Prince William County Local Guide

Your Guide to Settling In

View Your Guide to Settling Into Prince William County (PDF) ↗ (opens in a new tab)A helpful, print friendly checklist for your move by LizyTylerCo · www.lizytylerco.com

• Request USPS mail forwarding online or at a Post Office, and confirm the start date.
• Update your address with important accounts and contacts, including banks, insurers, your employer and relevant agencies.
• If you already have Virginia DMV records, update your license or ID and vehicle addresses. New to Virginia? Follow DMV’s new resident steps.
• If you are eligible to vote, register or update your residential address and confirm your registration with the correct city or county.
• Use the county’s utility contacts to confirm your providers and arrange needed account transfers. Check internet availability and installation timing for your exact address.
• Check your town, HOA or landlord’s arrangement first. If you need your own service, choose a private hauler or confirm a self haul option and recycling rules.
• Sign up for PWC Alerts, or update your existing profile for your new home.

Use the steps that apply to your move. Confirm your address’s jurisdiction, provider coverage and any landlord or community arrangements. Check official sources for current requirements.

Settling in sources reviewed 10/17/2026

Find the Right Office

Check the physical address and parcel in PWC QuickInfo (opens in a new tab). Mailing names such as Manassas do not establish the governing jurisdiction. GIS is a research tool, not a legal survey.

The county’s town and city guide (opens in a new tab) identifies four incorporated towns: Dumfries, Haymarket, Occoquan and Quantico. Town residents may have town requirements and separate town real estate taxes in addition to county taxes. The Cities of Manassas and Manassas Park are independent cities, not parts of Prince William County. Use their city offices for city property questions. Some regional programs serve all three jurisdictions, so check each program’s scope.

Set Up Utilities and Care for Septic Systems

Electric: The county utility directory (opens in a new tab) lists Dominion Energy and NOVEC. Confirm the serving company for the exact address from the existing bill, seller or utility. Do not assume one covers the entire county.

Water and sewer: The same directory lists Prince William Water (opens in a new tab) and Virginia American Water (opens in a new tab). Confirm the property’s provider, account transfer steps and whether public water and sewer are both connected. A mailing city or ZIP code is not enough to establish service.

Private well or septic: Use Prince William Health District’s onsite sewage and water services (opens in a new tab) for records, permits and owner responsibilities. Its records are organized by address and GPIN. Ask about your system’s pump out and maintenance obligations, including additional requirements for alternative systems. Keep maintenance reports and ask before adding bedrooms, expanding the home or altering the drainfield area.

Internet Access

Internet choices can change from one property to the next. Confirm the exact address, available technology, installation date, upload and download speeds, equipment charges, data limits and total price before relying on service for a move. A nearby network or announced buildout does not guarantee an orderable connection.

Check Xfinity / Comcast (opens in a new tab) and Verizon Home Internet (opens in a new tab) directly. Ask whether an offer is cable, fiber or fixed wireless. Mobile phone coverage alone does not establish home internet availability. Where wired service is unavailable, ask about address qualified fixed wireless or satellite options and their installation requirements. Compare the provider’s current broadband label and promotional terms.

Use Prince William County’s broadband expansion page (opens in a new tab) to investigate service gaps and the linked Virginia BEAD progress resources. Completed networks and awarded future projects are different stages: confirm with the named provider whether your property is ready for service now.

For additional address checks, visit T-Mobile Home Internet (opens in a new tab) for fixed wireless and Starlink Residential (opens in a new tab) for satellite. Qualification, capacity, equipment costs and installation conditions vary. Satellite service requires a suitable view of the sky.

Recycling and Household Waste

The county does not provide curbside collection or collection bins. Check your town or HOA first, then use the county collection guide (opens in a new tab) to find a permitted private hauler or self haul options.

Review Solid Waste Management (opens in a new tab) for facility hours, proof of residency requirements, accepted materials and special waste handling. Arrange bulky item pickup separately when needed. Recycling and yard waste requirements differ from ordinary trash. Ask the hauler for collection days and preparation rules. Check current hazardous waste and electronics instructions before transporting those materials.

Find Property Records and Tax Bills

Use Tax Administration (opens in a new tab) for the county’s official taxpayer portal, billing help and links to real estate assessments. Compare the property description, assessment year and parcel number with your records. Assessment questions and billing questions may go to different staff.

Ask the assessment office about factual corrections or current appeal procedures. Filing windows vary by year. Check actual payment status even if taxes are paid through mortgage escrow. If the property is in an incorporated town, check the separate town bill as well.

For a deed, recorded plat or easement, request the recorded document through the Circuit Court Clerk’s Land Records resources (opens in a new tab). A tax ownership entry or GIS boundary does not replace a title examination or survey.

Find Tax Information and Relief

The county tax relief directory (opens in a new tab) includes elderly and disabled relief, disabled veteran and surviving spouse programs, and other exemptions. Review the current program rules and ask which office processes your application.

Relief is not automatic. Ownership, occupancy, disability or age, income and net worth tests may apply, depending on the program. Confirm documentation and deadlines for the current tax year. Town residents should ask their town separately about town taxes. County approval does not by itself establish town relief.

Plan a Renovation

Visit the Building Development Division (opens in a new tab) before starting work. Its project guides cover additions, basement finishes, sheds, decks, fences, pools, solar and other common improvements.

Describe the actual scope, not just the project name. Ask about building and trade permits, zoning, setbacks, easements, land disturbance and well/septic impacts. If the home is within a town, confirm which approvals come from the town and which from the county. HOA approval is a separate step.

Put your goals, priorities, questions and next steps in one place.View Home Project Planning Sheet (PDF) ↗ (opens in a new tab)To keep completed entries, save a copy with your changes using the PDF viewer’s controls.

Understand Permits and Inspections

The county building page (opens in a new tab) links to ePortal, application resources and inspection scheduling. ePortal is the county’s online access point for permits, inspections, plans and related requests.

Keep the permit number, approved plans and inspection list. Wait for required approvals before starting. Schedule the inspections applicable to each stage before concealing the work, and retain final inspection results. For unresolved unpermitted work, ask Building Development for the appropriate correction process.

Repair and Housing Assistance

The Neighborhood Housing Rehabilitation Program (opens in a new tab) offers financial assistance for eligible owner occupied homes to address health and safety problems, accessibility and energy efficiency. Its service area includes Prince William County and the Cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.

Ask Housing and Community Development about current eligibility, available funding, application timing and the form of assistance. Confirm loan, repayment or property related conditions before agreeing to work. Do not assume assistance is a grant, that every repair qualifies or that funds are reserved before approval.

Check a Contractor

Before signing, use Virginia DPOR License Lookup (opens in a new tab) to verify the exact business name, active license, classification and specialty appropriate to the work. Virginia contractor licensing is handled through DPOR. Maryland’s MHIC lookup does not establish Virginia authorization.

Review DPOR’s homeowner hiring guide (opens in a new tab). Compare written estimates, check insurance and references, and agree on scope, materials, schedule, payment terms and who obtains permits. Keep the signed contract, change orders, receipts and final inspection records.

Keep useful questions and conversation notes together as you compare your options.View Questions Before Hiring a Contractor (PDF) ↗ (opens in a new tab)