Nottoway County, Virginia Building Permit Guide

One office permits construction across Nottoway County: the County Building Department at 344 West Courthouse Road (434-645-8696), which also serves the three towns once the town has signed off on zoning. Applications are requested from the Permit Tech and filed on paper with 2 sets of plans. Since July 17, 2025 a new home has cost $150 plus $0.25 per square foot.

What requires a permit in Nottoway County?

The County says a building permit must be in hand before new construction, renovation or remodeling of an existing structure, or any alteration the code requires to be inspected, and that getting it is the homeowner’s responsibility. Its fee table and checklist name these permit types:

Whether a County zoning permit is also needed depends on the job. New dwellings, later additions, garages, decks, sheds and pools on county parcels need one. Renovation, electrical, gas, HVAC, generator, demolition, plumbing, asbestos remediation and tank removal permits on county parcels do not.

Who issues building permits in Nottoway County?

Nottoway County employs a certified building official who enforces the statewide building code and inspects the work. The Building Official is Mike Murphy, and he sits in the County Administrator’s office, which is where permits are issued.

Blackstone, Burkeville and Crewe: none of the three towns issues building permits. For every job that needs a building permit inside town limits, the County’s checklist tells you to get a zoning permit from the town first and bring that approval to the County with the building application.

• Blackstone: the Town has its own Planning & Zoning office and zoning ordinance; the Town’s address is 100 W. Elm Street (434-292-7251).
• Crewe: zoning permit applications go to the Town Office, 125 E Carolina Avenue, by email, fax (434-645-1240), mail or in person; a zoning compliance permit is $25.
• Burkeville: the Town publishes its zoning permit form with its other licences and forms; the Town office is at 204 W Nunnally Street (434-767-4095).

Nottoway County permit types and how to file

There is no online permit portal. The building permit application is supplied by the Building Department’s Permit Tech on request, and the zoning permit application comes from the same County Administration Office, which will also confirm a parcel’s zoning.

In July 2025 the Board of Supervisors ended the County’s universal permit. A contractor building a house now needs a building permit, and each trade needs its own separate permit.

The County checks that contractors and tradesmen hold their state licence or certification before it issues anything, so put the contractor’s complete name exactly as it appears on the licence, and the full licence number, on the application.

How long a permit lasts: a building permit is good for 6 months, and each inspection extends it by another 6. A permit with no inspection for 6 months is closed, and a new permit is needed to finish the work. Permits are generally limited to 36 months in total, or 18 months for manufactured homes. Every permit needs a final inspection.

Nottoway County permit costs and fees

The Board of Supervisors approved the current building permit fees on July 17, 2025, after a public hearing. The County’s fee web page shows only the base amounts; the per-square-foot and per-$1,000 parts below are from the table in the Board’s minutes of that meeting.

For example, a new 1,800 sq ft house is $150 plus $450, or $600 for the building permit, with the trade permits on top. The checklist puts the County’s combined septic and zoning permit for a new dwelling at $30, and a special exception application is $300.

Electrical, plumbing, gas and HVAC permits

The Building Department issues the trade permits and inspects the work; with the universal permit gone, each trade files separately from the building permit. The fee table approved in July 2025 prices commercial trade and solar permits, and commercial asbestos remediation, at $100 plus 1% of the contract.

Electrical, gas, HVAC, generator and plumbing permits on county parcels can be issued without a zoning permit. On a new house the trades are inspected at rough electric, rough plumbing, HVAC and permanent electric, and the HVAC and final inspections include a third-party duct leak check and blower door test where those are required.

On-site sewage disposal and wells belong to the Nottoway County Health Department, part of the Virginia Department of Health’s Piedmont Health District, at 207 W. Courthouse Road, Crewe (434-645-7595).

What to bring for a Nottoway County building permit

The County lets you drop off the plan sets on the day you apply for the zoning permit.

How to apply: 6-step Nottoway County process

Nottoway County building inspections

Inspections are scheduled by phone through the County Administration Office, 434-645-8696. For a new home the County lists these inspections, in order:

• Erosion and sediment
• Footer, projection and foundation
• Floor joist
• Block, anchor and strap, and the marriage wall, on manufactured homes
• Framing and veneer
• Rough electric and rough plumbing
• HVAC, with a third-party duct leak check if required
• Permanent electric
• Insulation
• Final erosion and sediment: grading, seeding and mulching
• Final approval from the Health Department
• Final, with a third-party blower door test if required

The Certificate of Occupancy follows the final inspection. Having one re-issued later costs $50.

Local Nottoway County requirements

Setbacks on county parcels: the County prints its minimum setbacks on the permit checklist.

Variances: the Board of Zoning Appeals hears setback, side yard, frontage and lot size variances. Application packets come from the County Administrator’s office, and the Board meets as needed on Monday evenings at 7:00 p.m. in the Health Department conference room.

Erosion and stormwater: the Erosion & Sediment Administrator works from the same office and phone number as the Building Department, and erosion and sediment inspections open and close the inspection list for a new house.

Addresses: new 911 addresses and house markers are handled by the E911 clerk in the County Administrator’s office.

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 Nottoway County permit resources

Nottoway County’s building pages, the July 2025 Board minutes and the three town sites referred to above:

• Virginia statewide permit rules
• Nottoway County Building Department
• Nottoway County Building Permit Checklist
• Nottoway County Building Permit Fees
• Board of Supervisors minutes, July 17, 2025 (fee table)
• Nottoway County: Schedule an Inspection
• Nottoway County Zoning Permits & Forms
• Nottoway County Health Department
• Nottoway County Comprehensive Plan (2023)
• Town of Blackstone Planning & Zoning
• Town of Crewe Zoning & Permits
• Town of Burkeville licences, permits and forms

Nottoway County permit FAQs

Who issues building permits in Blackstone, Burkeville and Crewe?

Nottoway County does. Each town issues only its own zoning permit, which you take to the County Building Department with the building permit application.

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

$150 plus $0.25 per square foot under the fees approved on July 17, 2025, so an 1,800 sq ft house is $600 before the trade permits.

Do I need a zoning permit for a shed, deck or pool?

Yes on a county parcel. Later additions, garages, decks, sheds and pools need a County zoning permit, and the plans are sent to the Health Department for approval before the building permit is issued.

How long is a Nottoway County building permit valid?

6 months, extended by 6 months each time an inspection is carried out, up to a general limit of 36 months (18 months for manufactured homes).

How do I schedule an inspection in Nottoway County?

Call the County Administration Office on 434-645-8696, Monday to Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

What is the penalty for starting work without a permit?

The fee table approved in July 2025 adds a $250 charge for starting work without a permit.

Where is the Nottoway County building office?

In the County Administrator’s office at 344 West Courthouse Road. The street address is in Crewe (23930); mail goes to P.O. Box 92, Nottoway, VA 23955.

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