Official sources draw Portsmouth, Commonwealth of Dominica, differently. The 2011 census (preliminary) groups the non-institutional population of the Town of Portsmouth (1,331), Glanvilla (1,868) and Picard (968) as Portsmouth (4,167). Its narrative counts "Portsmouth (including Picard, Glanvilla and Lagoon)" at 5,198. The Electoral Office's 2014 polling list puts Lagoon in the Cottage Constituency.
Picard holds the former Ross University campus. Adtalem announced on 19 November 2018 it was moving Ross's medical sciences campus to Barbados. In its 2022/23 Budget Address, the Government announced an agreement with CSOM Holdings Limited for the American Canadian School of Medicine (ACSOM) there, whose stated address is Picard-Portsmouth.
This page uses public records, provider and news pages, and Douvay's ad data, and assesses no property.
Advertisements observed 30 October 2026
- Sale advertisements in Portsmouth 42
- Land advertisements in Portsmouth 10
- Rental advertisements in Portsmouth 0
No rental advertisements tagged Portsmouth are in Douvay's public set (observed 30 October 2026). That does not mean nothing is for rent in Portsmouth. See rental advertisements across all of Dominica
Counts are advertisements, not properties. One property can appear in more than one ad, and an ad does not confirm it is still available.
What Portsmouth covers
The Electoral Office's 2014 General Election list names five areas under the Portsmouth Constituency: Glanvillia, Portsmouth (West), Portsmouth (East), Bourne and Dos D'ane. Lagoon is listed under the Cottage Constituency, while the census narrative counts it in Portsmouth. This page does not decide.
A 2019 Citizenship by Investment Unit item places Georgetown and Cotton Hill in Portsmouth, "the second largest town on the island". That is Government usage, not a boundary.
Douvay's "Portsmouth" is an advertisement label, not an official boundary, and Douvay's separate Picard place is not counted above. Some ads tagged Portsmouth name Picard in the title or text, so read each ad's location.
No settlement or boundary map was found in the sources checked. The Physical Planning Division lists a Portsmouth and Cottonhill Land Use Plan (draft), which this guide has not read; ask the Division whether it covers the property. Ask which named area a property is in and which name is on its title or survey plan.
For a hospital, school or public offices nearby, see the next section; for Picard, weigh the campus history.
Services listed in Portsmouth
Directory entries below give no street address unless shown.
- Health. The Office of Disaster Management lists Portsmouth Hospital at (767) 445 5360 and (767) 266 5605; the Government directory also lists it. Neither entry gives opening hours. The directory's health-centre list has no Portsmouth entry; a March 2021 news report describes a Portsmouth Health & Wellness Centre opening in Georgetown.
- Police, fire and public offices. The directory lists Portsmouth Police Station ((767) 266 5700 to 5709), Fire Station, Post Office and Public Library.
- Schools. The directory lists Roosevelt Douglas Primary School, St. John's School, Portsmouth Secondary School, St. John's Academy and Arthur Waldron Seventh-day Adventist Academy at Portsmouth. The Ministry of Education's 2025 Grade Six results notice names Portsmouth among its secondary school catchment areas without publishing their boundaries. For enrolment, admissions and catchment, ask the school or the Education Office/North (Harbour Lane).
- Cabrits berth. The Dominica Air and Sea Ports Authority puts the Cabrits Cruise Ship Berth in the Cabrits National Park Area, Portsmouth, "located 32 road miles north of Roseau".
Phone before relying on any entry; directory pages are undated, read 8 November 2026. This guide gives no travel times, bus routes, fares or timetables; ask transport operators directly.
Homes and land advertised in Portsmouth
The block at the top of this page opens three result sets: sale, land and rental advertisements tagged Portsmouth in Douvay's public set. Its counts are worked out when the page is built, from advertisements observed on 30 October 2026. Land ads are also counted in the sale total.
What the ads cannot tell you:
- A count is of advertisements, not properties. The same property can be advertised on more than one site.
- An asking price is not a sale price.
- Some ads state no currency, and some prices are for a share of a property or a single unit.
- Douvay works out no average price or market value from these ads.
If the rental count is zero, no rental ad in Douvay's set is tagged Portsmouth. That does not mean nothing is for rent there, so also check rental advertisements across all of Dominica.
For a plot, the Physical Planning ownership requirement and lot sizes in the next section apply before you plan to build. For the steps of a purchase, read how a purchase works in Dominica.
Checks for a specific address or plot
- Water and sewerage. DOWASCO uses one form for water and sewerage connections, available at its offices on High Street, Roseau, and in Portsmouth. In 2015 DOWASCO's general manager told GIS News sewerage for the town of Portsmouth was "on the cards". Sewer service to an address was not established.
