Cumberland County, Virginia Building Permit Guide

Building permits in Cumberland County are issued by the County’s Building Inspection office, the Building Official’s Office at 1 Courthouse Circle. Applications can be emailed to the office, except that a permit for a new home must be hand delivered or mailed with all its documents. Under the fee schedule effective May 10, 2023, a house is charged $0.30 per square foot with a $175 minimum, and zoning approval comes first.

What requires a permit in Cumberland County?

Cumberland County says all contractors and homeowners must obtain a building permit when constructing, remodeling, adding to or demolishing any building. Its Building Inspection pages add rules for particular projects.

Two County rules catch people out. Accessory structures need a permanent foundation once they exceed 600 sq ft. And since February 1, 2022, converting a shed into habitable space is no longer allowed in the county, because those sheds are not built to the code’s minimum standards.

Who issues building permits in Cumberland County?

The Building Official’s Office reviews plans, issues building and trade permits and inspects the work. Robby Felts, CBO, is the Building Official. The Department of Planning & Zoning, which issues the zoning permit every project starts with, is a separate office at the same mailing address.

Town of Farmville: the only incorporated place touching Cumberland County is Farmville, which lies mostly in Prince Edward County with a small part in Cumberland. Farmville has its own Building Official, whose office handles all building permit applications for buildings in the town and takes them through the Town’s Cloudpermit portal (434-392-8465). The rest of Cumberland County is unincorporated and goes through the County office.

Cumberland County applications and forms

The County has no permit portal. Its Forms & Resources page holds fillable forms, which are completed and emailed to permits@cumberlandcounty.virginia.gov with every attachment in one submission. The exception is a new home: those building permit applications cannot be submitted through the permits email and must be hand delivered or mailed with all required documentation.

• Building Permit Application, and the Permit Requirements Checklist updated January 9, 2026
• All Trades Application, one form for electrical, plumbing, mechanical, gas and fireplace permits
• Amend Building Permit and Permit Extension applications
• Deck Form and Detailed Plan Diagram, which can stand in for drawn plans on simple jobs
• Sign, Tent, Tower, Solar Array and Amusement Device applications
• Farm Structure Affidavit, Pool Fencing Affidavit and Asbestos & Demo Abatement Certification
• Blower Door Test, Duct Leakage Affidavit, Energy Certificate and Backflow Assembly Test Report forms for closeout

The County warns that forms are updated as needed, so download the current version each time, and that incomplete applications will not be processed.

Cumberland County permit costs and fees

The County’s Building Fee Schedule took effect on May 10, 2023 and is the schedule posted on the Forms & Resources page. Residential fees are a rate per square foot with a minimum. Virginia’s 2% levy is added to all building permit fees.

For example, the building permit for a new house with 2,000 sq ft of floor area is 2,000 × $0.30 = $600, and the 2% levy brings it to $612. Trade permits are charged on top.

An applicant found working without a required permit pays a code investigation fee of $25 or 25% of the permit fee, whichever is greater; for commercial work it is $50 or 25%. A second inspection for the same violation, or a visit when the work is not ready, costs $50, payable in advance. If a permit is cancelled in writing within six months of issue, the County keeps a $50 processing fee, the state levy and any costs it has incurred. Fire, rescue and County-owned projects are exempt from fees, and agricultural building permits carry no fee.

Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas permits

All trade permits use the County’s single All Trades Application, which covers electrical, plumbing, mechanical, gas and fireplace work. The residential rate is $0.05 per square foot with a $75 minimum; commercial trade permits, sprinkler permits included, are $100 plus $5 per $1,000 of contract value.

The County asks for a copy of each contractor’s state licence, Class A, B or C. Since February 1, 2022 all rough-in inspections are done together, and every trade must be scheduled with the framing inspection. Electrical, plumbing and mechanical work can be added to an agricultural building, though the office does not inspect those structures.

