Building permits in Washington County are issued by the county’s Department of Building & Development Services at the Government Center, 1 Government Center Place, Suite A, in Abingdon. It serves the county outside the Town of Abingdon, including the towns of Damascus and Glade Spring. Fees are set by project value, starting at $25 for the first $1,000 plus $4 for each further $1,000 up to $50,000, with a 2% levy on top.
This guide covers the department and how to reach it, the local conditions that survive state preemption, what permits cost and who may pull them, and how inspections are booked. Rules that apply everywhere in Virginia are summarized in each section, with a link to the full statewide explanation.
This guide covers work inside Washington County.
The county building office is in Abingdon, but Abingdon has its own building inspector. Towns remain part of their county in Virginia, but Abingdon, a town of 8,284 people, runs its own building department. So a project inside the town limits is not county work even though the county offices sit in the same town. Bristol Virginia is a separate matter again: an independent city in no county, on the Tennessee state line.
What requires a permit in Washington County?
The Washington County Department of Building & Development Services issues building permits for work in Washington County and the towns of Damascus and Glade Spring.
Permit required
- New residential and commercial construction, additions and remodels
- Structural alterations, relocation and demolition
- Electrical service changes, panel work and new circuits
- Plumbing, gas piping, water heaters and fixture work
- Mechanical installations and equipment replacements
- Solar photovoltaic systems and battery storage
- Re-roofing and re-siding, except on houses and townhouses where the design wind speed is 100 mph or less
- Renovation or demolition of a pre-1985 building, with asbestos certification first
Typically exempt
- Purely cosmetic finish work that alters no regulated system
- Ordinary repairs the USBC lists: same-size window and door replacement, replacing plumbing fixtures without altering the piping, and replacing switches, receptacles, light fixtures and ceiling fans in homes
- One-story sheds and playhouses of 256 square feet or less, fences other than pool barriers, and retaining walls holding back less than 3 feet of fill
- Farm buildings and structures, which § 36-99 exempts from the code
- Other work the building official deems minor and ordinary that does not affect public health or safety
Washington County’s local conditions that survive state preemption under § 36-98 include the Flood Hazard (FH) District rules in the county zoning ordinance, which regulate construction in designated flood hazard areas; the county is drained by the three forks of the Holston River.
The county applies two local rules to factory-built housing. A manufactured home, which carries a HUD label, may be used only as a residence and never as a storage building or workshop. A modular home, which carries the Virginia Industrialized Building Certificate, is generally treated like a site-built house.
Washington County enforces Virginia’s 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
Who handles permitting in Washington County?
Several building authorities operate in and around Washington County.
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →First, Bristol Virginia is an independent city. It became an independent city in 1890 and, like every Virginia city, sits in no county at all with its own building department. Second, the Tennessee state line runs down the centre of State Street, the main street of downtown Bristol. Bristol Virginia and its counterpart across the line are two separate cities in two different states, sharing a main street. A project a block from the boundary may sit under an entirely different state building code, not merely a different local department.
Third, the Town of Abingdon — the county seat, and the location of the county’s own Government Center — has its own building inspector. Towns in Virginia remain part of their county, but Abingdon, with 8,284 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate, runs its own building department, so a project inside the town limits does not go through the county even though the county offices are in the same town. The county enforces the code in Damascus and Glade Spring. Saltville lies mostly in Smyth County and is listed under Smyth County in the state’s directory of building officials, but Washington County’s own permit FAQ asks applicants to check with its building office before any construction in the portions of Saltville that are inside Washington County.
The Department of Housing and Community Development’s online directory of building officials lists every locality and town alongside its building official, or the county that enforces for it.