- Electricity. For a new house, DOMLEC's temporary-supply steps ask for an Electrical Fitness Certificate (issued after the Electrical Division tests the supply), photo ID and proof of ownership; moving to permanent supply needs a permanent Electrical Certificate. Without a certificate of title, DOMLEC accepts a Housing Division approval letter from someone who has lived on the land for a number of years.
- Telecom. Flow says to ask an agent what is available in an area; Digicel has an agent confirm serviceability after you submit your address. Ask both about the address.
- Planning. The Physical Planning Division requires proof of ownership or the landowner's permission with every application. It recommends 5,000 sq ft minimum residential lots (Government land and housing lots sometimes 4,000 or 3,000) and sets 5,000 sq ft for Picard and Cottonhill, Portsmouth.
- Hazard maps. The Division's island-wide hazard maps include landslide and flood sheets at 1:120,000 (files from 2006; no licence stated). That scale cannot certify a plot; have the site assessed by a qualified professional.
- Non-citizens. If you are not a citizen, ask a Dominica lawyer about the alien landholding rules before you commit.
Town-level information never confirms service, title, access or condition at an address; see how buying works in Dominica.
Portsmouth facts, sources and dates
| Row | Topic | Specific local fact | Source | Date | Scope | Uncertainty | Next check |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | Identity | Census non-institutional population groups Town of Portsmouth 1,331, Glanvilla 1,868 and Picard 968 (4,167); the narrative counts 5,198 with Lagoon | Central Statistics Office | 2011 census (preliminary) | Census areas | 15 years old; the CSO's census page describes a 2021 census, but no 2021 area figures were in the sources checked; two census definitions | Ask which named area the property is in |
| R2 | Identity | Portsmouth Constituency: Glanvillia, Portsmouth (West), Portsmouth (East), Bourne, Dos D'ane; Lagoon is listed under the Cottage Constituency (two of its three polling stations are at Portsmouth Secondary School) | Electoral Office | 2014 General Election list, the list on the Electoral Office page when read 8 Nov 2026 | Constituencies | Electoral areas, not a settlement boundary | Check the name on the title or survey plan |
| R3 | Picard campus | Ross campus move announced; Government agreement for ACSOM at the former campus; ACSOM address Picard-Portsmouth | Adtalem, Budget Address, ACSOM | 19 Nov 2018; 2 Aug 2022; read 8 Nov 2026 | Picard | Enrolment and any housing effect unknown | Ask for the building's current use and rental record |
| R4 | Services | Portsmouth Hospital (767) 445 5360 / 266 5605, with Administration and Casualty lines in the directory; Police Station; Fire Station; Post Office; Public Library; no Portsmouth entry in the directory's health-centre list; a 2021 report of a Portsmouth Health & Wellness Centre opening in Georgetown | Office of Disaster Management, Government directory, Writeups24 | Undated, read 8 Nov 2026; report 2 Mar 2021 | Portsmouth; Georgetown | Hours, full services and the health centre's current status unconfirmed | Phone before relying; ask the Ministry of Health, Wellness and Social Services which health centre serves the address |
| R5 | Schools | Roosevelt Douglas Primary, St. John's School, Portsmouth Secondary, St. John's Academy, Arthur Waldron SDA Academy; Education Office/North at Harbour Lane, Portsmouth, (767) 266 4377; Portsmouth named among secondary school catchment areas | Government directory, Ministry of Education (PDF on natureisle.news) | Undated; 20 Jun 2025 | Portsmouth | Enrolment and catchment boundaries unknown | Ask the school or Education Office/North |
| R6 | Access | Cabrits Cruise Ship Berth, "32 road miles north of Roseau" | Dominica Air and Sea Ports Authority | Undated, read 8 Nov 2026 | Cabrits, Portsmouth | Distance is the Authority's; no travel time given | Ask transport operators directly |
| R7 | Housing | Build-time counts of sale, land and rental advertisements tagged Portsmouth | Douvay public advertisement set | Ads observed 30 October 2026 | Douvay place "Portsmouth" (Picard separate) | Ads, not properties; duplicates likely | Open the result set and read each ad's location |
| R8 | Water | DOWASCO applications at its Portsmouth office; DOWASCO's general manager said Portsmouth sewerage was "on the cards" in 2015 | DOWASCO, Government Information Service | Undated; 4 Feb 2015 | Portsmouth | No Portsmouth street address on the DOWASCO page; sewer status unknown | Ask DOWASCO about the exact address |
| R9 | Power and telecom | DOMLEC temporary supply: fitness certificate, ID and proof of ownership; permanent supply: permanent Electrical Certificate; Flow says ask about your area; Digicel confirms serviceability after you submit your address | DOMLEC, Flow, Digicel | Undated, read 8 Nov 2026 | Island-wide | DOMLEC's contact page could not be found when read 8 Nov 2026, so no local office is confirmed; neither telecom page shows address-level availability | Ask each provider about the address |
| R10 | Hazard maps | Island-wide hazard maps; landslide and flood sheets at 1:120,000, their PDF files created 12 Jun 2006, no map date stated | Physical Planning Division | 2006 files, read 8 Nov 2026 | Island-wide | Cannot certify a plot; licence not stated | Site assessment by a qualified professional |
| R11 | Planning | Proof of ownership with every application; 5,000 sq ft recommended minimum residential lot, Government land and housing lots sometimes 4,000 or 3,000 sq ft; 5,000 sq ft minimum for Picard and for Cottonhill, Portsmouth | Physical Planning Division FAQ | Undated, read 8 Nov 2026 | Island-wide; Picard and Cottonhill named | FAQ answers, not a decision about a plot | Ask Physical Planning before buying to build |
Questions to settle before you shortlist
Ask these, on a visit or by phone, before you shortlist a Portsmouth property. The answers come from the seller, the agent or the body named, not from this page.
