Shenandoah County Building Inspection, 600 North Main Street, Suite 107, Woodstock (540-459-6185), issues building, electrical, plumbing, HVAC and gas permits across the county and inside its towns. You file the county’s application packet for your project type, with all fees paid at application. A residential building permit costs the estimated project cost multiplied by 0.00155, with a $100 minimum, plus 1% of each trade’s cost and a 2% state levy.
What requires a permit in Shenandoah County?
The county publishes a separate application packet for each common project, and a Permit Exemptions sheet for work that needs no building permit. A zoning permit is required for any improvement to a property, including work on the exempt list.
Packets the county publishes
- New single-family dwellings
- Additions, renovations and finished basements
- Decks
- In-ground and above-ground pools
- Pole buildings
- Storage sheds and metal carports
- Solar panels, roof or ground mounted
- New commercial buildings, additions, renovations and changes of occupancy classification
- Demolition
- Tents and membrane structures over 900 sq ft
- Fire alarm, sprinkler and kitchen hood suppression systems
- Signs
On the county’s exemption sheet
- One-story detached tool or storage sheds and playhouses up to 256 sq ft
- Fences of any height, unless they are a swimming pool barrier or needed for pedestrian safety
- Concrete or masonry walls up to 6 ft above finished grade
- Retaining walls supporting less than 3 ft of unbalanced fill
- Pools no larger than 150 sq ft, 5,000 gallons and less than 24 inches deep
- Flagpoles 30 ft or less
- Like-for-like replacement of windows, doors, plumbing fixtures, switches and receptacles in dwellings
- Floor finishes, cabinetry, trim, paint and wallpaper
Farm structures have their own packet. Its forms are still required when electricity is added to a new or existing farm building, because the power company needs the department’s approval.
Who issues building permits in Shenandoah County?
The Building Inspection office sits within Community Development at the county Government Center. Tim Ferguson is the Building Official, and the office has a plans examiner, three building inspectors and community development technicians who take applications.
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Office | Shenandoah County Government Center, 600 North Main Street, Suite 107, Woodstock, VA 22664 |
| Phone and fax | 540-459-6185; fax 540-459-6193 |
| Erosion and sediment questions | E&S Administrator, same number |
| Health Department (septic and wells) | Virginia Department of Health, 540-459-3733 |
| VDOT Land Development | 540-534-3207 |
Towns. The county building department serves all six incorporated towns: Woodstock, Strasburg, Mount Jackson, New Market, Edinburg and Toms Brook. The split is the same in each. The town’s zoning department must approve the project first, and that approval is submitted with the county permit application; the county then issues the building permit and inspects. Woodstock’s and Strasburg’s town codes name the county building department as the town’s building official, and the county’s application asks whether the job site is in a town or the county. Outside the towns, county zoning is applied for with the building permit.
Local Shenandoah County requirements
County contractor licence: every contractor working in Shenandoah County, except holders of a Virginia Class A licence, needs a Shenandoah County Contractor’s License ($35). It expires on December 31 of the year issued. A contractor with no state licence is limited to jobs of $1,000 or less.
Who may pull the permit: because of a rise in fraudulent activity, the county requires the licence holder to obtain the permit, or to file a Permit Authorization Affidavit for whoever applies in their place.
Design criteria: frost depth of 24 inches to the bottom of the footing, a ground snow load of 40 psf on the County’s Design Information page (the design sheet in the new-home application packet prints 37 psf, so state the figure used on the plans), 115 mph wind speed, seismic design category B, Climate Zone 4A and a 10 mil under-slab vapor retarder.
Tall walls: bearing walls more than 10 ft high must be designed for wind bracing by a Virginia registered design professional.
Short-term rentals: an annual county Short Term Rental Permit costs $225 and is applied for on the county’s online platform.
Septic and wells: the Virginia Department of Health (540-459-3733) approves onsite sewage disposal systems and wells, and its approval must be in hand before the building permit is issued.
Shenandoah County application packets
The packets are PDFs on the county’s Building Permit Information page, and Community Development answers questions about them on 540-459-6185. Each packet contains the forms that project needs:
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →- Universal Application for Permits: required for every permit. One form covers building, electric, plumbing, HVAC, gas, zoning, alarm, suppression and demolition; tick each one you are applying for. A stand-alone residential electrical, HVAC, plumbing or fuel gas permit uses this form alone.
