Botetourt County, Virginia Building Permit Guide

The Development Services Division of Botetourt County’s Community Development department issues building and trade permits from 57 S Center Drive in Daleville. Applications go in by email with digital plans, and the same office books inspections. Under the fee schedule effective November 1, 2025, a building or trade permit costs $40 plus $6 per $1,000 of construction cost, with a 10% plan review fee, a 5% technology fee and the 2% state levy on top.

What needs a permit in Botetourt County?

The County’s combined Building & Zoning Permit Application covers new buildings, additions, alterations and demolition, for single-family homes, buildings with two or more units, commercial projects and other structures. Its trade application covers mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire safety work, and the fee schedule adds gas.

For sheds and other outbuildings, the Accessory Structure Guide sets the line:

An exempt shed still has to be anchored to the ground, meet zoning setbacks and stay out of the floodplain, and it needs a $25 zoning permit; wiring it needs an electrical permit. Farm buildings have their own Farm Building or Structure Combined Permit Application.

Who issues building permits in Botetourt County?

Development Services handles building and trade permits, plan review, inspections, erosion and sediment control and land disturbance permits. Planning & Zoning sits in the same Community Development office.

Towns. Botetourt has three incorporated towns, each with its own council and its own zoning. The County tells owners inside the town limits that the town will guide them on zoning, floodplain and subdivision questions:

• Buchanan: Town Hall, 19753 Main Street, 540-254-1212
• Fincastle: 25 Bank Square, 540-473-2200
• Troutville: 5419 Lee Highway, 540-992-4401

Buchanan, Fincastle and Troutville each have fewer than 3,500 residents and none has set up a building department, so Code of Virginia Sec. 36-105 puts building code enforcement inside their limits with the County. The County’s monthly issued-permit reports bear this out: they include building and trade permits for addresses under town zoning. In all three towns the zoning answer comes from the town, and the building permit and inspections come from Development Services.

Botetourt County permit types and how to file

There is no online portal. The office takes residential and commercial permit applications, land disturbance applications and inspection requests by email, and says emailed applications get priority processing. All plans must be digital; paper plans larger than 11 by 17 inches have not been accepted since June 1, 2021.

The main forms on the Permitting page:

• Building and Zoning Permit Application (revised May 8, 2026), with tick-box add-ons for permanent power, a temporary power pole, manufactured home electric, sewer connection and the certificate of occupancy.
• Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, and Fire Safety Trade Permit Application.
• Land Disturbing Permit Application and Site Utilities Application.
• Farm Building or Structure Combined Permit Application.
• Owner-Builder Affidavit, Asbestos Agreement and Demolition Utility Release Form.
• Sign Permit Application, Certificate of Occupancy Application and Temporary Electrical Service Agreement.
• Statement of Special Inspections and Final Report of Special Inspections.
• Property Address Request Form.

Community Development accepts only the current version of each form; outdated ones can delay processing. The County also publishes its own wall bracing, typical deck detail and residential pool detail guides.

Permit costs and fees in Botetourt County

The Development Services Fee Schedule took effect on November 1, 2025 (the posted copy is revision 01/29/2026). Building and trade permits use the same formula, based on construction cost.

For example, a deck with a construction cost of $10,000 has a permit fee of $40 + 10 × $6 = $100, and an HVAC replacement costing $8,500 is $40 + 9 × $6 = $94 because part of a thousand counts as a whole one. Plan review, the technology fee and the state levy are then added. The application warns that a final cost letter can change the fees assessed.

Zoning review is charged separately under the Planning & Zoning Fee Schedule when it is combined with a building permit: $50 for a single-family dwelling or duplex, $25 for an addition, an accessory building over 256 sq ft or a pool, and $100 for non-residential or multi-family work. Payment can be made once the permit has been applied for and recorded.

Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas permits

Development Services issues every trade permit, priced by the same $40 plus $6 per $1,000 formula. The building application asks for the cost of the electrical, fuel gas, mechanical and plumbing work separately, with each contractor’s state licence number and Botetourt business licence number.

Trade-related items with their own fee or form:

• Temporary power: $75, with the County’s Temporary Pole Detail and Temporary Electrical Service Agreement. It is allowed only for temporary use during a building project.
• Power only (no occupancy): $50. The house must be weather-tight with roof cladding on and a GFCI receptacle installed.
• Tanks and fire systems: demolition or removal is $100.
• Backflow, backwater valve and elevator inspections: a $40 recording permit each, doubled if expired.

Since September 16, 2025 the County has required a REScheck for every new house and a COMcheck for every new commercial building, unless the builder follows the prescriptive energy code path.

Application documents for Botetourt County

The shaded fields on the form are the minimum; the County asks you to complete as much as possible, and other fields may be needed before issue. The Agreement in Lieu of Erosion and Sediment Control forms are temporarily available only by emailing the permits address.

