Virginia Beach unveils new property search tool

Getting information on properties in Virginia Beach just got easier. The city has released a new online tool and mobile app called Virginia Beach Property Search that provides information on more than 159,000 properties throughout the city.

The inventory, at vbgov.com/property-search or via the mobile app for iOS and Android, includes residential, commercial, agricultural and tax-exempt properties. People can conduct a search from a computer, tablet or phone using a street address, neighborhood name or ZIP code.

The city said the search tool is part of Virginia Beach’s ongoing effort to use technology to be more innovative, open and transparent to residents and business owners. That effort will soon include a new open-data portal, offering online access to many city databases.

“Virginia Beach Property Search offers all of the city’s property information in one easy-to-use location,” City Assessor Jerald Banagan said in a statement. “Residents, prospective residents, Realtors, appraisers and anyone looking to locate a business in Virginia Beach can use the tools to find just what they need.”

According to the city, Virginia Beach Property Search includes more information than most commercial search sites. For every property, the tool offers a detailed sales history, year-by-year assessments, tax rates, annual taxes, year built, square footage of land and buildings, number of bedrooms, bathrooms and total rooms, internal and external features, schematics, aerial images, zoning, watershed, soil type, flood and noise zones, a downloadable plat and more.

The tool also provides information not available on the city’s old property search site, including the nearest library, recreation center, park, fire station, police station and voting location and districts for the City Council and state legislature.

Users also can view subdivision boundaries and get sales information for homes within a subdivision and surrounding area.

What they can’t get is property owners’ names. To protect the privacy of property owners, Property Search does not include individual owner names.