- Application checklist for the project type.
- Site Plan for Zoning Permit: for sites outside the towns.
- Agreement in Lieu of Plan: the residential land disturbance form, completed by the agent responsible for clearing and excavation.
- Energy Code Compliance Sheet, with a Manual S or Manual J.
- VDOT Entrance Permit Application.
- Owner’s Affidavit: only when the owner does part of the work.
- Contractor List Form and Permit Authorization Affidavit.
Other forms on the page include the Gas Worksheet, the VDH Request Form, the Storage Building Affidavit for a storage building on a lot with no dwelling, and the Special Inspection guidelines and final report.
Electrical, plumbing, HVAC and gas permits
Trade permits are issued by the same office on the Universal Application, and each is priced on the estimated cost of that trade’s work.
| Permit | Fee |
|---|---|
| Residential HVAC, plumbing or electrical | 1% of estimated cost, $50 minimum each |
| Commercial HVAC, plumbing or electrical | 1% of estimated cost, $100 minimum each |
| Generator | $100 ($50 electrical and $50 mechanical) |
| Re-energizing an existing electric service that needs an inspection | $50 |
| Fire suppression | Same basis as a new building permit |
Fire alarm and sprinkler work needs 2 sets of NICET-certified plans, and the Fire Alarm Sprinkler Checklist goes in before an inspection is scheduled. For a kitchen exhaust hood or a change of appliances under an existing hood, 2 sets of drawings are reviewed, and the installer must pre-check the system before booking the inspection.
What to submit
The checklist in the New Residential Application Packet asks for:
- The completed permit application, with the job value for the building, mechanical, plumbing and electrical work when all are applied for together
- A copy of the Virginia contractor licence or the Shenandoah County contractor licence
- 2 complete, legible sets of construction plans, each drawing signed by the individual (not the company) responsible for the design
- The Energy Code Compliance Sheet, signed by the applicant, with the Manual S or Manual J
- The Erosion & Sediment in-lieu form and its $50 fee; an E&S inspection is required before the building permit is issued
- The VDOT driveway entry packet, completed and signed by VDOT. For an entrance from a private road, VDOT must still be notified and give a statement that no entrance permit is needed
- Health Department approval for an onsite sewage system and well
- Zoning approval: from the town, or county zoning with a site plan or plat
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →Plans must show the foundation (footing size, rebar, wall height, backfill and drainage), the floor and roof framing systems with beam load calculations, a floor plan with every room labeled and door and window sizes, a cross section from footing to roof, and all exterior elevations. Residential plans are drawn at 3/16 or 1/4 inch scale. Incomplete plans are delayed or denied.
Shenandoah County permit costs and fees
The Community Development fee schedule took effect on July 1, 2023 and is the one posted on the county’s Permit Fees page. All fees are paid at the time of application, and a 2% state levy is added to each permit unless the schedule says otherwise.
| Project | Fee |
|---|---|
| Single- and two-family dwellings, additions, remodeling and residential accessory buildings | Estimated total project cost × 0.00155, $100 minimum |
| Commercial, business and industrial buildings, additions, remodeling and accessory buildings | Estimated total project cost × 0.00205, $150 minimum |
| Demolition | Same as the new-building fee |
| Zoning permit, new residential | $100, no levy |
| Zoning permit, residential addition or accessory structure | $50, no levy |
| Zoning permit, new commercial | $200, no levy |
| Zoning permit, commercial addition, accessory structure or change of use | $75, no levy |
| Soil and erosion permit, under 10,000 sq ft | $50 |
| Septic, as listed on the county schedule (the Virginia Department of Health approves the system itself) | $375 |
| Sign permit | $50 per sign, plus levy |
| Temporary tent or membrane structure | $50, plus levy |
| Re-inspection | $50 |
| Temporary certificate of occupancy (30 days) | $50 residential; $100 commercial |
| Building Code Appeals Board application | $500 |
Rather not deal with the Shenandoah County building department?