The county’s economy has been based largely on agriculture, and the § 36-99 farm building exemption has limits set out below.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Authority | Washington County Department of Building & Development Services |
| Phone | 276-525-1340 or 276-451-5095 |
| Building Official | Jason McCall |
| buildhelp@washcova.com | |
| Fax | 276-525-1309 |
| Offices | Government Center Building, 1 Government Center Place, Suite A, Abingdon, Virginia 24210 |
| Published hours | Monday–Friday 8 a.m.–5 p.m. |
| Towns served by the county | Damascus and Glade Spring, and the portions of Saltville in Washington County |
| Septic systems and private wells | Virginia Department of Health environmental services, 15068 Lee Highway, Bristol, 276-676-5474 |
| Public water and sewer | Washington County Service Authority, 276-628-7151 |
| Adjoining independent city | Bristol Virginia, a separate authority |
| Town with its own building inspector | Abingdon, 276-628-6611 |
| Governing code | 2021 Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code |
State-owned buildings, and buildings on state-owned property, are permitted by the Virginia Department of General Services rather than Washington County (§ 36-98.1). State-owned projects in Virginia
Permit types
Residential permits
| Work | Permit |
|---|---|
| New single-family dwelling | Building permit, plus trade permits for each system |
| Addition or structural alteration | Building permit; existing building code provisions apply |
| Interior remodel touching a system | Building permit plus the relevant trade permits |
| Deck, porch or accessory structure | Building permit, except one-story sheds and playhouses of 256 square feet or less; zoning setbacks checked separately |
| Re-roofing and re-siding | No permit on houses and townhouses where the design wind speed is 100 mph or less; otherwise a building permit (in a historic district the building official may require one) |
| Solar photovoltaic and battery storage | Building and electrical permits |
| Demolition | Demolition permit; asbestos certification first on pre-1985 buildings |
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →The permit is a lien document in Virginia
On a one- or two-family dwelling, Washington County’s building department prints the mechanics’ lien agent on the permit itself. Virginia Code § 36-98.01 requires that a building permit issued for any one- or two-family residential dwelling unit contain, at the time of issuance and at the applicant’s request, the name, mailing address and telephone number of the mechanics’ lien agent as defined in § 43-1. If the applicant does not request a designation, the permit must state, in those words, “None Designated.”
Commercial permits
| Work | Permit |
|---|---|
| New commercial construction | Building permit with full plan review |
| Tenant fit-out or change of use | Building permit; occupancy classification drives scope |
| Structural or facade alteration | Building permit under the existing building code |
| Fire protection and sprinkler systems | Permit required |
| Mechanical, electrical and plumbing | Trade permits by classification-licensed firms |
| Elevators and conveyances | Inspected and enforced by the locality (§ 36-105) |
| Signage | Building permit unless exempt under Appendix H of the construction code; zoning approval is separate |
Pre-1985 buildings: a hard permit prerequisite
Statewide rules also shape every Washington County filing: the permit records the mechanics’ lien agent designation on one- and two-family dwellings, buildings first permitted before 1985 need asbestos certification before renovation or demolition, annual permits and code modifications are available, and single-family construction drawings are exempt from FOIA disclosure. Virginia rules that shape a submittal
Washington County permit costs and fees
Washington County charges by project value. Valuation covers material and labor at the contract price shown on the application, or at fair market rates where there is no contract or the owner is doing the work, and material costs can be checked.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →| Valuation or item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Project valued at $1,000 or less | $25 |
| $1,001 to $50,000 | $25 for the first $1,000, plus $4 for each additional $1,000 or fraction |
| $50,001 to $100,000 | $220 for the first $50,000, plus $3 for each additional $1,000 or fraction |
| $100,001 to $500,000 | $370 for the first $100,000, plus $2 for each additional $1,000 or fraction |
| $500,001 and above | $1,170 for the first $500,000, plus $1.50 for each additional $1,000 or fraction |
| Trade permit not tied to a building permit | The same valuation chart |
| Trade permits tied to a building permit on a project over $500,000 | 5% of the building permit fee |
| Plan review, commercial permits over $500,000 | 10% of the building permit fee, and another 10% for a third or later review caused by amendments or corrections |
| Work started before the permit | A review fee equal to the normal permit fee |
| Re-inspection | $50 after the third and subsequent inspections of the same work, at the Building Official’s discretion |
| Temporary certificate of occupancy; temporary electrical permit | $25 each |
| Singlewide manufactured home | $50 |
| Tent over 900 square feet or holding more than 50 people | No fee if it costs less than $2,500 to erect; otherwise the valuation chart |
| DHCD levy | 2% of the base permit fee, on all permits |
Worked example: a house with a contract value of $250,000 pays $370 for the first $100,000 and 150 × $2 = $300 for the rest, $670; the 2% levy adds $13.40, for $683.40.
