Sex Offenders in Madison County

Madison County is a rural Piedmont county in north-central Virginia, and the sex offender registry for the area is maintained by the Virginia State Police and open to the public at no cost. You can search for registered sex offenders in Madison County by name, address, or zip code using the VSP online database. This page explains how to search, what the local Sheriff's Office handles, how Virginia's tier system works, and where to get more help.

Madison County Sex Offender Registry Search

The Virginia Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry is the main source for Madison County sex offender information. Search it at sex-offender.vsp.virginia.gov/sor or through vspsor.com. Both access the same live database. No fee, no account required.

Madison County zip codes for searching include 22727 for the town of Madison and the central county area, 22719 for Etlan and the northern part, and 22723 for Rochelle and Graves Mill areas. A zip code search will show all registered offenders in that zone with photos, names, addresses, and conviction summaries. You can also use a street address and set a radius to see offenders near a particular location, or search by name if you know who you are looking for.

The Madison County Sheriff's Office handles local registration. Sheriff Erik R. Weaver leads the office at 115 Church Street, Madison, VA 22727. Call (540) 308-0699 for non-emergency questions. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. The sheriff's office handles initial registration, address updates, and compliance questions for all offenders required to register in Madison County.

The National Sex Offender Public Website allows users to search all state registries at once, including Virginia's, and is useful for checking offenders who may have moved to or from Madison County.

Local Registration and Sheriff's Office

Registration in Madison County follows the standard Virginia process. After a conviction that triggers registration, the offender must report within three days of sentencing or release. They go in person to the Madison County Sheriff's Office, provide a current address, photo, and identifying information, and complete the required paperwork. The Virginia State Police receives the data and adds it to the public registry.

Address changes must be reported within three days. Employer and school changes also require a three-day report. For online identifiers, the window is even shorter: 30 minutes. This tight online reporting rule reflects Virginia's recognition that digital contact can create risks quickly. The Madison County Sheriff's Office coordinates with VSP to verify compliance among the county's registered population.

The Madison County official government site at madisoncoVa.us lists county services and department contacts. The sheriff's office page provides direct contact information and covers registration-related services. If you have questions about a specific offender's status in Madison County, the sheriff's office is the local contact.

Offenders relocating to Madison County from another state or a different Virginia county must register with the Sheriff's Office within three days of establishing a local residence. Out-of-state registrants are subject to Virginia's rules as soon as they set up residence, work, or attend school in the state for any continuous period.

Virginia's Three-Tier Registry System

All sex offenders in Virginia are classified into one of three tiers at sentencing based on the offense. The tier sets how often the offender must re-register and whether removal is possible. The governing statute is Virginia Code Title 9.1, Chapter 9.

Tier I is the entry-level classification and covers the widest range of qualifying offenses. Tier I offenders register once a year. After 15 years without a new offense, they can ask the court to remove them from the registry. Tier II is more serious and often involves crimes against minor victims. Tier II also requires annual registration but for 25 years before a petition is possible. Tier III covers the most serious offenses, including crimes against young children and cases with repeat offenders. Tier III registration is required every 90 days for the offender's entire life. No petition for removal exists for Tier III.

Tier III offenders in Madison County are subject to Virginia's 500-foot residency restriction, which bars them from living, working, or loitering near schools, daycares, or facilities that primarily serve children. Madison County's rural character means fewer such facilities than urban areas, but the restriction still applies and is enforced. Violating it is a separate criminal offense.

Compliance and Penalty Structure

Virginia takes registration compliance seriously. Missing a required check-in is a Class 1 misdemeanor for Tier I and II offenders. That can mean up to 12 months in jail and a $2,500 fine. For Tier III, a missed registration is a Class 6 felony with potential prison time. Each missed deadline is treated as its own offense, not just a continuation of the same violation.

If you think a registered offender in Madison County has moved without updating their address or has otherwise failed to meet their registration requirements, report it to the VSP registry unit at (804) 674-2825 or sor.vsp@vsp.virginia.gov. You can also contact the Madison County Sheriff's Office at (540) 308-0699.

The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services at dcjs.virginia.gov maintains policy guidance on sex offender management and registry enforcement statewide. Their site is useful if you want background on how Virginia's system works at a policy level and how local agencies like the Madison County Sheriff's Office fit into it.

Note: The VSP registry at sex-offender.vsp.virginia.gov/sor reflects updates in real time as offenders report changes. For the most current Madison County data, use that portal directly rather than third-party aggregators.

Cities in Madison County

Madison County has no independent cities. The county seat is the town of Madison, which does not meet the population threshold for a separate city page on this site.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Madison County and all maintain sex offender listings through the Virginia State Police registry.

Registry Use and Public Safety

Virginia law makes sex offender registry information available to the public to help protect communities. You can use the registry to check if an offender lives near your home, school, or workplace. The National Sex Offender Public Website at nsopw.gov also lets you search across all states at once. This is useful when checking on someone who may have moved to Virginia from out of state. The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services at dcjs.virginia.gov has more information about the registry program and community safety resources available to local agencies.

Note: Registry information is for public safety purposes only. Using it to harass or intimidate an offender is prohibited under Virginia law and can result in criminal charges.

How to Read Registry Results

When you search the Virginia State Police registry, each result shows a set of standard fields. You will see the offender's full name and any aliases. The current address appears below the name. If the offender's photo is on file, it shows on the left side of the result. The conviction offense is listed, along with the date of conviction and the locality where the case was heard. The tier level appears near the top of each entry. Tier I is the lowest risk, Tier III the highest. All of this information comes directly from state police records and is updated each business day.