Get a free quote →For a new building the project cost can be taken as the square footage multiplied by $100. That figure is a valuation, not the fee: a new 2,000 sq ft house is valued at $200,000, so the building permit is $200,000 × 0.00155 = $310, or $316.20 with the 2% levy. The trade permits, the $100 zoning permit and the $50 erosion permit are added to that. The $100 residential minimum covers any project of $64,516 or less.
To cancel a permit and ask for a refund, write to the Code Official. The cost of inspections already made is deducted, and the refund is mailed in about 30 days.
How to apply for a Shenandoah County building permit
Pick the packet for your project from the Building Permit Information page and read its checklist.
In a town, get zoning approval from that town’s zoning department. Elsewhere, complete the county Site Plan for Zoning Permit to file with the application.
VDOT for the entrance and the Health Department for septic and well; every approval must be in before the permit is issued.
Make sure each contractor holds a county Contractor’s License or a Virginia Class A licence, and complete the Permit Authorization Affidavit if someone other than the licence holder will apply.
Hand in the Universal Application, 2 sets of plans and the packet forms, and pay all fees with the application.
The erosion and sediment inspection comes before the permit is issued; after that, call for each inspection through to the final.
Shenandoah County inspections
Inspections are requested from the Building Inspection office on 540-459-6185. The county lists these among the required inspections:
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →- Footings after excavation and before concrete
- Slabs and concrete walls before the pour, with all steel in place
- Backfill and foundation drainage before habitable basements and crawl spaces are buried
- Underground plumbing, gas piping and electrical conduit before the ditch is covered, with gas, fuel, water and sewer lines pressure tested
- Rough-in of plumbing, electrical, HVAC and gas before concealment
- Framing before insulating, and insulation before drywall
- Fireplace hearths before the pour
- Every electrical service before the power company connects it
- Electrical bonding and steel placement for pools
- A final inspection on every project
Third-party inspections. Since September 3, 2019 the county has allowed approved third-party inspectors for four inspections: footings, concrete foundation walls, concrete slabs and drain tile or backfill. The request must be made in writing to the Building Official with the initial permit application, project by project.
A re-inspection costs $50. Reissuing a certificate of occupancy is $20, or $50 when an inspection is needed.
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 Shenandoah County permit resources
- Shenandoah County Building Inspection
- Building permit information and application packets
- Shenandoah County permit fees and refunds
- Community Development fee schedule (July 1, 2023)
- New Residential Application Packet
- Permit Exemptions sheet
- Shenandoah County contractor licence requirements
- Design information for Shenandoah County
- Third Party Inspection Policy
- Zoning, site plan and erosion control applications
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Shenandoah County building permit FAQs
Who issues building permits in Shenandoah County?
Shenandoah County Building Inspection, 600 North Main Street, Suite 107, Woodstock, phone 540-459-6185. It issues building permits inside Woodstock, Strasburg, Mount Jackson, New Market, Edinburg and Toms Brook as well, after the town has approved zoning.
How much is a building permit in Shenandoah County?
Residential permits cost the estimated project cost multiplied by 0.00155, with a $100 minimum, plus a 2% state levy. A new 2,000 sq ft house valued at $100 per sq ft comes to $310, or $316.20 with the levy, before trade, zoning and erosion fees.
Do I need a permit for a shed in Shenandoah County?
A one-story detached storage shed of up to 256 sq ft is exempt from a building permit, but it still needs a zoning permit ($50 for a residential accessory structure).
Do I need a permit for a fence?
Fences of any height are on the county’s building permit exemption sheet unless they form a swimming pool barrier or are required for pedestrian safety. A zoning permit is still required for improvements to a property.
Does my contractor need a county licence?
Yes, unless they hold a Virginia Class A licence. The Shenandoah County Contractor’s License costs $35 and expires each December 31.
Can I use a private inspector?
For footings, concrete foundation walls, slabs and drain tile or backfill, yes, if the Building Official approves a written request made with the permit application.
What happens if I cancel my permit?
Ask the Code Official in writing. Inspection costs and any penalties are deducted, and the refund is mailed in approximately 30 days.
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More Virginia permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Shenandoah County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.