Permit fees in Washington County are set locally and may fund only the building department (§ 36-105). A 2.0 percent state levy is collected on local permit fees (USBC Section 107.2), and inspection may be waived on work costing under $2,500. Take plan review charges from the current adopted fee schedule for Washington County. How Virginia permit fees work
Trade permits and who may pull them
Trade permit required
- Electrical work, by a firm holding the electrical classification
- Plumbing and gas piping, by a firm holding the plumbing classification
- Mechanical and HVAC work, including equipment changeouts
- Fire protection and sprinkler work
Usually no trade permit
- Replacing plumbing fixtures without altering the supply, drainage or vent piping
- Replacing a mechanical appliance that does not burn gas or oil, in a home
- Wiring under 50 volts, such as thermostats, unless it is part of a fire alarm or other life-safety system
- Replacing switches, receptacles, light fixtures and ceiling fans in homes
Rather not deal with the Washington County building department?
Get a free quote →Washington County takes electrical, plumbing and mechanical work on a single Trade Permit application, with separate forms for generators, alternative energy systems and agricultural electrical service. A trade permit pulled on its own is priced from the same valuation chart as a building permit, and a temporary electrical permit is $25.
Virginia’s contractor licence is held by the business: the Board for Contractors issues Class A, B or C licences with trade classifications, individual tradesmen hold separate tradesman licences, and a permit cannot issue without the required state licence or a written statement of exemption (§ 54.1-1111), plus proof that the locality’s license taxes are paid. Virginia contractor licensing
How to apply for a Washington County building permit
The county, the Town of Abingdon and the City of Bristol each have their own building department.
The town has its own building inspector and administers the code inside the town limits.
The state line runs down State Street, so a nearby project may sit under Tennessee’s code instead.
The county zoning ordinance regulates construction in designated flood hazard areas.
Licensed restaurants are not exempt and flood-proofing still applies in the relevant areas.
A county permit does not carry inspection rights inside a town or city.
Documents the county wants before it issues a permit
A completed zoning and building application goes to the department with these items:
- The most recent Washington County tax ticket for the parcel (new construction only)
- Virginia Department of Health septic approval, or the receipt for the public sewer connection fee (new construction and additions)
- The Health Department well approval permit number, or the receipt for the public water connection fee (new construction and additions)
- A VDOT entrance permit where a new building will be reached from a state secondary highway
- Two copies of the construction plans and site plan drawing, for new construction, additions and major renovations
- The county Land-Disturbing Permit application and an erosion and sediment control plan where more than 10,000 square feet will be graded; an agreement in lieu of a plan is accepted for residential work only
- A Virginia contractor’s licence card, or the county’s Section 54.1-1111 affidavit signed by an owner acting as their own contractor
The department’s page carries the Residential, Commercial, Foundation, Manufactured Home, Pool, Sign, Tiny Home and Change of Occupancy applications. For parcels in Damascus and Glade Spring it also posts each town’s zoning application, which goes to the town’s zoning contact rather than to the county. Water and sewer availability is confirmed with the Washington County Service Authority (276-628-7151), and septic and private well applications are evaluated by the Health Department’s environmental services office at 15068 Lee Highway, Bristol (276-676-5474).
If Washington County denies an application it must explain the reasons in writing (§ 36-105), and a full re-review of the resubmission is lawful. Appeals go to the local Board of Building Code Appeals before the State Building Code Technical Review Board. Denials, corrections and appeals in Virginia
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Inspections in Washington County
The county building office schedules building and trade inspections for work in the county. Work inside the Town of Abingdon runs through the town’s own building inspector, and work in Bristol Virginia through that city — so confirming jurisdiction protects the inspection sequence as well as the application.
After a footer inspection passes, the county gathers GPS data for the structure and assigns its 911 address, which the owner collects from the Department of Emergency Services (276-525-1330). The fee schedule sets a $50 re-inspection fee after the third and subsequent inspections of the same work, at the Building Official’s discretion.
