Middlesex County, Virginia Building Permit Guide

The Middlesex County Building Inspection Office, on the first floor of the Historic Courthouse Building at 865 General Puller Highway in Saluda (804-758-4305), issues building and trade permits. A single Zoning and Building Permit Application is signed off in turn by the Zoning Administrator, the erosion and sediment administrator and the Building Official. Site-built living space is charged $0.12 per square foot, with a $50 plan review fee for a house and a $50 minimum permit.

What requires a permit in Middlesex County?

The County’s fee ordinance prices each kind of work its Building Department permits, which gives a practical list of what needs one.

Shoreline work usually needs more than a building permit: the Wetlands Board reviews the use, alteration or development of tidal wetlands, and construction inside the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area is checked at the zoning stage.

Who issues building permits in Middlesex County?

The Building Inspection Office is managed by Building Official G. David Selph. It sits within the Department of Planning and Community Development, whose Planning & Zoning staff handle the zoning permit, erosion and sediment control and the local Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act rules from the same address.

Urbanna is the county’s only incorporated town. The Town states that it has an agreement with Middlesex County to enforce the building code for building and remodeling projects in Urbanna, so the building permit application and inspections go through the County office in Saluda. Zoning stays with the Town: its Zoning Administrator (Town office 804-758-2613, weekdays 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.) applies Urbanna’s 5 zoning districts and its Chesapeake Bay Preservation, Historic Preservation and Flood Plain overlays, and the Town has its own Certificate of Appropriateness form for the historic overlay.

Middlesex County applications and intake

Middlesex County’s permit forms are PDFs on the Building Official page, filed with the office at the courthouse complex or by mail. An Electrical Permit form can also be filled in online in the County’s Form Center.

• Zoning and Building Permit Application — one form for both approvals. County staff complete the top block with the parcel number, zoning district, flood zone, Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area status, hydric soil finding and septic permit number, and the form carries three approvals: Zoning Administrator, E&S Administrator and Building Official.
• Agreement in Lieu of an Erosion and Sediment Control Plan — an addendum to the same form for single-family construction.
• Electrical, Plumbing and Mechanical permit applications — each titled an addendum to the building permit, with its own fee calculation and a copy of the state contractor’s licence attached.

The application asks whether the finished permit should be mailed or whether the owner or contractor should be called when it is ready.

Middlesex County building permit fees

Fees come from the County fee ordinance, last revised October 4, 2022, and are worked out on the Building Permit Worksheet in the application. Permit application fees are non-refundable once submitted.

For example, a one-story, 2,000 sq ft site-built house is $240 plus the $50 plan review, or $290. The 2% state levy on that is $5.80 and the valuation fee is $40, giving $335.80, with the $50 zoning permit, the $50 agreement in lieu and the trade permits charged separately.

All fees double when work starts before the permit is issued. Church worship facilities, and school or volunteer fire and rescue projects built with their own or volunteer labor, are exempt from the permit fees. The worksheet in the application prints the commercial plan review rate as $50 per 10,000 sq ft; the fee ordinance and the County’s fee page both say $50 per 1,000 sq ft.

Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas work

Electrical, plumbing and mechanical systems each need a separate permit from the Building Department, filed on the matching addendum form. Each has a $50 minimum and the 2% state levy on top.

A 200-amp panel is therefore $50 before its circuits are counted. The mechanical form asks for the type of equipment with its tonnage, horsepower or BTU rating.

Septic and wells: sewage disposal and well construction permits come from the Virginia Department of Health at the Middlesex County Health Department, 2780 General Puller Highway, Saluda (Environmental Health, 804-758-0330), in the Three Rivers Health District. The County application records the septic permit number, and the applicant certifies that the construction meets the health department’s setbacks from the well and septic system.

Documents for a Middlesex County permit application

Page 3 of the application lists what must be handed in with it.

