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Fauquier County Farms & Land
From hunt country in the north to working farms in the south, Fauquier is one county with two very different land markets, and some of Virginia's strictest data-center rules.
What Fauquier County Land Is Like
Fauquier sits in Virginia's Piedmont, where the land rolls from the foothills of the Blue Ridge in the west toward the Bull Run Mountains and the flatter ground along the county's northern and eastern edges. Route 17, Route 29, and Route 28 form the county's main corridors, and the character of the land changes noticeably depending on which part of the county you're in.
The northern half, around Marshall and The Plains, is Virginia hunt country: large estates, board fencing, equestrian operations, and land priced accordingly. The southern half, around Bealeton, Remington, and Catlett, is more working-farm country: cattle, hay, and row crops, and larger acreage at a lower price per acre than the hunt country to the north. Both halves are still Fauquier, but they sit close to two different markets.
What Sells and Who Buys
Fauquier sees roughly 90 to 100 land sales a year, with vacant land selling at a median of around $432,000 as of the third quarter of 2025. Improved farms — working properties with a house, barns, and outbuildings — typically trade between $1.15 million and $4 million, with occasional sales reaching $7.9 million to $9 million for larger or more prominent estates.
Buyers span a real range: working farmers and cattle operations looking for southern-county acreage at a workable price, equestrian buyers drawn to the hunt-country north, and recreational or lifestyle buyers who want privacy and land without necessarily farming it. The average Fauquier farm runs around 180 acres, and a meaningful share of small farms in the county operate at a loss, a fact that shapes both who is selling and what they need a sale to accomplish.
Talk to a farm & land specialist who works this county firsthand.
The Data-Center Picture in Fauquier
Fauquier has taken one of the strictest regulatory postures of any county in the corridor. The county adopted a rule in March 2024 requiring a special exception for data-center buildings over 50,000 square feet at Vint Hill, and the Town of Warrenton removed data centers as a by-right industrial use in July 2025. Amazon's already-approved Warrenton facility, the Blackwell Road site, remains in citizen litigation, with oral arguments held in June 2026.
That strictness has not stopped developer interest. There are live proposals in the Remington and Midland corridor for multiple campuses, and around Vint Hill, and a developer has been actively signing option agreements with landowners around Vint Hill and Catlett, locking up land rights ahead of any rezoning rather than buying outright. Fauquier's own data-center land record, per county assessment records and local press reporting, is the 2023 Vint Hill sale of 47.7 acres for $89.4 million, roughly $1.9 million per acre. See current Fauquier land value context for how that compares to ordinary farm and land sales in the county.
Land-Use Taxation and Zoning: What's Specific to Fauquier
Two Fauquier-specific rules matter more here than almost anywhere else in Virginia. First, the county's rollback tax exposure is unusual: while most localities cap the rollback recapture at five years of deferred tax, Fauquier's sliding-scale assessment method means rollback can reach back to the effective date of the original land-use agreement. See how rollback taxes work for the full explanation.
Second, Fauquier's sliding-scale zoning in RA and RC districts, roughly 90% of the county, ties division rights to the county's land records as of May 21, 1981, generally allowing about 15% of a parcel over 30 acres to become residential lots while the remaining 85% stays agricultural or open space. See how Fauquier division rights work before assuming what a specific parcel is entitled to.
Selling Land or a Farm in Fauquier
A Fauquier sale usually starts with two questions most sellers haven't answered yet: is the property currently enrolled in land-use assessment, and if so what would rollback look like at today's numbers; and how many division rights, if any, does the parcel actually carry under the 1981 baseline. Both are knowable before you list, and both materially affect what a buyer will pay and what you'll actually net.
Beyond that, pricing depends heavily on which Fauquier the land sits in, hunt-country north or working-farm south, and whether the property has any realistic data-center-corridor relevance. Fauquier's variable soils also make perc and well status worth confirming before you list, particularly for raw land without an existing home.
Buying Land or a Farm in Fauquier
Buyers looking at Fauquier are choosing between two fairly different products under one county name. Northern Fauquier trades at hunt-country and equestrian pricing with the amenities and restrictions that come with that market. Southern Fauquier offers more acreage per dollar for a working farm, cattle, or hay operation, generally with fewer neighbors and less pressure from nearby development.
Anyone buying with an eye toward future division or resale should confirm division rights and land-use enrollment status before making an offer, not after. Both are matters of record, not negotiation, and they meaningfully affect what the land can do for its next owner. A buyer choosing between the two halves of the county is really choosing between two different ownership experiences, not just two different price points.
Land around Fauquier's towns
Fauquier covers a lot of ground, and the county looks different depending on where you are in it. The town pages below cover Warrenton, Bealeton, Marshall, and The Plains, four distinct pockets of the county with their own land character, typical buyers, and price points.
Questions we hear
What does farmland cost in Fauquier County?
Vacant land had a median sold price of roughly $432,000 as of Q3 2025, with improved farms typically trading between $1.15 million and $4 million, and occasional larger estate sales reaching $7.9 million to $9 million.
Is Fauquier friendly to data centers?
Fauquier has one of the strictest regulatory postures in the corridor. A special exception is required for large data-center buildings at Vint Hill, and Warrenton removed data centers as a by-right use in 2025. That hasn't stopped developer interest, including active option agreements around Vint Hill and Catlett and proposals in the Remington and Midland corridor.
How many lots can I get off my Fauquier land?
It depends on your parcel's history in the county's land records as of May 21, 1981, not just its current size. See our division rights page for how Fauquier's sliding-scale zoning works.
Will I owe rollback taxes if I sell my Fauquier farm?
It depends on whether the sale involves a change of use. Selling to a buyer who keeps the land in a qualifying agricultural use generally does not trigger rollback; Fauquier's rollback, when it is triggered, can reach back further than the standard five-year rule elsewhere in Virginia.
What part of Fauquier is best for a working farm versus an equestrian property?
Broadly, the northern county around Marshall and The Plains is hunt-country and equestrian territory, while the southern county around Bealeton, Remington, and Catlett is more working-farm land with more acreage available per dollar.
Tell us about your land
Whether you own acreage and want a straight read on what it's worth, you've had an offer you don't fully trust, or you're looking to buy farmland that actually works — send a note. A real person reads it and replies within one business day. No pressure, no listing pitch.
Prefer to talk? Call or text (571) 578-0012 · Email: [email protected]