Northumberland County, Virginia Building Permit Guide

Building permits in Northumberland County come from the County’s Building and Zoning Office at 72 Monument Place in Heathsville (804-580-8910). There is no online portal: you fill in the County’s PDF forms and email them to the office. Under the FY27 fee schedule a new home is charged $0.12 per square foot plus a 2% levy, and a zoning permit costs $75.

What requires a permit in Northumberland County?

Chapter 45 of the County Code says a permit from the Building Official is needed before any of this work starts:

The County’s building permit form lists the project types it expects: new work, additions, remodel or repair and demolition, for dwellings, modular homes, double-wides, mobile homes, decks and garages. The fee schedule also prices chimneys or flues, swimming pools and travel trailers as separate items.

Who issues building permits in Northumberland County?

The County Code sets up a Building Inspection Department under a Building Official appointed by the Board of Supervisors. In practice it is one counter, the Building and Zoning Office, which also holds the Zoning Administrator and the County Planner. Jerry Rushing is the Building Official.

Kilmarnock: the only incorporated town that reaches into the county is Kilmarnock, whose boundaries lie in two counties, with the larger area in Lancaster. The Town does not issue building permits. Its Planning and Zoning Department at Town Hall, 1 North Main Street (804-435-1552), issues a town zoning permit, and that permit states it is invalid unless a building permit is then obtained from Lancaster or Northumberland County. For a lot in the Northumberland part of town, the building permit and inspections therefore come from the County office in Heathsville, which the Town lists as the Northumberland building inspector (804-580-8910); lots on the Lancaster side go to the Lancaster County building office. Heathsville, Reedville and every other community in the county are unincorporated, so the County office handles both zoning and building there.

Northumberland County permit forms and how they are filed

The County does not run an online permit system. Each application is a PDF on the Building & Zoning Forms page, and the County asks that completed forms be emailed to the Building and Zoning Administrative Assistant (the address is on each form’s page) or brought to the office.

• Building Permit Application: applicant, owner, 911 address, contractor name and licence number, lien agent, project type, total square footage including decks and porches, and estimated construction value. It carries a Demolition Addendum and an owner’s affidavit for people who are not required to hold a contractor licence.
• Zoning Permit Application: lot location, zoning, acreage, amount of land disturbance, flood plain status and the four yard measurements.
• Electrical, Mechanical and Plumbing Permit Applications: one form per trade.
• Land Disturbing Permit Application: names the certified Responsible Land Disturber for the site.
• Landscape Plan Agreement and Short Term Rental Application.
• Safe Adequate Form: the office’s request to the Virginia Department of Health to check an existing septic system or well against the proposed work.

A new application has to be filed for any change to approved work. A homeowner who lists themselves as the contractor takes on that responsibility and must use only state-licensed contractors for the work they hire out.

Northumberland County permit costs and fees

Since March 2025 the Board of Supervisors has set fees by an annual resolution instead of by ordinance. The figures below are from the FY27 Fee Schedule, adopted on June 18, 2026 with no changes from the year before. The permit fee is paid to the County Treasurer when the application is made.

For example, a new house with 2,000 sq ft of total area has a building permit fee of $240, and the 2% levy adds $4.80, for $244.80 before the zoning permit and the trade permits.

The County Code allows an expired building permit to be renewed for the administrative renewal fee instead of the full fee, as long as no more than one year has passed since it expired. Card payments carry a 4% fee.

Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits

The same office issues all three trade permits, each on a separate application signed by the applicant, owner or contractor. The electrical form asks for the service amperage, whether the service is overhead or underground, and whether the power company is Virginia Power or Northern Neck Electric.

With the levy, a residential trade permit comes to $51. Septic tanks and drainfields need a County septic permit under Chapter 118 of the County Code; the form is available at the Northumberland County Health Department and at the building office, the fee is $125, and repairs to an existing system are not charged. The schedule lists a $40 well fee.

