Buchanan County, Virginia Building Permit Guide

Building permits in Buchanan County come from the County’s Building Code office at 1240 Almarine Drive in Grundy (276-935-5872), the Building Inspection Department created by Chapter 25 of the County Code. That chapter also sets the fees: a new house or modular home costs $0.05 per square foot, with a $20 minimum and a 2% state levy, and no permit is issued until the fee is paid.

What requires a permit in Buchanan County?

The fee section of the County Code, section 25-3, names the kinds of permit the Building Code office issues:

• New houses and modular homes
• Singlewide and doublewide mobile homes
• Commercial and industrial buildings
• Remodeling and additions
• Storage and utility buildings
• Installing or removing storage tanks
• Specialty permits: electrical, plumbing, heating and cooling, re-roofing, demolition and other miscellaneous work

Re-roofing and demolition are worth noting, because the County prices them as permits in their own right. Work that starts before the required permit is obtained is charged a review fee equal to the normal permit fee.

Who issues building permits in Buchanan County?

Section 25-2 of the County Code establishes a Building Inspection Department to enforce the statewide building code, run day to day by the Building Official. The County directory lists it as “Buchanan County Building Code”.

Grundy. The County Building Code office issues building permits in Grundy as well. The county’s one incorporated town has fewer than 3,500 residents and lists no building permit or building office among its forms and departments, and in that case Code of Virginia Sec. 36-105 has the county enforce the building code in town. The County’s own fee ordinance fits this: it covers structures built by the Town of Grundy and the Town’s Industrial Development Authority, capping their County building permit fee at $25,000. The Town does have its own contractor licence form; Town offices are at 1185 Plaza Drive (276-935-2551), open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The County Code names a single fire district covering the whole of Buchanan County.

Buchanan County permit types

The County does not post application forms or an online portal, so applications are made through the Building Code office. From the fee categories in section 25-3, expect one of these permits:

• Residential: a new house or modular home, priced by floor area.
• Mobile home: a flat fee for a singlewide or a doublewide.
• Commercial or industrial: priced on estimated cost.
• Remodeling or addition: priced on estimated cost.
• Storage or utility building and storage tank permits.
• Specialty permits for electrical, plumbing, heating and cooling, re-roofing, demolition and miscellaneous work.

Plans of a special design can be sent to a third-party certified plan reviewer. The applicant pays that reviewer’s charge in addition to the County fee.

Buchanan County permit costs and fees

Fees are fixed by section 25-3 of the County Code, last amended on February 3, 2025. Several are flat amounts.

For example, a new 2,000 sq ft house is 2,000 × $0.05 = $100, plus $2 for the levy. A $40,000 addition is 40 × $5 = $200, and a $500,000 commercial building is 500 × $7.50 = $3,750, each before the levy.

The 2025 amendment added a $25,000 cap on the building permit fee for structures built by the County, its Public Service Authority, its Industrial Development Authority, the School Board, the Town of Grundy and its IDA, and the Breaks Regional Airport Authority. It applies only to those seven public bodies.

Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas permits

The Building Code office issues trade permits as “specialty permits”. Electrical, plumbing, and heating and cooling work are each charged $5 per $1,000 of estimated cost, subject to the $20 minimum and the 2% levy. A $6,000 heat pump replacement, for instance, works out at 6 × $5 = $30.

The County Code requires all work not done by the property owner to be carried out by Virginia state-licensed contractors holding the right endorsement for the job. The heating, electrical and plumbing rough-ins are looked at together in the second of the County’s three inspections.

Construction documents and application requirements

The Code sets two requirements for every applicant:

• Water and sewage: an updated septic system or layout and approved water from the Buchanan County Health Department, or a statement from the Public Service Authority if the property is on public water and sewer.
• Contractors: Virginia-licensed contractors with the appropriate endorsement for any work the owner is not doing personally.

Approved plans have to be kept on the job until the final inspection. For work priced on estimated cost, have the cost figure ready, because the fee is calculated from it and must be paid before the permit is issued.

How to apply: 5-step Buchanan County process

Buchanan County building inspections

The County Code spells out the inspection sequence:

• First: notify the Building Code office when excavation is complete and before any concrete is poured.
• Second: the heating, electrical and plumbing rough-in.
• Final: on completion.

Work must not proceed until the inspector has approved each stage. The approved plans stay on the job and the permit card stays posted until the final inspection has been made. Decisions of the Building Official can be appealed to the Buchanan County Board of Building Code Appeals.

Local Buchanan County details

Flood hazard areas: under Chapter 34 of the County Code, rewritten in August 2023, a new or substantially improved building in a mapped flood zone with base flood elevations must have its lowest floor, including any basement, at or above the base flood level plus 18 inches. That applies to homes, manufactured homes and commercial buildings. The Floodplain Administrator reviews permit applications for flood zone location; where none is designated, the County Administrator does the job.

No zoning chapter: the County Code contains a subdivision ordinance (Chapter 51) but no zoning chapter. A subdivision there means dividing land into four or more parcels of five acres or less, and plats go to the County Planning Commission.

Erosion and sediment control: Chapter 31.1 exempts disturbed areas of less than 10,000 sq ft. For a single-family house, an agreement in lieu of a plan can replace a full erosion and sediment control plan. The County Administrator or an agent is the plan-approving authority.

Road access: creating an access off a County road requires a land use permit from the County Road Engineer, approved by the Board of Supervisors. The application and site inspection fee is $45 for non-commercial applications and $2,500 for commercial ones.

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 Buchanan 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
• Virginia DPOR contractor licence lookup
• Buchanan County Government Directory (Building Code office)
• County Code Chapter 25, Building Construction (fees and inspections)
• Board of Supervisors minutes, February 3, 2025 (fee ordinance amendment)
• County Code Chapter 34, Flood Damage Prevention
• County Code Chapter 31.1, Erosion and Sediment Control
• County Code Chapter 37, Land Use Permits
• Town of Grundy offices

Buchanan County permit FAQs

How much is a building permit for a house in Buchanan County?

$0.05 per square foot for a new house or modular home, with a $20 minimum and a 2% state levy. A 2,000 sq ft house is $100 plus $2.

How much is a permit for a mobile home?

$40 for a singlewide and $75 for a doublewide, plus the 2% levy.

Do I need a permit to re-roof or demolish?

The County Code lists re-roofing and demolition as specialty permits, charged at $5 per $1,000 of estimated cost.

Can I do the work myself?

The Code allows the property owner to do the work. Anything the owner does not do must be done by a Virginia-licensed contractor with the right endorsement.

What inspections are required?

Three: after excavation and before concrete is poured, at the heating, electrical and plumbing rough-in, and a final on completion.

Who issues building permits in Grundy?

The County Building Code office. The Town of Grundy has no building department, so the County enforces the building code inside the town under Code of Virginia Sec. 36-105, and the County’s permit fee ordinance covers buildings constructed by the Town itself.

Does Buchanan County have zoning?

The County Code has no zoning chapter. Subdivision, flood damage prevention and erosion control are regulated in their own chapters.

Simplify Buchanan 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 Buchanan County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.