Williamsburg, Virginia Building Permit Guide

Building permits inside the City of Williamsburg come from the Codes Compliance Division of the Planning Department, in the Municipal Building at 401 Lafayette Street (757-220-6136). You apply online on one of 3 forms: residential building, commercial building or trade. The City reviews complete plans in 3 to 5 business days, and a new house is charged $0.14 per finished square foot plus a $55 office administration fee and a $75 plan review fee.

What requires a building permit in Williamsburg?

The City defines a building permit as the authorization to begin construction, alteration or demolition of any residential, commercial or industrial structure. Its fee schedule shows the range of work that is permitted separately:

A sign face replacement carries no charge unless the frame or support structure is altered. Changing the use of a building is reviewed twice, by Planning for zoning and by Codes Compliance for the building code, and the City asks owners to meet Planning staff with accurate plans before committing to a new use.

Who issues building permits in Williamsburg?

Codes Compliance is a division of the City’s Planning Department and enforces the building code inside the city limits. Lauri Springsteen is the Building Official (757-220-6175).

Williamsburg is an independent city and belongs to no county. Land just past the city line is in James City County or York County, and each of those counties has its own building department, so a Williamsburg mailing address does not settle which office permits a parcel.

Williamsburg online applications and forms

The City takes permit applications through 3 online forms on its Online Applications page:

• Residential Building Permit Application
• Commercial Building Permit Application
• Trade Permit Application, used for electrical, gas, mechanical and plumbing work

Each online submission needs copies of the current business and contractor licences attached, plus construction drawings where the job has them. The supporting forms are on the same page:

• Owner affidavit, signed when the property owner rather than a contractor takes out the permit
• Right-of-Way permit application
• Land Disturbance permit application, naming the Responsible Land Disturber with a cell phone number and email address
• Water and sewer cost assessment form
• 2021 Statement of Residential Energy Code Compliance
• Asbestos certification, for renovations and demolitions

Permits are issued to owners or to their agents, and the contractor usually acts as the agent. Two options in the fee schedule change the review path: an accelerated plan review can start before the site plan is approved for a 20% surcharge on the plan review fee, and an approved third-party plan review earns a 25% credit on it.

Permit fees in Williamsburg

The Williamsburg Building Permit Fee Schedule was approved by City Council on June 11, 2020 and took effect on July 1, 2020; it is the schedule the City posts today. Every permit carries a $55 office administration fee, the minimum fee for any permit is $75, and the 2% state levy is added.

For example, a new house with 2,500 sq ft of finished area and no garage has a building fee of $350, plus the $55 administration fee and $75 plan review, or $480 before the levy and the trade permits. Permit fees, and water and sewer fees where they apply, are paid when the permit is issued.

If you apply, the plans are reviewed and you do not pick up the permit within 90 days, the City invoices the administration and plan review fees anyway. A single-family or duplex lot also pays a $50 erosion and sediment control fee before the building permit is issued.

Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas permits in Williamsburg

All 4 trades use the Trade Permit Application, and each trade permit pays its own $55 administration fee.

When the item-by-item total for an alteration or repair comes to more than the new-construction fee for that trade, the new-construction fee can be used, but the applicant has to ask for it and supply the building’s square footage.

Fire protection permits are issued by Codes Compliance too: a residential sprinkler review is $25, sprinkler inspections are $0.50 per head, and fire alarm plan review starts at $60 for up to 10 devices.

Williamsburg applications and supporting documents

For new construction, and where they apply for additions, renovations and demolition, the City lists these documents. Plan review does not begin until all of them have been received.

• Construction drawings, with the current code year and Virginia Residential Code noted on the set
• Site plan showing the improvements and their distances from the lot lines
• Soil report on the shrink-swell potential of the site, when required
• Name, address and phone number of the plan preparer
• Signed owner affidavit, if the owner is obtaining the permit
• Right-of-Way permit application
• Land Disturbance permit application
• Water and sewer assessment form
• 2021 Energy Statement form
• Asbestos form, for renovations and demolitions

The application itself asks for the property address, the owner, the contractor’s state and local licence details and the mechanics’ lien agent. The City’s permit FAQ still specifies 2 sets of plans for paper filings at the Municipal Building.

Designers can take local values from the City’s Adopted Codes and Code Data sheet: 110 mph ultimate wind speed, 20 psf ground snow load, a 12-inch frost line for footings, an 18°F winter design temperature and moderate to heavy termite and decay exposure.

How to apply: 6-step Williamsburg permit process

Williamsburg building inspections and final closeout

Inspections are requested on the Recorded Inspection Request line, 757-220-6136, option 1, which runs 24 hours a day, or by email to Codes Compliance. A request made before 7:30 a.m. is inspected the same day; later requests go to the next business day.