In Washington County the Statewide Fire Prevention Code is enforced by the State Fire Marshal’s Office, which takes responsibility for fire safety once construction is complete (§ 36-105.1).
Statewide rules also apply: the permit must be posted and the approved plans kept on site, a stop work order must state the violations and the conditions for resuming work (§ 36-97), and code violations carry penalties under § 36-106. Inspections and enforcement in Virginia
Washington County permit search and official resources
These are the primary sources behind this guide. Codes, fee schedules and portal procedures change, so confirm the position for your filing date.
- Washington County Virginia building inspections
- Washington County building permit fee schedule
- Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code (DHCD)
- Virginia DHCD building codes and regulations
- Code of Virginia § 36-98, statewide code supersedes local codes
- Code of Virginia § 36-98.01, mechanics’ lien agent on the permit
- Code of Virginia § 36-105, enforcement, appeals and permits
- Code of Virginia § 36-99.7, asbestos inspection before renovation or demolition
- Virginia DPOR Board for Contractors
- Virginia DHCD building officials directory, every locality and town
Frequently asked questions
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Is Bristol part of Washington County?
No. Bristol Virginia became an independent city in 1890, so it sits in no county at all and runs its own building department. The Tennessee state line runs down State Street in downtown Bristol, so Bristol, Tennessee is in a different state entirely.
Does the county permit work inside Abingdon?
No. Abingdon remains part of the county but runs its own building department, at 133 West Main Street (276-628-6611), even though the county Government Center is located in the town. The county does permit work in the towns of Damascus and Glade Spring.
Why is the county office in a town that does its own inspections?
Because the county seat and the county’s administrative offices sit in Abingdon regardless of who enforces the building code inside the town limits. Abingdon has been the county seat since 1778; who enforces the building code inside the town is a separate matter.
How much is a building permit in Washington County, Virginia?
It depends on the value of the work: $25 for the first $1,000 and $4 per additional $1,000 up to $50,000, with lower rates per $1,000 above that. A $250,000 house works out at $670 plus the 2% levy.
What do I need to get a building permit in Washington County?
For a new house: the zoning and building application, the parcel’s latest county tax ticket, Health Department septic and well approvals or utility connection receipts, a VDOT entrance permit, two sets of plans with a site plan, and a contractor’s licence card or the owner’s affidavit.
Does Washington County permit work in Damascus, Glade Spring and Saltville?
Yes for Damascus and Glade Spring, where the county issues building permits and each town handles its own zoning application. The county’s permit FAQ also covers the portions of Saltville that lie in Washington County.
Which building code applies in Washington County?
The 2021 Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, effective since 18 January 2024 and required for every application submitted from 18 January 2025. Under § 36-98 the statewide code supersedes local building codes throughout Virginia — including inside Abingdon and Bristol Virginia.
How do I confirm who the building official is?
The Department of Housing and Community Development publishes an online directory of building officials covering every locality and town, including which county enforces for a town without its own building official.
Are farm buildings exempt from the code?
Under § 36-99, yes, with limits defined by use. A farm building operated as a licensed restaurant is not exempt, exempt buildings in a flood plain remain subject to flood-proofing regulations, and a building where the public is invited in for agritourism and farm products are displayed, sampled or sold must have extinguishers, an emergency plan and a posted sign.
Simplify Washington County permitting with Alliance Permitting
In Washington County the first question is which building department holds the parcel: the county, the Town of Abingdon or the City of Bristol. Alliance Permitting prepares, files and tracks Washington County permits through issuance.
Trusted by leading builders, developers, and national contractors — 21+ years of filing in the jurisdictions we write about.
Contractors and builders choose Alliance for Washington County because the work is done by people who have stood at the counter:
- We separate county, Abingdon and Bristol Virginia before anything is filed.
- We check the state line on any Bristol-area project.
- We confirm enforcement from the state directory of building officials rather than the office location.
- We test farm building exemptions against the actual limits in § 36-99.
Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and expediting service in Virginia. We are not a law firm and do not provide legal advice, and we are not the permitting authority.
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More Virginia permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Washington County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.