Dinwiddie County, Virginia Building Permit Guide

Building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical and fuel gas permits in Dinwiddie County come from the county’s Office of Building Inspections, a division of Planning and Community Development at the Government Center on Boydton Plank Road. You apply in the county’s Civic Access portal, and a zoning permit ($50) has to be in hand before construction starts. Every permit carries a $100 base fee; a single-story house adds $0.20 per square foot.

What requires a permit in Dinwiddie County?

The Office of Building Inspections answers the question on the county’s FAQ page with a short list. A building permit is needed for:

• Building or demolishing a building or structure
• Remodeling or repairs that involve structural components
• Accessory structures larger than 200 sq ft
• Additions, including decks and porches
• Swimming pools of 150 sq ft or more, or deeper than 24 inches

The county code adds two local points. Re-roofing with shingles, tin or cedar shakes needs a permit on commercial property only, not on a house. Tearing down a house or farm building still needs a demolition permit, although the fee is waived.

Farm buildings used for an operating farm are outside the building code. The county asks owners to file its Farm Building & Structure Affidavit, which records what the building will be used for; a farm building in a flood plain still has to meet floodproofing rules.

Who issues permits in Dinwiddie County?

One county office covers all of Dinwiddie County. The Office of Building Inspections reviews plans and inspects electrical, mechanical, plumbing and structural work, and Jerry Perkinson is the Building Official. The Planning and Zoning Department, in the same building, issues the zoning permit and runs site plan review.

Town of McKenney: McKenney is the county’s only incorporated town, and the county administers the building code there. A request for a zoning permit, conditional use permit, building permit or certificate of occupancy for property inside the town limits must come with a Notice of Application to the Town. Pick the notice up at the Town Office, 20706 First Street (804-478-4621), which is open Tuesdays and Fridays from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. Signs inside the town also need a $30 town sign permit.

Dinwiddie County permit types and the Civic Access portal

The portal’s Apply tool lists each application the county accepts online. Register or log in, choose the record type and upload the documents. The same site has a Request Inspection tool and a Pay Invoice tool.

Building Inspections also publishes three paper forms on its Forms & Procedures page: the Farm Building & Structure Affidavit, the Statement of Special Inspections with its instructions, and the Third Party Inspection Policy.

Dinwiddie County permit costs and fees

Permit fees are set in Section 6-18 of the County Code, last amended by ordinance on May 21, 2025. Most permits are a $100 base fee plus a charge by floor area, measured from the outside dimensions of the structure, and a 2% state levy is added to the total.

For example, a new single-story house of 2,000 sq ft has a building permit fee of $500 (2,000 × $0.20 = $400, plus the $100 base fee). With the 2% levy that is $510, before the trade permits and the zoning permit.

Work started before the permit is issued is charged double. Moving into a building before the certificate of occupancy is issued costs a further $50 penalty. If you cancel in writing within 6 months of applying or 12 months of issue, the county refunds the fee less 30% for residential, commercial and related permits and 20% for all other permits. Farm outbuildings on a working farm that cost less than $10,000 pay no building or plumbing permit fee, but the electrical permit is still charged.

Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas permits

Each trade is a separate application in Civic Access, with its own residential, commercial and manufactured-home record. Section 6-18 prices them the same way for all three trades.

On the same 2,000 sq ft house, each residential trade permit works out to $220 before the levy. For buildings other than one- and two-family houses, the county Fire Marshal helps the building office review the fire protection parts of the plans, and the building office can require fire hydrants based on the size and use of the building and the water available nearby.

Construction documents and application requirements

What you upload depends on the record type, but three county documents come up on most jobs.

• Zoning permit. The application needs a plat showing where the structure will sit, with front, side and rear setbacks. The zoning ordinance asks for three copies of the scale drawing. The fee is $50.
• Water and sewer approval. The approved zoning permit is taken to the Dinwiddie County Health Department (for a well or septic system) or to the Dinwiddie County Water Authority (for public water or sewer) for their sign-off.
• Agreement in Lieu. A new single-family house files an Agreement in Lieu of an erosion and sediment control plan with the building permit: $50 when less than 1 acre is disturbed, $209 for 1 acre up to 5 acres.

