Detailed Answer

Start by locating the property’s recorded deed and chain of title. In Virginia, most legal ownership information is created and preserved in public land records filed at the circuit court clerk’s office for the county (or city) where the property sits. A clear, documented chain of title shows who holds legal title today and how ownership passed from one person to another.

Practical first-step checklist:

1. Identify the property. Get whatever you can from family: street address, parcel or tax map number, and any old deed copies or plats. The parcel/tax ID makes searching local records faster.
2. Search the recorded deeds at the local Circuit Court Clerk. Ask the circuit court clerk in the county or city where the land lies for recorded deeds, plats, and related instruments. Most deeds will show the grantor (seller/giver), grantee (buyer/recipient), dates, and legal description. The clerk’s office can usually tell you the current recorded owner.
3. Follow the chain of title. Starting from the most recent deed, trace backwards to the deed that created the interest you are investigating. Look for transfers by sale, gift, or inheritance.
4. Check probate and estate records. If your grandfather owned the land, his will, estate settlement, or administration records may explain how the property passed. Probate files, wills, and estate inventories are usually in the circuit court where the decedent lived. See Virginia laws on wills and estate administration: https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title-64.2/
5. Look at tax and assessor records and plats. County tax assessor or GIS/tax maps provide parcel IDs, assessed owner, and often a link to recorded plats. A recorded plat can show the portion boundaries more clearly than a deed’s written description.
6. Consider title reports or a title company search. A professional title search will locate recorded deeds, mortgages, liens, easements, and any clouds on title. Title companies and abstracters have routine access to local records and can produce a chain-of-title report and title commitment.

If documents are missing or unclear, pursue these next steps:

• Search older records and out-of-county filings (sometimes deeds were recorded where the grantor lived, not where the land sits).
• Look for deed substitutes (e.g., affidavits, partition deeds, or quitclaim deeds).
• If ownership is disputed or the chain has gaps, a quiet title action or declaratory judgment may be needed. Quiet title actions resolve who legally owns property and remove clouds on title. Virginia’s civil procedure rules and limitation periods are in Title 8.01 of the Virginia Code: https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title-8.01/

Important legal concepts to keep in mind:

• Recording matters. Virginia follows a race-notice/notice statute structure that makes recorded documents central to establishing priority. See Title 55.1 (Property and Conveyances): https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title-55.1/
• Inheritance vs. recorded transfer. Property passing by will or intestacy becomes legal title through probate or estate administration process; recorded deeds alone may not reflect that transfer until an executor or administrator records the proper documents.
• Adverse possession and prescriptive claims. Long, uninterrupted possession by another party can sometimes create legal title, but these claims require strict factual and statutory elements and are governed by limitation statutes in Title 8.01. If you suspect adverse possession, get legal help.

When to get a lawyer or title professional: if you find confusing or conflicting documents, an unrecorded transfer, unclear probate outcomes, missing heirs, or a potential boundary or adverse-possession claim. An attorney can explain your legal options and, if needed, file a quiet title lawsuit or represent you in probate.

Where to go for records and searches: local Circuit Court Clerk’s office (records and probate files), county tax assessor or GIS website (parcel info), and a licensed title company or abstractor for a full title search.

Disclaimer: This is general information about Virginia property procedures and is not legal advice. It does not create an attorney-client relationship. For advice about your specific situation, consult a Virginia-licensed attorney.

Helpful Hints

• Bring as many identifiers as possible to the clerk’s office: names, possible former names, approximate dates, address, and any recorded document numbers.
• Ask for certified copies of deeds and probate papers if you need official proof for banks, buyers, or court filings.
• Check multiple places: deed records, probate files, tax records, and recorded plats often complement each other.
• If a deed is old or uses metes-and-bounds language, a current surveyor can match old descriptions to modern boundaries.
• Keep digital and physical copies of everything you find. Create a timeline of transfers to visualize the chain of title.
• If you find a gap in the chain or conflicting claims, stop and consult a real estate attorney before making payments or transfers.