Floyd County’s Department of Inspections at 202 East Main Street issues every building and trade permit in the county, and the Building Official has to approve the plans and application first. There is no online portal: you hand in the county’s Building Permit Package, and normal processing takes 24 to 48 hours. A new house costs 30 cents per square foot with a $150 minimum, plus a 2% state surcharge.
What requires a permit in Floyd County?
The county’s rate sheet doubles as its list of what does and does not need a permit.
Permit needed
- New dwellings, additions, basements, garages, carports, modular homes, townhouses and apartments
- Singlewide, doublewide and triplewide manufactured homes
- Alterations, renovations and remodels
- Covered porches and decks larger than 6 ft x 6 ft and more than 30 inches above the ground
- Retaining walls holding more than 4 ft of backfill
- Swimming pools above the exempt size
- Chimneys, signs, tents over 900 sq ft and moved buildings
- Demolition, even when there is no fee
- Re-roofing a commercial building
- Farm buildings, churches, schools and government offices (permit required, no fee)
Exempt on the rate sheet
- Detached, non-livable buildings, playhouses and sheds of 256 sq ft or less
- Porches and decks smaller than 5 ft x 5 ft
- Pools of 150 sq ft or less, 5,000 gallons or less, or 24 inches deep or less
- Construction or alteration valued under $500
- Repairs, plastering and painting of interior or exterior walls
- Replacing siding or shingles on a house, unless the roof pitch changes
Who issues building permits in Floyd County?
The Department of Inspections enforces the building code and the county’s Erosion Control, Manufactured Home and Subdivision Ordinances from a single office. Mark Bolt is the Building Official.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Office | 202 East Main Street, Floyd, VA 24091 (P.O. Box 218) |
| Phone | 540-745-9359 |
| Hours | Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; no permits issued after 4:00 p.m. |
| Inspection requests | By phone, at least 24 hours ahead |
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →Town of Floyd: Floyd is the county’s only incorporated town, and the county Building Official issues the building permits there; the town’s own website lists him as its building official contact. The town reviews every building permit application inside its boundaries for compliance with the Town of Floyd Zoning Ordinance. For a new structure or an addition, bring a plat of the lot with the structure drawn on it to the Town Office, 203 East Oxford Street (540-745-2565, weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), so the Town Zoning Administrator can sign the review form before the county issues the permit. Signs in town use the town’s Signage Request Form.
Floyd County permit applications
Applications are PDF forms on the Building Inspections page, each headed Department of Inspections, County of Floyd:
- Building Permit Package: the main application for a new dwelling, modular home, addition, renovation or manufactured home, with electrical, plumbing and mechanical sections, the erosion and sediment agreement and the parcel approval form in one file.
- Deck Permit and Garage/Carport Permit packages for those smaller jobs.
- Electrical Permit and Plumbing & Mechanical Permit for stand-alone trade work.
- Generator Permit, Demolition Permit, Sign Permit and Inflatable Permit.
- Farm Permit for agricultural buildings.
- Erosion and Sediment permit application.
A permit lapses if work does not start within 6 months of issue, or if work is suspended or abandoned for 6 months. A new permit then has to be issued, and no refund is given on the old one.
Floyd County permit costs and fees
These are the Department of Inspections rates effective July 1, 2022, the schedule the county still posts. A 2% state surcharge is added to every permit unless the sheet says otherwise. The sheet writes its rates in cents per square foot.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →| Project | Fee |
|---|---|
| New residential: dwellings, additions, basements, garages, carports, modular homes, storage sheds, workshops | 30 cents per sq ft; $150 minimum |
| Manufactured home | $200 singlewide, $300 doublewide, $400 triplewide |
| Retail or commercial building | 30 cents per sq ft; $200 minimum |
| New manufacturing, warehouses, rental storage | 10 cents per sq ft; $500 minimum |
| Alterations, renovations and remodels | 20 cents per sq ft; $100 minimum |
| Porch or deck | 20 cents per sq ft; $100 minimum on additions |
| Retaining wall, playhouse, shed, residential picnic shelter | 10 cents per sq ft; $50 minimum |
| Swimming pool, including bath and pump house | 30 cents per sq ft; $100 minimum, plus electrical and plumbing |
| Moving a building onto a new foundation | 20 cents per sq ft; $100 minimum |
| Demolition | $100 per structure with service connections and asbestos; no fee without service connections |
| Chimney | $50 each |
| Commercial re-roof | $200 |
| Commercial plan review | $100 |
| Flood plain fee | $150 |
| Bridge over a creek | $200 |
| Re-inspection | $25 |
For example, a new 2,000 sq ft house is 2,000 × $0.30 = $600, or $612 with the 2% surcharge, before the electrical, plumbing and mechanical fees. Farm buildings, churches, schools and government offices need a permit but pay no fee; a church fellowship hall or parsonage is charged 18 cents per sq ft with a $100 minimum.
Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas permits
Trade permits are issued by the same office. On a new house they are ticked on the Building Permit Package and each trade contractor’s licence number and expiry date is entered on its own page.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →| Permit | Fee |
|---|---|
| Temporary electrical service | $40 |
| New 200-amp single-phase service | $70 |
| New 400-amp single-phase service | $110 |
| Change of service | $60 at 200 amps or less; $100 above |
| Additional wiring only, power company not involved | $50 |
| Generator or solar photovoltaic system | $75 |
| Plumbing | $50 per permit plus $4 per fixture, water heater, drain or public water or sewer connection |
| Residential mechanical | $30 per heat pump |
| Commercial mechanical, refrigeration, sprinkler, elevator | $60 plus $4 per $1,000 of work |
For new electric service, the county’s package says to apply for the building permit first and then call the AEP call centre on 1-800-956-4237, giving the same name and address that appear on the permit.