What to submit with a Northumberland County application

Demolition: the Demolition Addendum must come with proof of every disconnection (power, water, phone, cable, sewer lateral and water line capped at the right-of-way, septic tank), the total cost of the demolition and a description of how the site will be used and graded afterwards. An asbestos report is required for buildings built before 1985.

How to apply: 6-step Northumberland County process

Northumberland County building inspections

Inspections are carried out by the Building Official and the County’s Residential Inspector, who is also the Code Compliance Officer. Both are reached on the office line, 804-580-8910, between 7:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on weekdays. Each re-inspection is charged $50, and registering a short-term rental includes a $100 building inspection.

If you disagree with a failed inspection, a refused code modification or a notice of violation, you can appeal to the Local Board of Building Code Appeals, which Northumberland shares with Lancaster County under a memorandum of understanding. Appeals on new construction must be filed within 30 calendar days. The appeals page still quotes a $250 filing fee, but the adopted FY27 schedule sets it at $1,000, so budget for the higher figure.

Local Northumberland County requirements

Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area: the zoning permit is where the County applies its Bay ordinance. The FY27 schedule prices the pieces a lot may need: environmental site assessment $75, landscape plan $50, stormwater management plan $100 with an infiltration structure or $200 with a detention structure, and a water quality assessment at $100 (minor) or $200 (major). An exception to the ordinance costs $500.

Land disturbance: the County’s erosion and sediment control chapter exempts disturbed areas smaller than 2,500 sq ft. Above that, the land disturbing permit names a certified Responsible Land Disturber.

Shoreline work: the County Wetlands Board hears requests to use or develop vegetated or non-vegetated wetlands. It meets on the second Tuesday of each month at 5:00 p.m. at 195 Judicial Place, Heathsville, and the application fee is $300. A private, non-commercial pier has a $50 County fee.

Flood plain: the zoning application asks whether the lot is in a flood plain, and Chapter 76 of the County Code holds the floodplain management rules.

Septic and wells: Environmental Health at the Northumberland County Health Department, part of the Virginia Department of Health’s Three Rivers Health District, is at 6373 Northumberland Highway, Suite B, Heathsville (804-580-8827).

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 Northumberland County permit resources

The Northumberland County pages, scanned forms and the Board’s FY27 fee resolution that the figures above come from:

• Virginia statewide permit rules
• Northumberland County Building & Zoning
• Northumberland County Building & Zoning Forms
• Northumberland County FY27 Fee Schedule (adopted June 18, 2026)
• Northumberland County Code
• Local Board of Building Code Appeals
• Northumberland County Wetlands Board
• Three Rivers Health District health departments
• Town of Kilmarnock permits, licensing and forms

Northumberland County permit FAQs

Who issues building permits in Northumberland County?

The County Building and Zoning Office at 72 Monument Place, Heathsville, under Building Official Jerry Rushing. It covers the whole county, and for lots in the Northumberland part of Kilmarnock the Town issues its zoning permit first and the County issues the building permit.

How much is a building permit for a new house in Northumberland County?

$0.12 per square foot plus a 2% levy under the FY27 Fee Schedule, so 2,000 sq ft costs $244.80. Add $75 for the zoning permit and $51 for each trade permit.

Can I apply for a Northumberland County permit online?

No. The forms are PDFs on the County website, and the County asks for them to be emailed to the Building and Zoning Administrative Assistant.

What does a remodel or repair permit cost?

$40 plus $5 for each $1,000 of estimated construction value, plus the 2% levy.

Do I need a permit to demolish a building?

Yes. Demolition is filed on the building permit form with the Demolition Addendum, the utility disconnection records and, for a building from before 1985, an asbestos report.

Can a homeowner pull their own permit?

Yes. The building permit form includes an affidavit for an owner who is not required to be licensed as a contractor, and an owner acting as contractor must hire only state-licensed contractors.

What happens if I build without a permit?

The fee schedule charges $200 plus triple fees for an after-the-fact permit.

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