayed to the responders by the dispatcher.

No, answering the questions presented by the dispatcher will not delay a responder getting to your home or business. We use a concept called team dispatching. While one dispatcher is asking questions and documenting responses their partner is busy monitoring the call and notifying responders of the emergency. This allows a flow of information and a timely response simultaneously to occur.

Many automobile and homeowners' insurance policies provide coverage for EMS transports. We recommend that individuals review their insurance policies and coverages. The County's billing services company will bill health insurance first, followed by auto insurance and then any other insurance that may apply.

Beginning August 1, 2010, Madison County will generate a bill each time EMS services, including ambulance transports, are provided to a patient by the staff of the County's Department of Emergency Medical Services ("MEMS"). Madison County has contracted with Ambulance Medical Billing  (view the company's website for more information) to handle the billing process. Following receipt of EMS services, a patient will receive correspondence from Ambulance Medical Billing asking for confirmation of residence address and insurance coverage. Once information about a patient's insurance coverage has been verified, a claim form will be forwarded to his insurance provider, Medicare, or Medicaid as may be applicable. Patients themselves will not be billed until all insurance options have been exhausted.

No. All patients will be treated and transported and no person will be denied service due to any delinquent accounts. Emergency service providers who respond to your call will have no knowledge of who has paid and who has not paid.

No. Fees for EMS services will be billed only if you are transported by ambulance.

Madison County will charge a fee of $13.00 per mile for each ambulance transport and a fee of $425 to $775 for EMS services provided in connection with the transport, depending on the level of EMS care required by the patient. There are three levels of EMS care: (1) Basic Life Support (BLS); (2) Advanced Life Support-1 (ALS1); and (3) Advanced Life Support-2 (ALS2).  Madison County's fees are established by a resolution of the Board of Supervisors, consistent with rates allowed by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for our geographic region.

No one will ever be denied treatment or transport based on his or her ability to pay. If a patient receives a bill that he/she is unable to pay, the patient should contact the billing services company to apply for a financial hardship waiver. A financial hardship application form will be sent out by the billing services company, upon request by an individual.

A financial hardship waiver will be approved if an applicant demonstrates that his or her household income, based on the applicable family size, is at or below 300% of current federal poverty guidelines.

A County resident will be billed only to the extent of his or her Medicare, Medicaid or other health insurance coverage. Any remaining cost-sharing amounts (e.g., co-payments, deductibles) will be waived for County residents. If you are a County resident who is not covered by Medicare, Medicaid or any other health insurance coverage, charges for EMS services will be waived.  If you are a non-resident, then your insurance company will be billed and you will subsequently receive a bill for applicable cost-sharing amounts remaining after insurance claims have been processed. Any non-resident who is without any form of insurance coverage will be billed for the entire amount of the EMS services delivered. If a patient who receives a bill is unable to pay, then the patient may apply for a financial hardship waiver.

Yes. Beginning with the 2022 General Election, the General Assembly approved legislation that provides the ability to register at any time, up to and including Election Day.

Previously, registration was closed for 21 days before an election; there was no ability to register to vote after this deadline. The new law allows registration, with limitations, during the 21-day period before an election.

Provisional ballots are used by voters who do not appear on the list of registered voters at their polling location. Provisional ballots are not processed by a vote-counting machine at the time of voting but rather are subject to approval by the local Electoral Board prior to the ballot being counted.

The General Registrar’s office for your locality will research your ballot to gather evidence about whether you are qualified and eligible to vote. The General Registrar’s office will forward your ballot and the information gathered to the Electoral Board to review and approve or deny your ballot.

After you vote, you will be given a notice with the date, time, and place where the local Electoral Board will make a decision regarding your provisional ballot. You are entitled to attend this meeting, but you are not required to attend in order for your ballot to be counted. If your registration application is approved and there are no other issues, your ballot will be counted. If your ballot is not counted, you will receive written notice from your General Registrar.

Any person qualified to register to vote is eligible. However, if you are already registered in a different locality and seeking to update your registration, you may be eligible to cast a non-provisional ballot, rather than the provisional ballot used for same-day registration. Your General Registrar or officer of the election at your polling place can provide further information about eligibility.

Same-day registration and voting with a provisional ballot can be utilized after the 21-day deadline to register to vote on a non-provisional ballot.

You may same-day register at the office of your General Registrar during the early voting period. On Election Day, you must go to the the polling place for the precinct in which you reside if you wish to utilize the Same Day Registration.

You can find this information by contacting the office of the General Registrar at 540-948-6533 or Email General Registrar.

You can purchase a dog license at the Treasurer's Office.  (410 North Main Street, Madison, VA. 22727)

Yes. Send a copy of the current rabies certificate and a check for the license requested. Be sure to include your address so we can send your receipt and tag(s).  Beginning on November 1, 2018, Lifetime Dog Licenses will be sold for a cost of $10.00 per dog.

When a puppy is four (4) months old it is required to have a Dog License.