Floyd County construction documents
The Building Permit Package opens with a checklist of what the office needs before it will issue a permit:
- A copy of the proposed building plans, approved by the Building Official
- Approved well and septic documentation from the Floyd County Health Department
- The signed land disturbance form (the agreement in lieu of an erosion and sediment control plan for a single-family dwelling)
- The Application for Parcel Approval, notarized, with an approved plat of survey or subdivision plat, or a recorded deed showing the parcel was legally created before October 22, 2002
- For a manufactured home, a copy of the title or the completed manufactured home section of the form
Plans have to respect the county’s setbacks: 35 feet from the edge of state-maintained and private roadways, 60 feet from the center of the road, and 5 feet from structures and property lines on residential lots. The county also publishes its design criteria: a ground snow load of 30, a 115 mph design wind speed (exposure B), seismic design category B and an 18-inch frost line.
Rather not deal with the Floyd County building department?
Get a free quote →Commercial projects: all plans are submitted to the office and approved before any permit is issued. Erosion control plans come in 3 copies, one of which the county forwards to the Skyline Soil and Water Conservation District, and no construction can start until that plan is approved. The erosion and sediment plan review fee is $500.
How to apply for a Floyd County building permit
For a lot on a well and septic system, obtain the approved documentation from the Floyd County Health Department on Parkview Road.
Complete and notarize the parcel approval form with your plat or pre-October 2002 deed.
Take the plat with the structure drawn in to 203 East Oxford Street for the Town of Floyd zoning review.
Complete the building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical pages and initial the land disturbance line that applies: under or over 10,000 sq ft.
Bring the package and plans to 202 East Main Street. Normal processing is 24 to 48 hours once the Building Official has approved the plans.
Phone 540-745-9359 with the permit number and owner’s name. The E911 address is not issued until the footing inspection is complete.
Floyd County building inspections
Inspections are booked by phone on 540-745-9359. The department requires at least 24 hours’ notice for every inspection and does not inspect on the day of the call. In March 2024 the county announced that residential, commercial and erosion and sediment inspections are carried out on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and asked callers to ring 48 hours ahead to guarantee a place on the schedule.
At the framing inspection, a set of the floor and roof truss specifications must be on the job, or the inspection cannot be completed. Installation instructions for every gas appliance stay with the appliance from the rough inspection until the final.
If the work is not finished or not accessible when the inspector arrives, the re-inspection fee is $25.
Local Floyd County requirements
Land disturbance: disturbing 10,000 sq ft or more needs an erosion and sediment permit and plan before grading starts; the total counts the house site, driveway and septic area. A single-family home can sign the agreement in lieu of a plan instead. Under that agreement, areas left ungraded for more than 30 days are mulched and seeded, and permanent seeding goes down within 7 days of final grade.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Flood plain: a project in the 100-year flood plain may need a surveyor’s elevation certificate showing the floor 1 foot above flood elevation, and the rate sheet lists a $150 flood plain fee.
Ponds, creek crossings and wetlands: the county warns that these may need a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers.
Manufactured home parks: three or more homes on one lot count as a park under the county’s Manufactured Home Ordinance.
Wells and septic: the Floyd County Health Department, 123 Parkview Road NE (540-745-2142), is part of the New River Health District. It is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and closed on Wednesdays.
Town water and sewer: the Town of Floyd refers water and sewer questions to the Floyd-Floyd County Public Service Authority, 540-745-2169.
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 Floyd County permit resources
- Floyd County Building Inspections
- Floyd County Building Permit Package
- Department of Inspections rates (effective July 1, 2022)
- Town of Floyd review of building permits
- Town of Floyd contacts
- Floyd County Health Department
- Building Inspections schedule change notice
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Floyd County building permit FAQs
Who issues building permits in Floyd County?
The Floyd County Department of Inspections, 202 East Main Street, Floyd, phone 540-745-9359. It also issues permits inside the Town of Floyd after the town’s zoning review.
How much is a building permit in Floyd County?
New residential construction is 30 cents per sq ft with a $150 minimum, and remodels are 20 cents per sq ft with a $100 minimum. A 2% state surcharge is added.
Do I need a permit for a shed in Floyd County?
Not for a detached, non-livable shed of 256 sq ft or less. Larger sheds are 10 cents per sq ft with a $50 minimum.
Do I need a permit to replace my roof or siding?
Not on a house, unless you are changing the pitch of the roof. Re-roofing a commercial building needs a $200 permit.
How long does it take to get a permit?
The permit package gives 24 to 48 hours as the normal processing time, and permits are not issued after 4:00 p.m.
How do I schedule an inspection?
Call 540-745-9359 at least 24 hours ahead; there are no same-day inspections. The county’s 2024 notice says inspections run on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and asks for 48 hours’ notice.
Do farm buildings need a permit in Floyd County?
The county’s rate sheet lists agricultural and farm buildings as permit required, no fee, and there is a separate Farm Permit form.
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More Virginia permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Floyd County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.