Dickenson County, Virginia Building Permit Guide

One office permits construction everywhere in Dickenson County: the Building Department at 818 Happy Valley Drive in Clintwood, whose jurisdiction the County says is the entire county including the Towns of Clintwood, Clinchco and Haysi. Applications are paper forms from the County’s Permits folder. Under the ordinance adopted on January 23, 2024, a new home is charged $0.07 per square foot and a doublewide $90, plus a 2% state levy.

What requires a permit in Dickenson County?

The Building Department lists the work it permits in its own FAQ, and the County publishes a separate application for each kind.

The department also inspects wood stoves, checking clearances from combustible materials and the chimney construction. A building that will not be occupied by people is declared on the County’s Statement of Non-Human Occupancy Use.

Who issues building permits in Dickenson County?

The Dickenson County Building Department inspects residential and commercial construction and remodeling, manufactured and modular home installations, and electrical, HVAC, plumbing and gas systems. It also issues erosion and sediment permits and reviews construction plans. Chris Rakes is the Building Official, appointed by the Board of Supervisors under the County’s building code ordinance.

Clintwood, Clinchco and Haysi: none of the three towns runs its own building department. The County’s ordinance lets it enforce the building code in incorporated towns by agreement, and the Building Department states that its jurisdiction includes all three. The residential application has a box to tick for each town, alongside the county’s magisterial districts.

Dickenson County applications and forms

There is no online portal. The County’s Permits folder holds the applications as PDFs, and each asks for the tax map number, the total cost of the work and the district or town.

• Residential: New Home or Addition, Remodeling, Electrical, Other Building Permit, and Residential Demo applications
• Commercial: Commercial, Commercial Remodeling, Commercial Electrical, and Non-Residential Demo applications
• Manufactured homes: the Manufactured Home Application and the HUD Manufactured Home Certification of Installation form
• Site permits: Erosion and Sediment Control and Floodplain Activity applications
• Solar: the PV Application and its checklist
• Owner-builders: the Statement of Building without a Licensed Contractor, signed and witnessed, which also covers an owner doing their own electrical, plumbing, mechanical or gas work
• Building Permit Approval Form: signed by the County Treasurer or a deputy before any permit can be issued

The County’s FAQ says the application takes about 15 to 30 minutes to complete once the health department or DEQ approval is in hand, and that a permit usually takes about 15 minutes to issue.

Dickenson County permit costs and fees

Fees are fixed by Section 3 of the County’s ordinance adopting the 2021 Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, adopted by the Board of Supervisors on January 23, 2024. The Building Department collects a 2% state levy on top.

For example, a new 2,000 sq ft house with no basement is 2,000 × $0.07 = $140, and the 2% levy makes it $142.80. The County’s FAQ quotes the manufactured home fees with the levy included: $91.80 for a doublewide and $51 for a singlewide.

On written request the department refunds fees when a permit is revoked or a project is abandoned, limited to the share of work not completed. The ordinance notes that the permit fee does not cover other charges such as water taps and sewer connections.

Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas permits

The Building Department inspects electrical systems, HVAC, plumbing and gas. Electrical permits are priced by service size in the ordinance:

The application has a section for each trade. The residential, electrical, plumbing and HVAC contractors each enter a Virginia licence number and class and sign, and the form states the licence specialty each one needs. An owner doing a trade personally writes “Self” and completes the owner statement.

Power: the ordinance requires the electric utilities to refuse temporary construction service unless a building permit is shown, and permanent service unless a certificate of occupancy is shown. The application asks whether the power company is AEP or Old Dominion and for the AEP work order number.

Solar: a small rooftop system needs only an electrical permit application with drawings and calculations. The contractor’s licence must carry the AES and ELE designations, and the County says review will not exceed one week. With the levy, the fee is $20.40 on a 200 amp single-phase service and $40.80 on a 400 amp service.

What to submit with a Dickenson County application

For a new home or addition, the County’s application calls for:

• The Virginia Department of Health waste water approval for the site
• A floor plan, a description of materials, and a stairway detail if stairs are installed
• A description and sketch of the work with sizes, on the last pages of the form
• The existing electrical service amperage and the power company
• Answers on land disturbance over 10,000 sq ft and on the 100-year floodplain
• Licence details and signatures for each contractor, or the owner statement
• The Building Permit Approval Form signed at the Treasurer’s Office

The form notes that plans may be required for new homes or large projects, and the ordinance requires construction documents to be submitted with a building permit application. A manufactured home needs the HUD certification of installation form.

How to apply: 6-step Dickenson County process

Dickenson County building inspections

Inspections are carried out by the Building Department, reached at 276-926-1673 during office hours, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The department lists blower door and duct blaster testing and asbestos inspections among its own services, along with erosion and sediment inspections and amusement device inspections.

The ordinance ties permanent power to the certificate of occupancy: the electric utility is not to connect permanent service to the meter without evidence of one.

Local Dickenson County requirements

Land disturbance: an erosion and sediment permit is required when more than 10,000 sq ft will be disturbed, fill included. The Building Department issues the permit, reviews the plan and inspects the site.

Floodplain: the application asks whether the site is within the 1% annual chance floodplain or floodway, and a separate Floodplain Activity permit Application covers work there.

Manufactured homes: the ordinance requires homes set up in the county to carry the labels required by Virginia’s industrialized building and manufactured housing safety laws.

Subdivisions: the Building Department page links the Dickenson County Subdivision Ordinance, as amended March 22, 2005, and the list of Board of Building Code Appeals members.

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 Dickenson 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
• Dickenson County Building Department
• Dickenson County permit applications
• Dickenson County building code and fee ordinance (January 23, 2024)
• Dickenson County Residential New Home or Addition permit Application
• Dickenson County building FAQs
• Dickenson County solar PV permitting checklist
• Dickenson County government website

Dickenson County permit FAQs

How much is a building permit in Dickenson County?

New residential construction is $0.07 per square foot, with $0.03 for an unfinished basement and $0.05 for a finished one. Commercial new construction is $0.15 per square foot. A 2% state levy is added.

What does it cost to set up a mobile home?

$90 for a doublewide and $50 for a singlewide, which come to $91.80 and $51 with the levy.

Who issues building permits in Clintwood, Clinchco and Haysi?

The Dickenson County Building Department. Its jurisdiction is the entire county including the three towns.

How long does it take to get a permit?

The County says the application takes about 15 to 30 minutes to complete after health department or DEQ approval, and the permit usually takes about 15 minutes to issue.

Can a homeowner do their own work?

Yes. The owner signs the County’s Statement of Building without a Licensed Contractor, which also has a part for owners doing their own electrical, plumbing, mechanical or gas work.

When do I need an erosion and sediment permit?

When more than 10,000 sq ft will be disturbed. The residential permit is $35 plus $20 for each additional acre.

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