Buckingham County, Virginia Building Permit Guide

Building permits in Buckingham County come from the County’s Building Inspections office in the Administration Building at 13380 West James Anderson Highway. There is no online portal: you hand in, fax or email the County’s application together with a zoning permit that has already been approved. A new house is charged $0.23 per square foot (minimum $125) plus a 2% state fee, and the zoning permit costs $10.

What requires a permit in Buckingham County?

The County’s building permit application lists the kinds of work its Building Inspections office permits. One form covers all of them, and the applicant ticks the work that applies.

Farm buildings: a structure used for farming on land where farming takes place still goes through the office. The owner completes the County’s Farm Building and Structure Affidavit, and the permit is issued as a Farm Use Agriculture Exempt Structure with no building permit fee and no building inspections. The zoning ordinance and the erosion and sediment control ordinance still apply to it.

Who issues building permits in Buckingham County?

The Building Inspections office reviews plans, issues building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits, inspects the work and issues certificates of occupancy. Thomas W. (Tommy) Ranson, CBO, is the Building Official. The office shares the Administration Building with Zoning, the Treasurer and Utilities, about two-tenths of a mile east of the courthouse on US Route 60.

Town of Dillwyn: Dillwyn is the county’s only incorporated town. It has its own zoning ordinance, which says the Town must issue a zoning permit before a Buckingham County building permit is issued, and which defines the building inspector as the building official appointed by Buckingham County. So a project in Dillwyn gets its zoning permit from the Town (434-983-2076) and its building permit and inspections from the County office.

Buckingham County applications and forms

Buckingham County has no online permit portal. Applications are delivered to the Building Inspection Office, faxed to 434-969-1638 or emailed to the permit technician. These are the forms the County publishes:

• Building Permit Application, with the Building Permit Checklist attached. The landowner signs it, or a copy of a power of attorney is accepted in place of the signature.
• Zoning Permit Application, filed with the Zoning/Planning Administrator. It needs a copy of the plat and a site plan, and it must be approved before the building application goes in.
• Electrical Permit Application (2026), used only for upgrades, repairs or replacement of an existing service. A new or temporary service is applied for on the building and zoning applications instead.
• Mechanical Permit Application, for stand-alone mechanical work.
• Farm Building and Structure Affidavit, for the farm-use exemption.
• Duct Testing Form, returned before a certificate of occupancy on a site-built or modular home.

The electrical and mechanical forms both carry the same condition: the customer or contractor must speak with the power company before the permit is obtained, and signs the form to certify that this has been done. The office also notes on each application whether county taxes on the property are paid.

Buckingham County permit costs and fees

Fees are set in Article II of the County’s Building Permit Ordinance, last revised October 13, 2020. They are charged by gross square footage, not by construction value.

For example, a new 2,000 sq ft house is 2,000 × $0.23 = $460, plus the 2% state fee of $9.20, or $469.20, with the $10 zoning permit paid separately.

The permit fee covers plan review, the permit and up to one re-inspection. After the second inspection of the same work, each further inspection costs $50. A tent that has to be inspected a second time because it was not installed correctly costs another $25.

The ordinance says fees are paid at the Treasurer’s Office in cash or by check payable to the County of Buckingham, and no permit is issued until they are paid. Water and sewer connection fees are separate. If an application is withdrawn after plan review but before work begins, the owner can ask in writing within 6 months for a refund of the permit fee less $20 for processing and any direct costs the County incurred.

Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits

The same County office issues trade permits. On a new building, the electrical, plumbing and mechanical work is described on the building permit application. When a trade permit is taken out on its own, the ordinance sets one rate for each trade:

The County’s notice on its Building Inspections page covers electrical work too: any electrical application that needs a zoning permit must arrive with the approved zoning permit and the other required documents, or it may be rejected. A copy of the licence of the contractor doing the work goes in with every application.

What to submit with a Buckingham County application

The Building Permit Checklist attached to the application sets out what the office needs before it will issue a permit.

