Giles County, Virginia Building Permit Guide

Building permits in Giles County come from the county’s Department of Building, Planning and Zoning at 1 Taylor Avenue, Suite 2, Pearisburg (540-921-2527). You apply on the county’s paper Building Permit Application at an appointment, with a Certificate of Zoning Compliance and approved plans in hand. A new house is charged $0.14 per square foot, and work started without a permit is charged one and a half times the normal fee. Inside the Town of Pearisburg, the town’s own building official issues the permit.

What requires a permit in Giles County?

The county’s fee schedule and application form show the permits its building office issues. The application has a tick box for each of these:

Buildings put up for agricultural purposes on a farm pay no fee unless electrical, mechanical or plumbing systems are involved; when they are, the normal fee schedule applies.

Who issues building permits in Giles County?

The Department of Building, Planning and Zoning covers construction regulation, land use and floodplain management for the county. Anna Welch is listed as the Building Official, and the department also has a Building Inspector, a Zoning Administrator and a Floodplain Manager.

Older county forms still carry North Main Street addresses; the county administration has since moved to Taylor Avenue.

Towns. Giles County has five incorporated towns, and they split two ways:

• Pearisburg runs its own building permits. The Town Code adopts the statewide building code for the town, sets the town’s own permit fees (paid to the town treasurer) and refers disputes with the town Building Official to a town Board of Building Code Appeals. Pearisburg Town Hall is at 112 Tazewell Street, 540-921-0340.
• Narrows, Pembroke, Rich Creek and Glen Lyn are named on the county’s Building Permit Application as separate zoning jurisdictions: the county issues the building permit and records the town’s zoning permit number. Narrows publishes its own Application for Plan Examination and Zoning Permit (Town Office, 540-726-2423) and lists the Giles County Building Inspector among its contacts.

Giles County permit types and forms

The county’s permit forms are PDFs on the Building, Planning and Zoning page:

• Building Permit Application: one form for residential and commercial work. It asks for the tax parcel ID, the zoning jurisdiction and zoning permit number, the contractor’s licence number, class and expiry date, the square footage by floor, and whether water and sewer are public or private.
• Certificate of Zoning Application, plus Conditional Use Permit and Floodplain Development Permit applications.
• Owner-Builder Affidavit, for an owner who is not subject to contractor licensing; it is signed in front of a witness.
• Agreement in Lieu of an Erosion and Sediment Control Plan for a single-family residence.
• Process sheets for a single-family dwelling, a singlewide or doublewide, an accessory structure, a remodel and an addition.
• Plan Requirements for One and Two Family Dwellings, deck specifications and manufactured home set-up requirements.

Giles County permit costs and fees

The county posts one document, the Giles County Building Permit Fee Schedule, dated effective July 1, 2014 and still the schedule linked from the department’s page. Fees are paid when the application is filed, and no permit is issued until they are paid.

For example, the building permit for a new 2,000 sq ft house is 2,000 × $0.14 = $280, before the trade permits and the $30 zoning certificate.

Commercial work is priced on value instead: $3.50 per $1,000 of value for new commercial and industrial buildings, remodeling, additions, new electrical, mechanical or plumbing work, underground tanks and construction trailers. A project started without a permit pays one and a half times these rates, and zoning permit fees are doubled when construction begins before the zoning approval is issued.

Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas permits

Trade work is permitted by the same county office, on the same application form, at flat residential rates.

The county’s brochures list Appalachian Power (1-800-956-4237) for electric service and remind applicants to call Miss Utility on 811 before digging.

Giles County construction documents

The county’s process sheets say these items must be presented at the permit appointment:

• A Certificate of Zoning Compliance (from the county, or the town’s zoning permit inside a town)
• The Health Department construction permit, where the lot uses a well or septic system
• A signed VDOT entrance permit, or a signed and dated statement from the VDOT representative that none is required (VDOT: 540-381-7200)
• Building plans, which must be approved before the permit is obtained

The Plan Requirements sheet for one- and two-family dwellings asks for:

If engineered materials such as trusses, I-joists or LVLs are used, their spec sheets must be on hand for the framing inspection.

How to apply for a Giles County building permit

Giles County building inspections

Inspections are requested by phone on 540-921-2527. The county asks for five things on each call: the permit number, the owner’s name, the name of the person requesting the inspection, a contact number and which inspection is needed.

A failed inspection or re-inspection costs $40. A temporary certificate of occupancy is $40, and the county charges $75 for a certificate of occupancy on an existing structure.

For manufactured homes, the county’s set-up sheet requires a porch or stoop of at least 36 by 36 inches at each home, with a guardrail when it is 30 inches or more above grade, and underpinning with approved material within 60 days of the home being occupied.

Local Giles County requirements

Zoning: the county publishes its Official Zoning Ordinance 2026 and its Official Subdivision Ordinance 2025. The online copies are for reference; the official text is on file with the Zoning Administrator.

Floodplain: the county has a Floodplain Ordinance (updated 2018), a Floodplain Manager on staff and a Floodplain Development Permit Application.

Land disturbance: a single-family home can use the county’s Agreement in Lieu of an Erosion and Sediment Control Plan ($25). Under it, all bare areas on the lot must be stabilized within 7 days of final grading. A land disturbing permit is $150 for the first acre and $25 for each additional acre.

Wells and septic: the Giles County Health Department (540-921-2891) is part of the New River Health District and issues the construction permit the county asks for.

Owner-builders: an owner acting as their own contractor files the Owner-Builder Affidavit, stating that they are not subject to contractor licensing.

Planning Commission: meets at 5:00 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of each month in the county administration board room.

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 Giles County permit resources

• Giles County Building, Planning and Zoning
• Giles County Building Permit Fee Schedule
• Giles County Building Permit Application
• Plan Requirements for One and Two Family Dwellings
• Certificate of Zoning Application
• Town of Pearisburg forms and Town Code
• Town of Narrows applications and forms

Giles County building permit FAQs

Who issues building permits in Giles County?

The county Department of Building, Planning and Zoning, 1 Taylor Avenue, Suite 2, Pearisburg, phone 540-921-2527. The exception is the Town of Pearisburg, which issues building permits under its own Town Code.

How much is a building permit in Giles County?

New structures, additions, remodels, decks and porches are $0.14 per sq ft. A singlewide is $75, and electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits are $75, $40 and $40.

What happens if I start work without a permit?

The permit fee is computed at one and a half times the normal rate, and zoning permit fees are doubled if construction starts before zoning approval.

What do I need to bring to get a permit?

A Certificate of Zoning Compliance, the Health Department construction permit if the lot needs one, the VDOT entrance permit or waiver, and approved building plans.

Do farm buildings need a permit fee?

No fee is charged for a building constructed for agricultural purposes on a farm, unless it has electrical, mechanical or plumbing systems.

How do I request an inspection?

Call the Building Department on 540-921-2527 with the permit number, owner’s name, your name, a contact number and the inspection you need.

Does the county permit work in Narrows or Pembroke?

Yes. The county application lists Narrows, Pembroke, Rich Creek and Glen Lyn as zoning jurisdictions, so the town handles zoning and the county issues the building permit.

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