Outside the Town of Farmville, building permits in Prince Edward County come from the County Building Office at 111 N. South Street, 3rd Floor, Farmville (434-392-8838). Apply in person on weekdays between 8:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., or by email. Under the fee schedule that took effect March 1, 2026, a new home is $100 plus $0.25 per square foot. Inside Farmville town limits, the Town’s own Building Official issues the permits.
What requires a permit in Prince Edward County?
The County says permits are necessary for contractors and homeowners alike, and points to the building code’s own list for the exemptions. Its fee schedule and required-documents list are organized around these project types:
Residential
- New homes, including manufactured and modular homes
- Additions and remodels
- Accessory structures and garages
- Decks (uncovered) and porches (covered)
- Pools and hot tubs
- Solar, roof-mounted or ground-mounted
- Demolition
- Electrical, mechanical, plumbing and other trade work
Commercial
- New structures, additions and structural renovations
- Non-structural renovations
- Commercial re-roofs
- Towers, new or collocation
- Solar energy facilities
- Tents and signs
- Demolition
- Amusement rides
Farm structures have their own County form.
Who issues building permits in Prince Edward County?
The County Building Office is part of Planning and Community Development. Phillip Moore is the Building Official. The same floor houses Planning & Zoning, which issues the zoning approval that goes on every County building permit.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Office | Prince Edward County Building Office |
| Address | 111 N. South Street, 3rd Floor, Farmville, VA 23901 |
| PO Box 382, Farmville, VA 23901 | |
| Phone | 434-392-8838 (fax 434-392-6683) |
| building@co.prince-edward.va.us | |
| Hours | Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; permit applications until 3:30 p.m. |
| Building Official | Phillip Moore |
| Planning & Zoning | 434-414-3037 |
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →Town of Farmville: the County office is in Farmville, but the Town runs a separate building department. The Town’s Building Official, in Community Development at 116 North Main Street (434-392-8465), handles all building permit applications for buildings and structures in the Town, and building, demolition and trade applications there go through the Town’s online Cloudpermit portal.
Pamplin: the Town of Pamplin City straddles the Appomattox and Prince Edward county line, with only a small corner on the Prince Edward side. Pamplin has about 150 residents and no building department, and Code of Virginia Sec. 36-105 has each county enforce the building code in its own part of a town that small, so the County Building Office permits the Prince Edward corner. The Pamplin Town Office is at 115 Main Street, Pamplin.
Prince Edward County applications and forms
Prince Edward County takes applications in person or by email rather than through a portal. A permit can be applied for at the counter between 8:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Monday to Friday, or the application can be emailed to the Building Office. All taxes for the owner and the property have to be current before you apply.
Forms and guides posted by the Building Office:
- Building Application, used for building and trade permits alike
- Documents Needed for a Permit, a one-page list by project type
- Plan Review application
- Farm Structure form
- Extension and Application Modification Amendment
- Solar Tower and Amusement Device applications
- Energy Specification Certificate
- Minimum Design Criteria and Deck Guide
- Third Party Policy and the list of approved third-party inspectors
County zoning permit applications are separate forms, one for each zoning district (A1, A2, R2, C-1, C-R and I-1), filed with Planning & Zoning.
Prince Edward County permit costs and fees
The Board of Supervisors’ current building fee schedule took effect on March 1, 2026. Residential fees count the square footage of each floor plus basement, garage, pools, decks and porches, and a 2% state levy is added.
| Category | Fee |
|---|---|
| New structure | $100 plus $0.25 per sq ft |
| Remodel, accessory structure or pool | $100 plus $0.20 per sq ft |
| Trade permit (electric, mechanical, plumbing) | $100 plus $0.03 per sq ft |
| Demolition | $100 |
| Plan review | $50 |
| Tent | $100 |
| Sign | $50 |
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →| Category | Fee |
|---|---|
| New structures, additions and structural renovations | $150 plus $0.35 per sq ft |
| Non-structural renovations | $150 plus $0.20 per sq ft |
| Commercial re-roof | $150 plus $0.15 per sq ft |
| Trade permit | $150 plus $0.03 per sq ft |
| Tower, new or collocation | $1,000 |
| Demolition | $100 plus $0.03 per sq ft |
| Solar energy facility | $0.33 per sq ft |
| Plan review | $200 per plan |
For example, a new house with 2,000 sq ft of countable area is $100 plus $500, and plan review adds $50, for $650 before the 2% levy and the trade permits. Each trade permit on that house is $100 plus $60.
Administrative fees: re-inspection after a second failure $50; work started without the required permit $200; amending a permit or adding a mechanic’s lien agent $50; revising plans already reviewed $25 residential or $75 commercial; code modification after the permit is issued $75; occupancy $100; a temporary certificate of occupancy $75 residential or $150 commercial. A permit can be extended after 1 year for a further 6 months for $75 residential or $150 commercial, and 80% is refunded on a written request within 1 year if no work or inspection has been done.