The County prefers the plot plan to be drawn on a copy of a survey, and it is the applicant’s job to establish where the property lines are.

How to apply for a Middlesex County permit: 6 steps

Building and trade inspections in Middlesex County

Every inspection needs 24 hours’ notice to the Building Official’s office at 804-758-4305, and work must not proceed until the inspection is confirmed as approved. The County’s Required Inspections sheet lists 12 stages:

• Footing — before concrete is placed; all footings at least 16 inches below grade.
• Foundation, floor joist and projection — before subfloor sheathing is laid.
• Slab — poly, wire, insulation and any under-slab rough-ins in place.
• Exterior veneer and brick veneer — flashing, weep holes, air space and wall ties.
• Framing — with the electrical, plumbing and mechanical rough-ins, all carried out as one inspection.
• Masonry fireplace, insulation and drywall — drywall is inspected after hanging and before mud and tape.
• Electrical final — meter base, 2 ground rods at least 6 feet apart, panels and one GFCI receptacle.
• Final — the Health Department’s operation permit must be on file before the final is requested.

The first re-inspection is free, the second costs $50 and the third and later ones $100 each, paid before the return trip. After the final, the Building Department has 5 working days to issue the certificate of occupancy, and the building must not be occupied before then. The Zoning Administrator can also inspect at any time for compliance with the zoning permit.

Local Middlesex County requirements that matter

Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area: the plot plan must show the Resource Protection Area and Resource Management Area. An exception costs $500 and an RPA modification permit $175. In a preservation area the agreement in lieu of an erosion plan is required from 2,500 sq ft of disturbance, against 10,000 sq ft elsewhere.

Tree replacement: two new plants are required for every tree of 12 inches or more in diameter removed outside the building, driveway, well and septic footprints.

Wetlands Board: piers, bulkheads, boathouses, riprap and similar tidal work go to the Wetlands Board on the Joint Permit Application. The Board meets at 10:00 a.m. on the second Tuesday of each month; the application review fee is $50, and a permit needing a hearing is $250, or $350 for commercial work.

Flood zones: construction in a flood zone needs a surveyor’s or engineer’s site plan with base floor and finished floor elevations.

Septic timing: the health district notes that a sewage construction permit is valid for 18 months and does not transfer with a change of ownership.

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 Middlesex County permit resources

• Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code
• Middlesex County permits and licences (forms)
• Middlesex County Building Inspection Office
• Middlesex County building permit fees
• Planning, zoning, erosion and wetlands permit fees
• Zoning and Building Permit Application (PDF)
• Required Inspections (PDF)
• Middlesex County Planning & Zoning
• Middlesex County Wetlands Board
• Town of Urbanna Planning, Zoning and Community Development
• Three Rivers Health District health departments

Middlesex County building permit FAQs

Which office issues Middlesex County building permits?

The Building Inspection Office on the first floor of the Historic Courthouse Building, 865 General Puller Highway, Saluda. It also serves the Town of Urbanna under an agreement with the Town.

How much does a building permit cost in Middlesex County?

Site-built living space is $0.12 per square foot, and decks, porches, sheds and detached garages are $0.10. A house also pays a $50 plan review fee, a $30 or $40 valuation fee and the 2% state levy, and the zoning permit is $50.

Do I need a permit for a pier or bulkhead?

Yes. The building fee is $10 per $1,000 of estimated cost, and tidal shoreline work also goes to the Wetlands Board on the Joint Permit Application.

How many sets of plans are required?

2 sets for residential work and 3 sets for commercial work.

Do electrical and mechanical work need separate permits?

Yes. Electrical, plumbing and mechanical systems each need their own permit, with a $50 minimum.

How are inspections requested?

Call the Building Official’s office at 804-758-4305 at least 24 hours ahead. Framing and the three trade rough-ins are inspected together.

What if I start work without a permit?

The fee is doubled. An after-the-fact zoning permit is $150 in place of $50.

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