• AM or PM slots are not offered for routine inspections such as rough-ins, framing and finals. The work must be ready by 8:30 a.m.
• A time can be requested for concrete pours (footings and slabs), which the City tries to meet within 2 hours, and for inspections inside an occupied dwelling.
• Give the project address, the permit number, the type of inspection, whether it is a re-inspection, and the name and call-back number of the person asking.
• Right-of-way inspections are booked with Public Works (757-220-6140), and zoning and Architectural Review Board finals with Planning (757-220-6130).

The building sequence runs from footings, first foundation course, box and joist, waterproofing and slabs through sheathing, framing, insulation and finals. Every trade system has to be inspected and tested before the framing inspection, and the building final passes only after the trade finals do.

A re-inspection fee is charged when the inspector cannot get access, when earlier violations have not been corrected, or when the work is not ready and the request was not canceled. It must be paid before the next inspection on that permit can be requested.

The Certificate of Occupancy is generally available one working day after all inspections, including the zoning final, are complete. Ask for a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy at least 2 working days ahead; it costs $50 per residential unit.

Local Williamsburg permitting details

Architectural Review Board: in the Architectural Preservation (AP) and Corridor Protection (CP) districts, no building, structure, sign or exterior architectural feature may be erected, altered or restored without the Board’s approval, and no historic building in an AP district may be demolished or moved without it. Interior work is not reviewed. The Board meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month, and applications are due by noon on the published due date.

Chesapeake Bay Preservation Areas: the Resource Protection Area includes a 100-foot vegetated buffer along tidal wetlands, shores and perennial streams, and the City has set its Resource Management Area at a further 400 ft beyond it. A plan of development is reviewed before a building permit is issued in these areas.

Asbestos: for a building first permitted before January 1, 1985, the City cannot issue a renovation or demolition permit without the asbestos certification, although single-family houses and residential buildings of 4 or fewer units are generally exempt.

Land disturbance: the fee is $400 per acre for the first 5 acres and $200 for each further acre on site plans and development plans.

Radon: the City reports that 15% of homes tested in zip code 23185 and 39% in 23188 were above the EPA level of 4 picocuries per liter, and publishes a map of higher-risk areas.

Permit life: a permit stays valid while work proceeds and becomes void if nothing is done for 6 months. An extension has to be requested before it expires; otherwise you reapply and pay again.

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 Williamsburg permitting resources

These are the primary sources behind this guide. Codes, fee schedules and procedures change — confirm the position for your filing date.

• Virginia DHCD statewide building codes
• City of Williamsburg FAQs
• City of Williamsburg Online Applications (ePermits)
• City of Williamsburg Codes Compliance
• Williamsburg Building Permit Fee Schedule (effective July 1, 2020)
• Inspections: how to request
• Inspection Request Types
• Permit Procedure FAQs
• Adopted Codes and Code Data
• Architectural Review Board
• Planning Fee Schedule
• Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act in Williamsburg
• Asbestos Inspection Requirements

Williamsburg building permit FAQs

Does Williamsburg issue its own building permits?

Yes. Williamsburg is an independent city, and its Codes Compliance Division at 401 Lafayette Street issues and inspects every building and trade permit inside the city limits. James City County and York County permit the land around it.

How much is a building permit in Williamsburg?

A new one- or two-family house is $0.14 per finished square foot and $0.08 per unfinished square foot, plus a $55 office administration fee, a $75 plan review fee and the 2% state levy. Residential alterations are $0.08 per square foot, and no permit costs less than $75.

Do I need a permit for a deck, a fence or a new roof?

The fee schedule has a permit for each: $30 or $40 for a deck depending on size, $30 for a regulated residential fence or pool barrier, and $50 for re-roofing or re-siding under 5,000 sq ft, each plus the $55 administration fee.

How long does plan review take?

3 to 5 business days to review the plans and issue comments, provided all the required documents have been submitted. Review does not start until they have.

Can a homeowner get a permit in Williamsburg?

Yes. Permits are issued to owners or their agents, and anyone other than a licensed contractor who takes out a permit signs the City’s affidavit about contractor licensing.

How do I schedule an inspection?

Call the recorded line at 757-220-6136 and choose option 1, or email Codes Compliance, before 7:30 a.m. on the day you want the inspection, and give the permit number and inspection type.

What happens if I build without a permit?

A $250 administrative cost is added to the permit fee once the Building Official has issued a notice or made contact to secure compliance.

Do I need Architectural Review Board approval?

Only for exterior work, signs and demolition in the Architectural Preservation and Corridor Protection districts. Planning staff at 757-220-6130 can tell you whether a property is in one.

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