Glen Allen, VIRGINIA Building Permit Guide

Permit Authority

Glen Allen is not an incorporated town or independent city with its own building department. For Glen Allen addresses in Henrico County, permits are administered by Henrico County. Census publications also show Glen Allen CDP territory extending into Hanover County, so this section covers only the Glen Allen area associated with Henrico County.

Department

Henrico County Department of Building Construction and Inspections; Henrico Permit Center for intake and customer assistance

Address

Department of Building Construction and Inspections, 4301 East Parham Road, Henrico, VA 23228; Permit Center-West, 4301 East Parham Road, Henrico, VA 23228; Permit Center-East, 3820 Nine Mile Road, Henrico, VA 23223

Phone

Building Inspections (804) 501-4360; IVR (804) 501-7770; Permit Center (804) 501-7280

Email

permitcenter@henrico.gov

Website

https://henrico.gov/bldg/ and https://henrico.gov/permitcenter/

Online Permit Portal

Application Process

1. Verify that the Glen Allen project site is in Henrico County rather than Hanover County before filing.
2. Determine permit triggers, zoning issues, and whether separate County reviews such as planning, utilities, or VDH septic/well review apply.
3. Register in Build Henrico and submit the correct building or trade permit with plans and supporting documents.
4. Respond to review comments and upload revisions in Build Henrico if requested.
5. Pay permit fees and the state levy once the County approves the application.
6. Post the permit and address, then request inspections through Build Henrico or IVR until final approvals are complete.

Typical processing time: No Glen Allen-specific timing is published. Henrico's published timing guidance is countywide and limited mainly to same-day walk-through review for certain residential projects with complete materials by 3:00 p.m.

Source: Henrico County Department of Building Construction and Inspections; Henrico Permit Center for intake and customer assistance

General Requirements

Same Henrico County permit-required rules apply to Glen Allen addresses in Henrico County.

Required Documents

• Build Henrico application
• Site plan
• Construction or trade plans
• Engineered framing and design documents as applicable
• Manufacturer's specifications
• Owner's Statement of Responsibility if the applicant is the owner or authorized agent
• Residential DPW forms where required

Permit validity

Same countywide Build Henrico status rules apply; public data on Glen Allen-specific permit validity is not separately published.

Building code

2021 Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code as administered by Henrico County.

Owner-builder

Same countywide homeowner and authorized-agent rules with Owner's Statement of Responsibility apply.

Contractor requirements

Same countywide requirement for a valid Virginia contractor number when applying as a licensed contractor.

Fees

Minimum permit fee

Same countywide minimums and flat fees apply

Plan check fee

$25 for plan amendments and re-reviews after two reviews because of deficiencies or amendments

Permit fee formula

Same Henrico County valuation-based and flat-fee formulas apply

Reinspection fee

Same countywide $75 inspection surcharge rule for qualifying new one- and two-family dwellings, plus county code penalties for unpermitted work

Payment note

Same countywide portal and in-person payment rules apply

Fees change. Verify current amounts at the official fee schedule.

Work That Does NOT Require a Permit

Contact the Henrico County Department of Building Construction and Inspections; Henrico Permit Center for intake and customer assistance to confirm whether your project requires a permit before starting work.

Inspections

How to Schedule

• Build Henrico portal (online)
• IVR at (804) 501-7770 (phone)

Scheduling deadline

Requests before 7:00 a.m. for same-day scheduling; later requests move to the following day

Typical inspection sequence: Countywide Henrico inspection matrices govern the sequence for building and trade permits

Additional Resources

• Building code: 2021 Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code as administered by Henrico County.
• Verify contractor license: Virginia DPOR license lookup
• Zoning information: View zoning info
• Owner-builder rules: View rules
• Census geography source for Glen Allen scope note
• Permit Center
• Residential inspections
• License lookup guide: Virginia Contractor License Requirements
• Contract template: Virginia Homeowner-Contractor Agreement
• Virginia hub: Virginia Contractor License & Permit Hub

Other cities in Henrico County