Fluvanna County, Virginia Building Permit Guide

Fluvanna County Building Inspections, in the County Administration Building at 132 Main Street, Palmyra, issues building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits along with zoning and land disturbing permits. Applications and plans are accepted only in electronic form, by email. County Code Sec. 5-2-2 sets a site-built house at $0.18 per square foot with a $90 minimum, although the County’s own fee sheet prints $0.30, and inspections need 24 hours’ notice.

What requires a permit in Fluvanna County?

Building Inspections lists the everyday projects that need both a building permit and a zoning permit:

Emergency construction, alterations or equipment replacement can start first, as long as the application is submitted by the end of the next working day.

Who issues permits in Fluvanna County?

One office handles building permits, land disturbing permits, zoning permits and the inspections that go with them. Andrew Wills is the Building Official.

Town of Scottsville: the only incorporated place touching Fluvanna County is Scottsville, which lies mostly in Albemarle County with a small part on the Fluvanna side. Scottsville has its own zoning ordinance, zoning application and Board of Zoning Appeals. Scottsville has about 550 residents and no building department, and Code of Virginia Sec. 36-105 has each county enforce the building code in its own portion of a town of under 3,500 people, so Fluvanna County Building Inspections permits the Fluvanna portion. Scottsville Town Hall is at 401 Valley Street (434-286-9267). The rest of the county, including the Village of Palmyra, is permitted by the county office.

Fluvanna County permit types and forms

Forms are downloaded from the Building Inspection Forms page and emailed back with the plans:

• Application for Building Permit (2021 code version): owner, contractor and mechanics lien agent details, floor areas by level, use group and construction type, and boxes for VDOT approval and the shrink-swell soil test.
• MEP permit application for mechanical, electrical and plumbing work.
• Zoning permit application, a setback verification form that needs a site plan of the property.
• Agreement in Lieu of Erosion & Sediment Control for a single-family residence.
• Land disturbing application, the erosion and sediment control application checklist, surety bond form and sample letter of credit.
• Exemption of Farm Buildings or Structures application.

The certification on the building application lets an owner work without a contractor’s licence on no more than one residence on their own land, for their own use, in any 24-month period.

Fluvanna County permit costs and fees

The Board of Supervisors amended the building fee schedule (County Code Sec. 5-2-2) on June 20, 2024, and the county’s posted residential and commercial fee sheets are dated July 1, 2024. The two agree on every line except one: the ordinance leaves a one- or two-family dwelling at $0.18 per sq ft, while the residential fee sheet prints $0.30. The ordinance is the adopted figure. Square footage is the gross area inside the outside face of the exterior walls.

For example, a new 2,000 sq ft site-built house on a crawl space is 2,000 × $0.18 = $360 for the building permit at the County Code rate ($600 at the $0.30 printed on the fee sheet), with the electrical permit at 2,000 × $0.06 = $120. The other county charges on a new house are the zoning permit ($100 for a primary structure, $50 for a secondary one) and $125 for the agreement in lieu of an erosion and sediment control plan.

The County Code also adds $35 for each separate building and $55 for each addressed unit on permits for new homes and other buildings that will receive telephone service. If a permit is revoked or a project abandoned, the unused portion is refunded on written request, less a 25% administrative fee and $30 for each inspection already made.

Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas permits

Trade permits use the county’s MEP permit application and are issued by Building Inspections.

Inspectors check electrical, mechanical, gas and plumbing work before it is concealed, including the electrical service where there is one, and water and sewer lines on properties served by a public system.

Construction documents and application requirements

County policy requires plans as electronic PDF files unless the Building Official allows otherwise. Before a building permit is issued for a new structure, the county expects:

• The zoning permit application with a site plan of the property
• The well and septic permit from the Health Department, where the lot is not on public utilities
• VDOT entrance approval, where a new entrance is built (no county fee)
• The site and building plans with the Application for Building Permit
• A land disturbing permit and a named Certified Responsible Land Disturber where they apply, or the agreement in lieu for a single-family home

Shrink-swell soils: under County Code Sec. 5-2-4, every lot for a one- or two-family dwelling is checked against the county soil survey map in the Building Official’s office before the footer inspection. Where the map shows high shrink-swell potential, the applicant supplies a soils test by a certified soil scientist or geotechnical engineer based on at least 4 borings. The county publishes its shrink-swell soil maps and residential design criteria online.