What to submit with a Cumberland County application

The Permit Requirements Checklist for new construction, updated January 9, 2026, runs in this order:

• Approved zoning permit from Planning & Zoning. Every zoning application needs a plat or scaled drawing attached.
• Shrink-swell soil analysis, if required
• An approved agreement in lieu of an erosion and sediment control plan, or a plan, and any stormwater requirement the Planning Department identifies
• Health permit approved by the Health Department, or an executed water and sewer user agreement from County Administration (804-492-3625) where public service is used
• Building Permit Application
• Highway entrance permit approved by VDOT
• A copy of the title for a used singlewide
• 2 sets of plans, including trusses with layout, engineered floor joists and LVLs
• Copies of the contractors’ state licences

Plans should show a detailed floor plan with rooms labelled, wall, door and window sizes, footing width and thickness, roof pitch, and insulation values for walls, ceilings and floors. A new singlewide or doublewide instead needs a footer diagram with chart, floor plan, manufacturer data, marriage wall detail, the HUD disclosure and installer certificate, and deck or porch details. A deck application needs 2 copies of detailed drawings and the setbacks to every property line.

How to apply: 6-step Cumberland County process

Cumberland County building inspections

Request inspections by phone at 804-492-9114 or by email to permits@cumberlandcounty.virginia.gov, with as much notice as possible; the office does not promise a same-day visit. Work must be ready by 8:30 a.m. on the scheduled day, specific times may not be honored, and requests are not accepted until the permit has been issued. Plans must be on site.

The County’s required residential inspections are:

• Footings, with driveway improvements established and erosion controls in place
• Foundation and projection, then damp proofing and drain tile
• Plumbing groundworks
• Masonry fireplace throat
• Floor joists, before the subfloor
• Veneer
• Electrical service release
• Framing and all trade rough-ins together
• Insulation
• Exterior inspections before the final: well and water line, septic and sewer line, gas tank and line
• Final

Blower door and duct leakage results and the Health Department’s operations permit must be submitted before the final inspection is requested. A $50 re-inspection fee may be charged after the second failed inspection, and nothing further is scheduled until it is paid. Third-party inspectors must submit their qualifications and be approved before working in the county; the office keeps an approved list. Third-party reports are accepted for footings, poured walls, foundations and concrete slabs, and must reach the office within 48 hours of the inspection.

Local Cumberland County requirements

Shrink-swell soils: under a policy the Board of Supervisors adopted on June 10, 1998, if shrink-swell clays are found at the footing inspection, the Building Official decides whether a designed footing and foundation is required. If it is, a Virginia-licensed engineer or architect must design it from a site-specific soil investigation, or assume high shrink-swell soil. The County’s GIS map has a soils layer with a shrink-swell box, and the office supplies a list of soil consultants.

Design criteria: the County publishes a 115 mph design wind speed and an 18-inch frost line depth, and requires ice barrier underlayment to run at least 4 feet past the top plate.

Demolition: removing a house, singlewide, doublewide or modular needs a letter from the power company confirming its lines are secured, plus the Asbestos & Demo Abatement Certification.

Farm buildings: the owner files the Farm Structure Affidavit and a zoning permit application with Planning & Zoning. The permit has no fee and the office does not inspect the structure.

Decks: the County points builders to section R507 of the 2021 Virginia Residential Code and offers its own deck form for the drawings.

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 Cumberland 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 codes
• Cumberland County Building Inspection
• Cumberland County building forms and resources
• Cumberland County Building Fee Schedule (effective May 10, 2023)
• Cumberland County Permit Requirements Checklist
• Cumberland County inspections
• Cumberland County Residential Inspection Requirements
• Cumberland County rules for accessory structures
• Cumberland County shrink-swell soil information
• Town of Farmville building permits

Cumberland County permit FAQs

How much is a building permit in Cumberland County, VA?

A house is $0.30 per square foot with a $175 minimum, counting each floor, basement, garage and decks or porches. Remodels and additions are $0.30 per square foot with a $100 minimum, and a 2% state levy is added.

Do I need a permit for a shed?

Only if it exceeds 256 sq ft, in which case the fee is $0.15 per square foot with a $75 minimum. A smaller residential shed needs zoning approval but no building permit.

Do I need a permit for a deck in Cumberland County?

Yes. Every deck needs a permit and inspections regardless of size. A stand-alone deck or porch permit is $0.25 per square foot with a $75 minimum.

Can I email my building permit application?

Yes, for everything except a new home. New-home applications must be hand delivered or mailed with all required documents attached.

Can I convert a shed into living space?

No. The County stopped allowing shed conversions to habitable space on February 1, 2022.

Who issues permits in the part of Farmville that is in Cumberland County?

The Town of Farmville. Its Building Official handles building permits for buildings in the town, through the Town’s online permit portal.

How do I schedule an inspection?

Call 804-492-9114 or email permits@cumberlandcounty.virginia.gov, and have the work ready by 8:30 a.m. on the day.

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