Commercial projects that need special inspections must give the Building Official a completed Statement of Special Inspections, with original signatures from the owner and the architect or special inspection engineer, before the building permit is issued. Every special inspector, including those for electrical, plumbing, mechanical and sprinkler work, has to be named on the form.

If the design is complex enough to need an outside plan reviewer, the Building Official picks the reviewer and the applicant pays the county for that review; the county tells you beforehand and gives the estimated cost if it is known.

How to apply for a Dinwiddie County permit

Dinwiddie County inspections

Inspections are requested on the existing permit record through the portal’s Request Inspection tool. The building office answers questions on 804-469-4500, option 6, between 7:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. on weekdays. If the work is not finished, not ready or not open when the inspector arrives, a $50 re-inspection fee is due before the next visit.

Third-party inspections are the exception in Dinwiddie County and must be approved by the Building Official in advance. The county’s written policy allows them when a county inspector cannot make the inspection within 48 hours of the request, or on unusual projects where timing is critical. The approved inspector files a Third Party Inspection Statement with the building office within 5 working days.

Special inspections by a private agency do not replace the county’s own inspections. The general contractor has to notify both the special inspector and the county for every critical inspection, and the special inspector leaves a field report on site the same day.

Certificate of occupancy for a new house: under the county procedure effective May 2026, the lot needs permanent vegetation before the certificate is issued. A builder can still get the certificate if the house is under contract and temporary seed, mulch and perimeter controls are in place with a signed certification, or by signing a Residential Lot Stabilization Agreement and posting surety.

Important local requirements in Dinwiddie County

Site plan review: the fee is $300 plus $15 per acre, and 5 sets of engineered plans go to Planning and Zoning for the Land Development Committee (Building Inspections, the Water Authority, the Environmental Department, Public Safety, VDOT and the Health Department, among others). The county says a typical site needs about two submittals and is approved 60 to 120 days after the first one. An approved site plan is valid for 5 years.

Land disturbance: the county runs its own Virginia Erosion and Stormwater Management Program. Disturbing 10,000 sq ft or more is regulated, the county land disturbance permit costs $200, and a single-family lot that disturbs 5 acres or more needs a land disturbance permit and an engineered erosion and sediment plan rather than an Agreement in Lieu.

Flood plain: the Zoning Administrator administers the county’s Flood Protection Ordinance, so flood-zone questions are settled at the zoning permit stage.

Wells and septic: the Dinwiddie Health Department, part of the Virginia Department of Health’s Crater Health District, shares the Government Center address and can be reached at 804-469-3771.

Permit statistics: Building Inspections posts a monthly Building Stats report on its web page.

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 Dinwiddie County permit resources

• Dinwiddie County Building Inspections
• Civic Access online permitting portal
• Building Inspections Forms & Procedures
• County Code Sec. 6-18, permit fees
• Dinwiddie County Planning & Zoning
• Planning & Zoning applications, forms and fee schedule
• Environmental: erosion and stormwater applications and fees
• Town of McKenney licenses and permits

Dinwiddie County building permit FAQs

Who issues building permits in Dinwiddie County?

The county’s Office of Building Inspections at 14010 Boydton Plank Road, including for property inside the Town of McKenney. Call 804-469-4500 and choose option 6.

How much is a building permit in Dinwiddie County?

A $100 base fee plus $0.20 per sq ft for a single-story house, addition or remodel, and $0.15 per sq ft for decks, porches, garages, storage buildings and upper stories. A 2% state levy is added.

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

The county lists accessory structures over 200 sq ft as needing a building permit. A zoning permit is required before any building or structure is started.

Do I need a permit to replace my roof?

The county code requires the $100 roofing permit for commercial property only; it is not required for residential property.

How do I schedule an inspection?

Use the Request Inspection tool in Civic Access on your existing permit record. A $50 fee applies if the work is not ready when the inspector arrives.

Does McKenney issue its own building permits?

No. The county administers the building code in the town, but your application must include the Town of McKenney’s Notice of Application, available from the Town Office on First Street.

What happens if I start work without a permit?

The permit fee doubles, and paying it does not stop the county from prosecuting the violation.

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