Nelson County Sheriff
The sheriff is the only locally elected constitutional law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth of Virginia, as provided in the Constitution of Virginia, elected by the citizens of the county every four years. The Sheriff of Nelson County is responsible for law enforcement in the Nelson County. Title 15.2-1609 of the Code of Virginia mandates that the sheriff is ultimately responsible for law enforcement in their locality.
The Sheriff of Nelson County sits on the regional jail board, responsible for transporting inmates to and from state institutions and maintaining security while transporting inmates to trials and other community services as required by court orders. The Sheriff of Nelson County is responsible for the security of the courthouse, the courtrooms and the trials while they are underway. The sheriff is responsible for the security and sequestering of jurors and notification of jurors for court service. Additionally, the Sheriff’s Office is responsible for the service of thousands of court papers per year, ranging from divorce proceedings and child custody cases to simple civil suits among citizens.
In addition to these services, the Sheriff of Nelson County promotes services for victims and witnesses of crime as well as participate in civil commitments to the county’s citizens to protect their basic health and welfare. The Sheriff performs these duties and much more, as the duties of the sheriff are not spelled out in any one document, law or regulation.
Mission Statement
The mission of the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office is to provide professional law enforcement officers who always operate with integrity and honor, who respect the constitutional rights of all people, reflect and acknowledge the diversity of the people it serves while protecting the lives and property of the residents and visitors of Nelson County.
Join Our Team
Be a part of something great! Enjoy the benefits of a small family/team approach to public service. Work with a supportive community as a deputy with the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office. We offer a variety of duties from patrol, investigations, collaboration with local, state and federal agencies, court security, and crime prevention to School Resource Officers and K-9 handlers.
Benefits include:
- $49,424 per year salary with no experience
- Excellent health, dental and vision insurance
- Use of a take-home vehicle within a defined geographical area
Individuals who wish to apply must: Be a citizen of the United States; Have a high school diploma or have passed a General Educational Development (GED) exam, Virginia DCJS law enforcement or jail certification (or other state equivalent) and higher education is a plus; Possess a valid Virginia driver’s license in good standing at the time of employment; Be at least twenty years old and; Not have been convicted, pled guilty or no contest to a felony or any offense that would be a felony if committed in Virginia and not have any convictions for misdemeanor crimes;
The hiring process: To begin your career here, complete a Nelson County Sheriff’s Office application, complete an oral panel interview, Pass a background investigation, a drug urinalysis, polygraph and psychological examinations, complete a physical / medical examination conducted under the supervision of a licensed physician, and an interview with the Sheriff.
Submit the Application to
NCSO Employment Application
Virginia Freedom of Information Act
The Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Chapter 37 of Tile 2.2 of Virginia Code) provides access by citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia to public records and to meetings of public bodies. The act also provides access to representatives of the print media with circulation in the Commonwealth and representatives of radio and television stations broadcasting in or into the Commonwealth. The Nelson County Sheriff’s Office provides access to many records. You may submit a VFOIA request for crash reports, police incident reports, or other documents, by VFOIA request for the Sheriff’s Office by
Phone: 434-263-7049
Fax: 434-263-7056
E-mail:
Mail to: Nelson County Sheriff’s Office, P.O. Box 36, Lovingston, VA 22949
In person at: 94 Courthouse Square, Lovingston, VA 22949
We are interested in feedback from the citizens
Your input is important to us. More often than not only need in feedback from the citizens of Nelson County: More often than not only negative information is reported. However, this feedback form is being used to gauge all interaction (both positive and negative) with the Sheriff’s Office. By taking your time to complete this form you are providing us with information that we can use to better evaluate our services to the citizens of Nelson County. Thank you for your time!
Virginia Community Policing Act
The Virginia Community Policing Act requires law enforcement agencies to collect demographic information during all traffic and investigatory stops in an effort to reduce law enforcement officers from engaging in bias-based profiling. This data is submitted to a statewide database maintained by the Virginia State Police. The statewide data is analyzed to determine the prevalence of bias-based profiling.
Data collected by the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office in compliance with the Virginia Community Policing Act can be found on this link. You may direct additional questions about the reporting guidelines and data to .