Trade permits in Prince Edward County
Trade permits use the County’s Building Application and are charged by the square foot: $100 plus $0.03 per sq ft on residential work and $150 plus $0.03 per sq ft on commercial work. The County’s document list for a trade permit is short:
- Verification that taxes are paid (434-392-3454)
- The contractor’s state licence, where one is required
- The power company’s work order number, if the job involves service
- A Manual J calculation, if it applies
- A fully completed Building Application
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →A duct leakage or blower door test result may be needed before the final. Well and septic permits come from the Health Department (434-392-8187), which also issues the operations permit the Building Office wants before a final inspection.
Documents Prince Edward County needs for a permit
New home or new commercial
- Verification of taxes paid
- Planning/Zoning approval
- Agreement in Lieu of an erosion and sediment plan, or the erosion and stormwater permit
- VDOT driveway entrance permit (434-505-3424)
- Health Department well and septic permits
- Copy of the title for a singlewide
- Electronic set of plans plus 1 hard copy, including trusses and other engineered products
- Contractor licensing, where it applies
- Manual J
- Building Application, complete, with everything above attached
Smaller jobs
- Additions and remodels: the same list without the VDOT permit; Health Department permits only if bedrooms are involved
- Accessory structures, decks and porches: taxes, zoning approval, plans and the application
- Pools and hot tubs: taxes, plans and the application, with zoning approval where it applies
Before a certificate of occupancy for a new home, the office needs the duct leakage or blower door result, the Health Department operations permit, the Energy Specification Certificate and, for a manufactured home, the Certificate of Installation.
How to apply: 6-step Prince Edward County process
If the lot is inside Farmville, apply to the Town’s Building Official through Cloudpermit, not to the County.
Call 434-392-3454 for the County’s verification that taxes on the owner and the property are paid.
File the zoning permit application for your district with Planning & Zoning (434-414-3037); a main residential permit is $25.
Obtain the well and septic permits and the driveway entrance permit a new home needs.
Bring or email the completed application with electronic plans and 1 hard copy to 111 N. South Street before 3:30 p.m.
Have the driveway in by the footing inspection so the E911 address can be assigned, and phone 434-392-8838 for each inspection.
Rather not deal with the Prince Edward County building department?
Get a free quote →Prince Edward County inspections
Inspection requests are phoned in to 434-392-8838. The office cannot give a time frame for the visit, and says the work should be ready for inspection by 8:00 a.m. on the day you request. Inspections are made only during business hours, Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The County lists these inspections:
- Footing and foundation
- Drain tile and damp proofing
- Sill plate and floor joist
- Framing and veneer
- Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas
- Fireplace
- Final
Get the pre-final paperwork to the office before you book the final. The Building Official issues the certificate of occupancy within 5 working days of an approved final inspection. No certificate is needed for an accessory structure, and an addition to a house that already has one does not need a new one.
Third-party inspectors can be used only under the County’s Third Party Policy and from its approved list.
Local Prince Edward County requirements
E911 address: the County assigns the address during construction, and the driveway must be installed by the time of the footing inspection so staff can collect what the addressing vendor needs. Power companies typically will not connect service without the assigned address.
County zoning permits: under the Community Development Fee Schedule effective March 1, 2026, a zoning permit is $25 for a main residential building, $10 for a residential accessory building, $25 for commercial or other non-residential work, $10 for agricultural storage or a barn and $10 for a sign. Site plan review is $300, plus $10 per acre over 5 acres.
Erosion and stormwater: Planning & Zoning administers the County’s Erosion & Sediment Control Ordinance and stormwater program. The County’s document list for a new home asks for the Agreement in Lieu of an erosion and sediment plan, or the erosion and stormwater permit, with the building application.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Appeals: an application to the Local Appeals Board costs $400.
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 Prince Edward County permit resources
Prince Edward County’s Building Office and Planning & Zoning documents, and the Town of Farmville’s building pages:
- Virginia DPOR license lookup
- Virginia DHCD — Uniform Statewide Building Code
- Prince Edward County Building Office
- Prince Edward County: Obtain a Building Permit
- Prince Edward County Building Fees (effective March 1, 2026)
- Required Documents to Obtain a Building Permit
- Prince Edward County Planning & Zoning
- Community Development Fee Schedule (effective March 1, 2026)
- Town of Farmville Building Official
- Town of Farmville Building Permits
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Prince Edward County permit FAQs
Who issues building permits in Farmville?
The Town of Farmville’s own Building Official (434-392-8465, 116 North Main Street), through the Town’s Cloudpermit portal. The County Building Office, although it is located in Farmville, serves the county outside the Town.
How much is a building permit for a new house in Prince Edward County?
$100 plus $0.25 per square foot, counting every floor, basement, garage, deck and porch, plus $50 plan review and a 2% state levy. Each trade permit is $100 plus $0.03 per sq ft.
Can I email my permit application?
Yes, to building@co.prince-edward.va.us. You can also apply in person between 8:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. on weekdays.
When will my inspection happen?
On the day you request, but the office gives no time frame, so have the work ready by 8:00 a.m. that day.
What do I need before the final inspection?
The duct leakage test, the blower door test, the Health Department operations permit and the Energy Specification Certificate, as they apply.
What is the penalty for starting without a permit?
$200 under the fee schedule effective March 1, 2026.
Why do I need to prove my taxes are paid?
The County asks that all taxes for the owner and the property be current before a permit application, and verification of taxes paid (434-392-3454) heads every one of its document lists.
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More Virginia permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Prince Edward County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.