Tazewell County Sex Offender Registry

Tazewell County residents can search for registered sex offenders through the Virginia State Police public registry, which covers all offenders required to register anywhere in Virginia. This page covers how to search for offenders in Tazewell County, what local agencies do to enforce registration rules, and what the law requires of all registrants in this part of Southwest Virginia.

How to Search the Tazewell County Registry

The Virginia State Police runs the official sex offender registry. You can access it at sex-offender.vsp.virginia.gov/sor or at the alternate address vspsor.com. Both portals pull from the same statewide database. There is no fee and no account is needed to search.

To find offenders in Tazewell County, try entering a local zip code such as 24605 for Bluefield, 24641 for Richlands, or 24651 for Tazewell. You can also search by entering a street address and setting a radius. As of early 2026, approximately 63 registered sex offenders had Tazewell County addresses in the registry. That count can change daily as offenders move in, move out, or update their information. The VSP updates the database each business day.

If you have questions about a specific listing, contact the VSP Sex Offender Registry unit at (804) 674-2825 or email sor.vsp@vsp.virginia.gov. For questions about offenders living in Tazewell County specifically, the Tazewell County Sheriff's Office is the primary local contact.

The VSP maintains the registry according to Virginia Code Title 9.1, Chapter 9. That chapter sets out who must register, how long they must stay on the registry, how often they must verify, and what happens if they fail to comply.

The VSP registry at vspsor.com provides the same public search functions as the main portal with an updated interface for residents searching Tazewell County and surrounding Southwest Virginia areas.

Tazewell County Sheriff's Office

The Tazewell County Sheriff's Office is the primary law enforcement agency for unincorporated parts of the county. Sheriff Brian Hieatt oversees the department. The office handles registration appointments for sex offenders with county addresses and works alongside the Virginia State Police on compliance monitoring and investigations.

Tazewell County inmates are housed at the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail, which serves multiple counties in this part of the state. When offenders are released from that facility, they must complete or update their sex offender registration before returning to the community. The jail coordinates this process with the VSP to keep the registry current at all times.

Within Tazewell County, several municipal police departments also have jurisdiction over incorporated towns. The Bluefield Police Department serves the Virginia side of the Bluefield area. The Richlands Police Department covers Richlands. The Cedar Bluff Police Department handles Cedar Bluff. All three agencies coordinate with the Sheriff's Office and report registration changes to the State Police.

Residents who believe a registered offender has moved or is not complying with registration rules should contact the Sheriff's Office or report directly to the VSP registry unit at (804) 674-2825. Non-compliance is taken seriously. Tier III offenders who fail to register face felony charges. Tier I and Tier II offenders face misdemeanor charges for the same failure.

Virginia Registration Tiers and Rules

Virginia uses a three-tier system for sex offenders. The tier is assigned at sentencing and is based on the conviction offense. Tier I offenders register once a year for 15 years, after which they may petition to be removed from the registry. Tier II offenders also verify annually but must wait 25 years before they can ask a court to remove them. Tier III offenders represent the most serious category. They must verify their registration every 90 days and, in most cases, remain on the registry for the rest of their lives.

The law governing this process is found in Virginia Code Title 9.1, Chapter 9. Under section 9.1-901, any person convicted of a qualifying offense on or after July 1, 1994, must register. Qualifying offenses include rape, forcible sodomy, object sexual penetration, carnal knowledge of a minor, child pornography, sexual battery, and computer solicitation of minors. Virginia Code section 9.1-902 lists all covered offenses in full.

Initial registration must happen within three days of sentencing or release from custody. The offender must appear in person, provide their current address, employer, school enrollment if any, and internet identifiers, and have a photo taken. Any address change must be reported within three days. A change in email or social media accounts must be reported within 30 minutes of making it.

Failure to register is a Class 1 misdemeanor for Tier I and Tier II offenders, carrying up to 12 months in jail and a fine up to $2,500. For Tier III offenders, the same failure is a Class 6 felony under section 18.2-472.1, carrying one to five years in prison. Courts in Tazewell County handle any new charges that arise from registry violations.

School Notifications in Tazewell County

Schools in Tazewell County receive automatic electronic notifications from the Virginia State Police when an offender registers or re-registers with an address in the same zip code as the school or in a neighboring zip code. This system runs through established VSP procedures and keeps school administrators informed without requiring staff to manually check the registry.

Schools use this notification to review safety plans and alert staff when a registered offender moves nearby. Parents and employees receive notice at the beginning of each school year about the sex offender registry and how to access it. Video surveillance in common areas and on school buses provides an added layer of security in Tazewell County schools.

Any parent or community member can search the registry at sex-offender.vsp.virginia.gov/sor using a zip code or street address to find registered offenders in any part of the county. No registration or fee is required.

National Resources

The National Sex Offender Public Website at nsopw.gov connects to every state registry and lets you search all 50 states, U.S. territories, and tribal jurisdictions at once. This is useful for checking on someone who may have moved to Tazewell County from another state, or for verifying out-of-state registration history before they arrived in Virginia.

The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services at dcjs.virginia.gov supports local agencies across Virginia with training and resources related to sex offender registry compliance. The DCJS works with county agencies in Southwest Virginia to maintain consistent enforcement standards statewide.

The NSOPW site pulls from all state registries, making it the best tool for multi-state searches when checking on someone who has lived in more than one state before arriving in Tazewell County.

Cities in Tazewell County

Tazewell County does not contain any independent cities under Virginia law. The towns of Bluefield, Richlands, Cedar Bluff, and Tazewell are incorporated towns within the county. None of these towns meet the population threshold for individual pages on this site. Residents in any Tazewell County town use the same Virginia State Police registry, searching by local zip code or street address.

Nearby Counties

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.

Offender Residency Restrictions

Tier III offenders in Virginia may not live within 500 feet of a school or licensed daycare facility in most situations. This restriction applies throughout Virginia, including all of Tazewell County. Courts can grant limited exceptions in certain cases. Any Tier III offender planning to move within Tazewell County must confirm that the new address meets the 500-foot requirement before completing the move. The Virginia State Police can help answer questions about whether a specific address is compliant.