You must present a certificate of vaccination, properly executed and signed by the licensed veterinarian performing the vaccination, specifying the date of the vaccination, the date required for revaccination, a brief description of the dog and the name and address of the animal's owner.

Beginning November 1, 2018, Lifetime Dog Licenses will be sold at a cost of $10.00 per dog.

Board Meetings

Open meetings of the Madison County Board of Supervisors, including joint meetings with the Planning Commission, are held in the Board Auditorium located within the Administration Building at 414 North Main Street unless otherwise noted. Per month, the Board will hold two regular meetings and one joint meeting with the Planning Commission. The dates and times for these meetings are as follows:

First Regular Meeting

Apart from regular meeting items, the first regular meeting serves as the meeting where County Departments provide updates to the Board of Supervisors. While Department updates may also be given upon request at other meetings, the first regular meeting always has an item listed for updates by County Departments, Constitutional Officers, Agencies, and Other Committees.

These meetings are held on the Second Tuesday of Each Month at 4:00 PM.

Second Regular Meeting

The second regular meetings, unless otherwise noted, do not feature an item for County Department updates. While Departments may give updates at these meetings, there is no regular item on the agenda for these updates to be given.

These meetings are held on the Fourth Tuesday of Each Month at 6:00 PM.

Joint Meeting with the Planning Commission

The Planning Commission serves as the advisor to the Board of Supervisors in matters of planning and zoning by preparing and recommending plans, ordinances, capital improvement programs and similar documents, and reviewing development proposals. Joint meetings between the Board and Planning Commission typically involve the review of cases regarding rezoning, special use permits, subdivision applications, the County plan, and ordinance reviews.

These meetings are held on the First Wednesday of Each Month at 7:00 PM.

Streaming links for the Board of Supervisor's meetings.

State law requires all localities to evaluate property tax values to ensure that they are in line with current fair market value and assure uniformity of assessments with similar properties. 

Madison County traditionally conducts reassessments every six years. Reassessments may take place at intervals spanning from one to six years. Per Virginia Code § 58.1-3253 “the governing body of any county or city may, by ordinance duly adopted, provide for the annual assessment and equalization of real estate for local taxation.”

The process began in Spring of 2024 with a study of qualified real estate sales since the last assessment in 2019.  Emphasis was given to the most recent 2024 sales, but older sales of more unique properties or properties with little market activity would also be considered.  As analysis continued, supportable conclusions for calibrations to value models were made and implemented in the County’s valuation software. Members of Wingate Appraisal Service also personally visited each parcel in Madison County to account for physical condition. The property visits to verify data were completed by December 2024. 

Generally, sales are considered if they are between a “willing buyer” and a “willing seller” in a competitive market.  Most sales fall into that category.  However, the assessor might exclude sales from consideration if they are much higher or lower than typical sales in the marketplace.  Excluded sales might represent sales under duress (such as from a foreclosure), or they may represent acquisitions made at a premium because of factors unique to a buyer’s situation.

In addition to the overall market, the Assessors considered factors such as location, access to highways, proximity to shopping centers, and the condition and type of building.  For certain types of properties, Assessors evaluated the replacement cost less depreciation, utilizing the typical contract cost for such work.  In keeping with accepted practice for appraisals, the Assessors consider all approaches to estimating value and gave the most consideration to the approach that yielded the most credible result.

In addition to physical County-wide printouts of proposed values located at the hearing site (414 N Main St, Madison, VA 22727) assessment listings are also posted on our website under the General Reassessment page.

The Code of Virginia requires the reassessment notice to state the proposed market value for the tax year applicable.  Land Use assessments are based on the use value of the property and do not have a relationship to the market value assessments.  In other words, an increase in market value will not necessarily change the land use value and property owners should be aware that comparisons between the two unrelated sets of assessed values are not “apples to apples”.  Land Use value changes will be noted depending on the land use category or categories on participating properties.  

The purpose of the re-assessment is not to increase taxes, but to provide uniformity between assessed properties and an assessment of value in line with the real estate market at the current time. The County Administration is currently in the process of considering the real estate tax rate necessary to support the FY 2025 Budget. Madison County urges residents to engage in the County's budget process, more information can be found here. The 2025 real estate tax rate will be posted through the Commissioner of the Revenue's page when available.

It is important to remember that the impact of the new assessment combined with the new tax rate will be different for each individual property.

Questions about the assessed values and process of obtaining the value should be directed to the Assessor. Call (540)948-7590 or email assessor@madisonco.virginia.gov. All landowners are welcome to call the Commissioner of the Revenue's office as well at (540) 948-4421. Emails can be found on the Commissioner's webpage.

Contact the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) (804) 367-1000.

Wildlife Center of Virginia | A teaching and research hospital for native wild animals (540) 942-9453

Madison County Animal Control- 540-948-7042, after hours 540-948-5161, Emergency please call 911

Department of Wildlife Resources: 804-367-1000

Madison County Health Department: 540-948-5481, After hour hotline: 866-531-3068