The permit is issued as soon as practical once the plans are approved and the written approvals from the Health Department, Planning, the Thomas Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District and VDOT are in hand. Land disturbing permits for anything other than a single-family home need a bond.

How to apply for a Fluvanna County permit

Fluvanna County inspections

Inspections run 5 days a week, excluding holidays. A request must be made 24 hours in advance, or by 4:30 p.m. on the business day before, by the permit holder or their authorized agent on file, and it must include the permit number or the address. Requests can be phoned to 434-591-1935 or emailed to building@fluvanna.gov. Inspections are done between 9:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.; a time can be requested but is not guaranteed.

The minimum inspections the county lists are:

• Footing excavations and reinforcement, before concrete is placed
• Foundation systems, including damp-proofing and drain tile on a basement before backfill
• Preparatory work for basement and garage slabs
• Framing, before structural members and fasteners are concealed
• Electrical, mechanical, gas and plumbing rough-ins
• Insulation
• Chimney, and public water and sewer lines, where they apply
• Final inspection, followed by the certificate of occupancy

A re-inspection costs $90.

Important local requirements in Fluvanna County

Erosion and sediment control: Building Inspections enforces the county’s Erosion and Sediment Control Ordinance: it reviews land disturbing plans, sets bond estimates, inspects and issues the permits. Fees under County Code Sec. 6-1-5 are $125 per lot for a single-family home, and $750 plus $125 per acre with a $1,000 plan review fee for everything else. One copy of every plan must be submitted digitally.

Wells and septic: the Fluvanna County Health Department, in the County Office Building at 132 Main Street, Palmyra (434-591-1965), is the Blue Ridge Health District’s environmental health office for the county.

Pools: the county publishes a pool permit information sheet and pool safety barrier guidelines on its Pool and Spa Information page.

Carports, garages and sheds: a county handout on the Virginia Residential Code requirements for these structures is posted with the inspection information.

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 Fluvanna County permit resources

• Fluvanna County Building Inspections
• Building Inspections contact information
• Permit Costs & Requirements
• Building Inspection Fees
• Residential fee schedule (effective July 1, 2024)
• Commercial fee schedule (effective July 1, 2024)
• Building Inspection Forms
• Inspection Information and Requirements
• Erosion and Sediment Control Fees
• County Policy 8.1: Building Permit Application, Fees, and Inspection
• Blue Ridge Health District Environmental Health

Fluvanna County building permit FAQs

Who issues building permits in Fluvanna County?

Fluvanna County Building Inspections, 132 Main Street, Palmyra, phone 434-591-1935. The same office issues zoning and land disturbing permits.

How much is a building permit in Fluvanna County?

County Code Sec. 5-2-2 sets a site-built house at $0.18 per sq ft with a $90 minimum; the County’s fee sheet prints $0.30. Detached storage structures are $0.15 per sq ft with a $90 minimum, and a residential remodel with no new square footage is $90.

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

A residential accessory storage structure of 256 sq ft or less is exempt from a building permit. The county lists sheds among the projects that need a building and zoning permit above that size.

Can I apply in person or on paper?

No. The county says applications and plans are accepted only in electronic form, emailed to building@fluvanna.gov.

How do I schedule an inspection in Fluvanna County?

Call 434-591-1935 or email building@fluvanna.gov by 4:30 p.m. on the business day before, with your permit number or address. Only the permit holder or an authorized agent on file can request it.

Do I need a soil test to build a house?

Only if the county’s soil map shows high shrink-swell potential on the lot. In that case a soils test with at least 4 borings is required before the footer inspection.

What does a zoning permit cost?

$100 for a primary structure and $50 for a secondary structure.

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