How to apply: 6-step Botetourt County workflow

Inspections and completion in Botetourt County

A request made before 4:00 p.m. is inspected the following day. Requests made after 4:00 p.m. on a Friday are scheduled for the following Tuesday. Ask for AM or PM; the County honors time-of-day requests as staffing allows. The permit has to be posted and visible from the road, an approved set of construction documents has to be on site, and trades must be ready before the visit to avoid re-inspection fees.

Inspections the County describes for a house:

• Footings (trench size, soil bearing, rebar and setbacks) and foundation forms and rebar, before concrete
• Drain tile and foundation waterproofing, before backfill
• Plumbing and electrical groundwork and slab preparation
• Plumbing, mechanical, gas and electrical rough-in, plus the shower liner test (2 inches of water for 15 minutes)
• Framing, which can be requested with the rough-ins once all trades are complete
• Air barrier: house wrap with seams taped, tears repaired and holes sealed
• Insulation and energy code
• Water and sewer service lateral, for public utility service
• Final

Before the final, submit the duct tightness test paperwork if required, the blower door test results (mandatory for all houses since July 2022) and, where applicable, the Health Department’s well and septic operations permit. Manufactured homes also get underbelly, marriage wall and underpinning inspections; pools get electrical bonding and a barrier and alarms inspection.

Local Botetourt County details that matter

Design criteria: 30 psf ground snow load, 115 mph wind speed, 24-inch frost depth (water lines at 30 inches), seismic design category B and climate zone 4. The County’s criteria sheet, updated December 2025, also lists a 1,500 psf soil value with shrink-swell soils.

Land disturbance: a Land Disturbing Permit is required for all commercial and subdivision projects and for any project disturbing more than 10,000 sq ft, and an impact risk assessment can require one for smaller jobs. The project must be bonded. Plan review costs $100 up to one acre plus $50 for each additional acre or part.

Site plans: almost all non-residential construction in the unincorporated county needs an approved site plan before any building permit. The Technical Review Committee meets on the third Friday of each month at 9:00 a.m., with zoning, engineering, building, the Western Virginia Water Authority, Fire/EMS and VDOT represented, and the County says projects that use it get a shorter review.

Floodplain: a Floodplain Development Permit or flood study review costs $100.

Issued permits: the County posts a report of issued building permits every month.

Virginia building code

Every Virginia locality enforces the Uniform Statewide Building Code, 2021 edition, in effect since 18 January 2024. No Virginia locality can adopt its own building code or amendments, so what varies locally is zoning conditions, historic districts and flood plain rules. How Virginia’s statewide code works

Official Botetourt County permit resources

These are the primary sources behind this guide. Codes, fee schedules and procedures change — confirm the position for your filing date.

• Virginia DHCD building code
• Botetourt County Development Services
• Permitting (applications, forms and construction guides)
• Building and Zoning Permit Application (May 2026)
• Development Services Fee Schedule (effective November 1, 2025)
• Planning & Zoning Fee Schedule
• Inspections request procedure and descriptions
• Building Design Criteria (December 2025)
• Accessory Structure Guide
• Erosion & Sediment Control
• Site Plan Development Review Process
• Incorporated Towns in Botetourt County

Botetourt County building permit FAQs

How much is a building permit in Botetourt County?

$40 plus $6 for each $1,000 of construction cost or part of it, under the schedule effective November 1, 2025. Plan review adds 10% of the permit fee, and a 5% technology fee and the 2% state levy are added as well. Zoning review for a new house is another $50.

Do I need a permit for a shed in Botetourt County?

Not a building permit, if it meets the County’s shed definition and is 256 sq ft or less. It still needs a $25 zoning permit, anchoring to the ground and, if wired, an electrical permit. Garages, workshops and barns need a building permit at any size.

Can I apply online?

There is no portal, but the office takes applications by email at permits@botetourtva.gov and gives emailed applications priority. Plans must be digital.

How do I schedule an inspection?

Call 540-928-2070 or email the permitting office before 4:00 p.m. for an inspection the next day.

Who issues permits in Buchanan, Fincastle and Troutville?

The town answers zoning, floodplain and subdivision questions. Building and trade permits are issued and inspected by County Development Services.

Is a blower door test required?

Yes. The County has required blower door test results for all houses since July 2022, submitted before the final inspection.

When do I need a land disturbing permit?

For every commercial or subdivision project, and for any project that disturbs more than 10,000 sq ft.

Simplify Botetourt County permitting with Alliance Permitting

Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in Virginia. We prepare your paperwork, file it correctly and coordinate with the permitting authority through issuance. We are not a contractor and we do not perform licensed plan review or inspections; that work stays with your licensed team and the jurisdiction.

This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Botetourt County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.