Frederick County Sex Offender Registry

Frederick County sex offenders are listed in the Virginia State Police public registry, which is free to search by name, address, or zip code. The county is one of the larger ones in the northern Shenandoah Valley and has approximately 150 to 200 registered offenders at any given time. This page covers how to search the registry for Frederick County, how local registration is handled at the sheriff's office, what the three-tier system requires, and how to get in touch with the right agencies for questions or reports.

Search the Frederick County Sex Offender Registry

The Virginia State Police hosts the registry at sex-offender.vsp.virginia.gov/sor. The alternate site is at vspsor.com. Both are free and updated continuously. No account is needed.

For Frederick County, zip codes 22602 and 22603 cover much of the area around Winchester. Enter a zip code or a street address and set a search radius to see all registered offenders nearby. Each result includes a photo, current address, date of birth, offense type, and tier assignment. You can also search by last name if you are looking for a specific individual.

Frederick County borders Winchester, which is an independent city in Virginia. Winchester has its own registry entries separate from Frederick County's entries, though both appear in the same VSP database. If you are searching the area around the Winchester city limits, you may want to run searches using addresses in both Winchester and Frederick County to get a complete picture.

With approximately 150 to 200 registered offenders, Frederick County has one of the larger local registries in the Shenandoah Valley. The county's size and its position along Interstate 81 mean offenders may work or travel between Frederick County and neighboring jurisdictions. The state registry captures all active registrations regardless of where the underlying conviction occurred.

Frederick County Sheriff's Office Registration

The Frederick County Sheriff's Office is at 1080 Coverstone Drive, Winchester, VA 22602. Phone: (540) 662-6168. Fax: (540) 722-6184. Email: sheriff@fcva.us. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Sheriff Lenny Millholland leads the department.

All sex offender registrations for Frederick County are processed at this office. That includes new registrations, address updates, employment changes, and school enrollment changes. Anyone moving into Frederick County from another Virginia locality or from another state must register within three days. The sheriff's office Criminal Investigations Division and Patrol Division both conduct compliance checks across the county's 416 square miles.

The Records Division handles public inquiries about the registry. Fingerprinting is available for $10.00. Background checks are processed through Virginia State Police. FOIA requests for records are accepted in writing. The office also coordinates with the Winchester Police Department on registry enforcement within the adjacent city limits.

For court records related to sex offense convictions in Frederick County, go to the Frederick County Circuit Court at 5 North Kent Street, Winchester, VA 22601. Phone: (540) 667-5770. Clerk Rebecca P. Oates handles all felony sex offense records. Court records are open to the public. Copies cost $0.50 per page or $2.00 certified.

Virginia's Tier System in Frederick County

All registered sex offenders in Frederick County fall into one of three tiers under Virginia Code Title 9.1, Chapter 9. The tier determines how often an offender must verify their registration and how long they stay on the registry.

Tier I is the lowest level. Tier I offenders register once per year and may seek removal from the registry after 15 years without a new qualifying offense. Tier II is for more serious crimes, especially those involving minor victims. Annual registration is still required, but the waiting period for removal is 25 years.

Tier III covers the most serious offenses. These include crimes against young children, violent sexual assaults, and cases involving repeat offenders. Tier III registration is required every 90 days, for life. There is no removal option. Tier III offenders in Frederick County are also prohibited from living, working, or lingering within 500 feet of a school, daycare center, or similar facility that primarily serves children.

Missing a registration or update deadline is a Class 1 misdemeanor for Tier I and Tier II offenders. For Tier III, the same failure is a Class 6 felony. Both the Frederick County Sheriff's Office and the Virginia State Police have authority to pursue non-compliance charges. These penalties apply across all Virginia counties, including Frederick.

Reporting and Compliance in Frederick County

Address changes must be reported to the Frederick County Sheriff's Office or the Virginia State Police within three days. Changes to employment or school enrollment follow the same three-day rule. Online identifier changes, such as a new email address or social media username, must be reported within 30 minutes under current Virginia law.

The VSP Sex Offender Registry unit can be reached at (804) 674-2825 or by email at sor.vsp@vsp.virginia.gov. If you suspect an offender in Frederick County has moved or changed status without updating the registry, report it to VSP or to the Frederick County Sheriff's Office at (540) 662-6168. Both agencies take tip-based reports seriously.

The VSP portal at vspsor.com provides access to all active Frederick County registrations and lets you search by name, address, or zip code.

Community Alerts and Additional Resources

Residents in Frederick County can subscribe to free email alerts through the VSP registry site. Set an address and choose a radius, and you will receive a notification any time a new offender registers within that area. This is a helpful tool for families, schools, and neighborhood groups who want to track local registry changes without checking the site manually.

The National Sex Offender Public Website at nsopw.gov covers every state in the U.S. Use it to check whether someone coming from outside Virginia has a prior registration in another state. The site pulls directly from each state's own registry and does not maintain a separate database.

For questions about specific cases or how the registry system works, contact VSP at (804) 674-2825 or the Frederick County Sheriff's Office at (540) 662-6168. Both can explain local procedures and confirm whether a specific person is currently required to register in Frederick County.

The NSOPW tool at nsopw.gov links to the Virginia State Police registry and lets you check registries in other states in the same search session.

Cities in Frederick County

Winchester is an independent city in Virginia that is surrounded by Frederick County. It has its own registry entries in the state system and its own page here.

Nearby Counties

The Virginia State Police registry covers all of Virginia's counties and cities. Select a county below to find local registry contacts and search details for neighboring areas.