The application itself asks for the tax map number, acreage, zoning district, square footage of each floor with dimensions, distances from the structure to each property line, the estimated cost including labor and materials, and whether the site is in a flood zone or a dam break inundation zone. The Building Official reviews the plans under the 2021 Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code and marks them approved, approved with comments or rejected. The County warns that incomplete applications cause delays and may be rejected.

For a manufactured home, the County’s Manufactured/Mobile Home Ordinance requires the owner to show an approved septic system plan from the Department of Health and a VDOT entrance permit before the building permit is issued.

How to apply: 6-step Buckingham County process

Buckingham County building inspections

Every inspection, whether electrical, foundation or final, is booked by calling 434-969-4243 and choosing option 2. The permit technician sets an appointment with the inspector. It is the permit holder’s job to request each one before the building is used or occupied. The County’s checklist lists these minimum inspections:

• Footing excavations and reinforcement, before concrete is placed
• Foundation systems during construction
• Preparatory work before any other concrete is placed
• Structural members and fasteners, before they are concealed
• Electrical, mechanical and plumbing materials, equipment and systems, before concealment
• Energy conservation material, before concealment
• Final inspection

Where the permit involves a well or septic system, the Department of Health’s completion statement must be on file with the office before the final inspection is scheduled. For a certificate of occupancy the County asks for that completion statement, a passing final inspection, a bacterial water test, a duct leakage affidavit, a blower door test and a radon test. The checklist limits the duct leakage and blower door items to site-built and modular homes.

Local Buckingham County requirements

Radon: Article III of the Building Permit Ordinance requires every new one- or two-family dwelling to include the radon-resistant construction methods of Appendix F of the residential code. Buildings or portions with a crawl space foundation ventilated to the exterior are excepted.

Dam break inundation zones: both County applications ask whether the structure is inside a mapped dam break inundation zone. Under the zoning ordinance the applicant is told at permit issuance, the permit is forwarded to the Peter Francisco Soil and Water Conservation District, and no structure is refused because of the zone.

Land disturbance: the County’s Erosion and Sediment Control Ordinance exempts disturbed areas of less than 10,000 sq ft. Clearing, filling or grading above that is applied for on the zoning permit application.

Decks and porches: the Building Inspections page carries a County guide to basic decks, porches, stairs and ramps.

Public water and sewer: the County Utilities Department serves county customers and the Town of Dillwyn, and answers at 434-969-4242.

Subdivisions in Dillwyn: inside the town limits, Dillwyn’s subdivision ordinance takes precedence over the County’s.

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 Buckingham 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 statewide permit rules
• Buckingham County Building Inspections
• Buckingham County building permits and forms
• Buckingham County: schedule an inspection
• Buckingham County ordinance book (Building Permit Ordinance, revised 10/13/2020)
• Buckingham County 2026 Electrical Permit Application
• Buckingham County zoning permits and forms
• Town of Dillwyn zoning ordinance and zoning permit application

Buckingham County permit FAQs

How much is a building permit in Buckingham County?

A new home or a residential addition is $0.23 per square foot with a $125 minimum, plus a 2% state fee. Garages, sheds, decks and porches are $0.11 per square foot with a $25 minimum, and the zoning permit is $10.

Can I apply for a Buckingham County building permit online?

No. The County uses paper forms, which can be delivered to the Building Inspection Office at 13380 West James Anderson Highway, faxed to 434-969-1638 or emailed to the permit technician.

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

The County’s application lists sheds greater than 256 sq ft as permit work, charged at $0.11 per square foot. A shed used for farming may qualify for the farm structure affidavit, which carries no fee.

Who issues building permits in the Town of Dillwyn?

Buckingham County does. Dillwyn issues its own zoning permit first, and its zoning ordinance requires that permit before the County building permit.

How do I schedule an inspection?

Call 434-969-4243 and press option 2. The permit technician arranges an appointment with the inspector.

What do I need for a certificate of occupancy on a new house?

The Department of Health completion statement for the well and septic system, a passing final inspection, a bacterial water test, a duct leakage affidavit, a blower door test and a radon test.

Who approves septic systems and wells?

The Virginia Department of Health. The County will not issue the building permit without its approved permit, and the checklist gives 434-969-4244 as the health permit contact.

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