Gloucester County, Virginia Building Permit Guide

Gloucester County Building Inspection reviews plans, issues building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits and inspects the work for the whole county, which has no incorporated towns. Applications go in at 6489 Main Street, Suite 247, by mail, or by email when the plans are small enough. A stick-built house is charged $0.12 per square foot under the County Code, with a $35 minimum on every permit, and fees are worked out once plan review is finished.

What requires a building permit in Gloucester County?

The county’s “What Requires a Permit?” handout starts with a local rule: any construction or improvement in a flood zone needs a permit. Its other entries include:

Temporary and “portable” buildings are permitted and inspected like permanent ones, and wood stoves need a permit and inspection.

Who issues Gloucester County permits?

Gloucester County has no incorporated towns, so Building Inspection is the permit office for every address in the county. Planning and Zoning and Environmental Programs, in the same building, and the Health Department, further along Main Street, handle the approvals that come before the building permit.

Inspectors are normally in the office from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. and again from about 3:00 to 4:00 p.m., and out on inspections in between.

Local requirements in Gloucester County

Flood zones: in floodplain areas an under-construction elevation certificate (top of block) has to reach the office before the foundation inspection, and a finished-construction elevation certificate before the final inspections. The county publishes a Floodplain Development Permitting Form and a VE Zone design and breakaway wall certification, and flood maps can be viewed in the Building Inspection office.

Resource Protection Area: if a house or other structure comes within 100 feet landward of wetlands or a water source, the owner applies for a buffer waiver or exception, and permits may be held until Environmental Programs or the Chesapeake Bay Preservation & Erosion Commission has approved the encroachment.

Land disturbance: a land disturbing permit is needed before any clearing or grading that disturbs 2,500 sq ft or more, and the application must name a certified Responsible Land Disturber. Environmental Programs inspects the site before approving it.

Shrink-swell soils: the building permit submittal for a new house includes a soil scientist’s report on the shrink-swell potential of the soil.

Waterfront structures: piers, boathouses, boatlifts and bulkheads need permits, and the county has a residential pier handout.

Public water and sewer: where a property connects to county utilities, the receipt for the connection fees from the Department of Public Utilities (804-693-4044) goes in with the building permit application.

Gloucester County permit applications

Building Inspection publishes PDF applications and takes them in the office, by mail, or by email if the plans are small enough. Trade permits can be returned by email; other permits are collected in the office or mailed, depending on the size of the plans.

• Building, Zoning and Demo Permit Application: the joint application for the zoning permit and the building permit.
• Trades Application for Plumbing, Mechanical, Electrical, with a Plumbing Fixtures Checklist.
• Plan Review Application, for a review without a permit.
• Property Owners Affidavit, for an owner doing their own residential work.
• Building and Zoning Sign Permit Application.
• Request for Health Department Review.
• Request for Modification to the Building Code and the Board of Building Code Appeals application.

A permit is valid for 6 months from issue, and then for 6 months from the last passed inspection. Ask for an extension before it lapses; the county’s renewal handout quotes $35 to renew a permit that has already expired.

Trade permits in Gloucester County

Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits follow the building permit and can be taken out by the owner or the contractor; the county recommends that a hired contractor pulls the permit. Each has a $35 minimum under the County Code.

Trade work includes generators, mini-split systems, water heaters, water softeners, lawn irrigation, gas lines and prefabricated gas fireplaces, all of which the county lists as needing a permit.

Application documents and submission checklist

For a new single-family home, the county’s step sheet asks Building Inspection applicants for:

• 2 copies of the building construction plans
• A soil scientist’s report on shrink-swell potential
• The Health Department construction permit, or the Public Utilities connection fee receipt
• A plot plan drawn to scale

The zoning permit, issued by Planning and Zoning on the joint application, needs either a scaled plot plan showing the lot, existing buildings and the proposed building, or a survey sealed by a licensed architect, engineer or surveyor. With a plot plan the zoning permit is conditional, and the sealed survey must be submitted before the floor joist inspection.

Deck permits need plans too: you can draw your own, use a design professional, or build to the county’s pre-printed 2021 deck detail. A commercial demolition may need an asbestos report before the permit is issued.

Building permit fees and plan review

Fees are set in County Code Sections 5-8 to 5-12, last amended by ordinance on June 3, 2008, and summarized in the county’s Building Permit Fee Schedule effective July 1, 2008. The county calculates the fee after plan review is complete.

For example, a stick-built house with 2,000 sq ft under roof is 2,000 × $0.12 = $240 for the building permit, before plan review and the trade permits. The $50 residential plan review fee applies where state law requires plans to be submitted or where no zoning permit has been issued yet.

If the permit is obtained after work has started, the fee is twice the listed amount.

How to apply: the Gloucester County sequence

Gloucester County inspections

The inspection request line is 804-693-2744, staffed from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. with voicemail around the clock, and you must have the building permit number. A request made before 4:00 p.m. is attempted the next day, workload permitting; one left after 4:00 p.m. is attempted two days after the day requested.

The county’s procedure, revised October 3, 2025, lists 17 minimum inspections: footing, projection or foundation, slab, basement foundation, floor joist, fireplace throat, exterior framing, electrical, plumbing and mechanical rough-ins, interior framing, insulation, electrical meter, the three trade finals and the final building inspection. Points to plan for:

• Where the footing has steel reinforcement, a #4 solid copper grounding conductor must be attached to it and run to the service panel.
• The E911 address is assigned automatically once the foundation is complete.
• The building must be closed in and weather-tight before rough-in inspections are requested.
• Siding or other exterior covering goes on before the insulation inspection.
• Plumbing is tested at 100 psi on distribution and service lines and with a 10-foot water column on drain, waste and vent piping.

Before asking for the certificate of occupancy, the office must have the operation permit from the Health Department, the blower door test result and an approved erosion and sediment final inspection, or surety posted with the county.

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 Gloucester County permit resources

• Gloucester Building Inspection
• Gloucester official permit FAQ
• What Requires a Permit? handout
• Gloucester County Building Permit Fee Schedule
• Gloucester County Code, Chapter 5 (Secs. 5-8 to 5-12, permit fees)
• Steps to Build a Single Family Dwelling
• Inspections Procedure (revised October 2025)
• Permit Renewals handout

Gloucester County building permit FAQs

Who issues building permits in Gloucester County?

Gloucester County Building Inspection, 6489 Main Street, Suite 247, phone 804-693-2744. The county has no incorporated towns with their own permit office.

How much does a building permit cost in Gloucester County?

A stick-built house is $0.12 per sq ft, a modular home $0.10 and a manufactured home $0.08. Sheds, decks, garages and piers are $0.10 per sq ft, and every permit has a $35 minimum.

Do I need a permit for a fence in Gloucester County?

No. The county says fences do not require building permits, although pool barriers are permitted with the pool.

Do I need a permit for a swimming pool?

Yes, if the pool, spa or hot tub exceeds 24 inches in depth, 5,000 gallons or 150 sq ft. It also needs a safety barrier.

Can a homeowner pull their own permit?

Yes, for residential work on your own property; the county has a Property Owners Affidavit for it. If you hire a contractor, the contractor should obtain the permit.

How quickly are inspections done?

Requests received before 4:00 p.m. are attempted the next day, and later requests two days after the day requested, depending on workload.

How long is a permit valid?

6 months from issue, or 6 months from the last passed inspection.

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