- Which named area is this property in (Town of Portsmouth, Glanvilla, Picard, Lagoon, Cotton Hill or another), and which name is on the title or survey plan? Why: rows R1 and R2 show three official definitions, no boundary map was found (the Division's draft Portsmouth and Cottonhill Land Use Plan was not read), and a 2019 Government item also places Georgetown and Cotton Hill in Portsmouth.
- If it is in Picard, which documents show the building's current use and its rental record? Why: row R3, the former Ross campus. This page claims nothing about how buildings there are used today.
- Have DOWASCO's Portsmouth office, DOMLEC and a telecom provider confirmed what connection work this exact address needs? Why: rows R8 and R9.
Then return to the sale or land advertisements to shortlist, and read how buying works in Dominica.
Questions about this guide
Can I rely on this area guide to assess a specific property?
No. It gives locality facts with their dates and advertisement counts. The address checks remain: the named area and title name; DOWASCO, DOMLEC and telecom confirmation; Physical Planning rules; and a site assessment beyond the 1:120,000 hazard maps. See how buying works and choosing a lawyer.
How current are the local service and housing details?
Each fact carries its own date, such as the 2011 census (preliminary), 2014 polling list and 2006 hazard-map files. Directory and provider pages are undated, read 8 November 2026. Advertisement counts use ads observed on 30 October 2026 and count ads, not homes.
What should I check during a first visit?
Start with the three questions above: which named area and title name apply; if it is in Picard, the building's current use and rental record; and whether DOWASCO, DOMLEC and a telecom provider have confirmed connection work for the exact address.
Next step
Open the Portsmouth results, or read how a purchase works.
- Browse Portsmouth sale advertisements
- Browse Portsmouth land advertisements
- How buying works in Dominica
Sources
- Central Statistics Office, 2011 Population and Housing Census, preliminary results, census day 14 May 2011.
- Central Statistics Office, Census, undated, read 8 November 2026.
- Electoral Office, Polling stations, where to vote (2014 General Election), read 8 November 2026.
- Citizenship by Investment Unit, The CBI-funded housing revolution is a historic feat for Dominica, 2 July 2019.
- Ross University School of Medicine, Adtalem announces Barbados as new location, 19 November 2018.
- Government Information Service, Budget Address 2022/2023, 2 August 2022.
- American Canadian School of Medicine, Campus, undated, read 8 November 2026.
- Office of Disaster Management, Emergency contact list, undated, read 8 November 2026.
- Government of Dominica, Government directory, undated, read 8 November 2026.
- Writeups24, Opening in Portsmouth: 'We added wellness to our health centers' says PM Skerrit, 2 March 2021, read 8 November 2026.
- Ministry of Education, Announcement of 2025 Grade Six National Assessment results, 20 June 2025, the Ministry's notice as hosted on natureisle.news.
- Dominica Air and Sea Ports Authority, Cabrits Cruise Ship Berth, undated, read 8 November 2026.
- DOWASCO, Application for service, undated, read 8 November 2026.
- Government Information Service, New sewerage system for Portsmouth and upgrade for Roseau, 4 February 2015.
- DOMLEC, Service requirements, undated, read 8 November 2026.
- Flow Dominica, Broadband FAQ, undated, read 8 November 2026.
- Digicel Dominica, Home internet, undated, read 8 November 2026.
- Physical Planning Division, Home page and hazard maps, undated, read 8 November 2026; landslide map and flood map, PDF files created 12 June 2006 (no map date stated).
- Physical Planning Division, Frequently asked questions, undated, read 8 November 2026.
Other area guides
Page updated . Advertisement counts are recomputed each time the page is built.