Henrico County Building Permit Guide (Unincorporated Area)

Permit Authority

Henrico County is the local permit authority for unincorporated county territory under the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code. It administers building, trade, inspections, planning, and related county procedures countywide outside independent cities.

Department

Henrico County Department of Building Construction and Inspections, with residential intake and customer assistance through the Henrico Permit Center

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; Automated Permit System / 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. Confirm whether the work needs a permit and whether separate planning, public works, public utilities, VDH well/septic, or other approvals are needed.
2. Create a Build Henrico account and start the correct permit type under Permits.
3. Upload the required application materials. Henrico lists site plans, construction or trade plans, engineered details, manufacturer information, Owner's Statement of Responsibility when applicable, and certain DPW forms for residential work.
4. Submit the application for completeness and review. Build Henrico is also used for corrections, resubmittals, and amendments.
5. After review approval, pay the assessed permit fee and state levy in the portal or in person if using allowed payment methods.
6. Receive the issued permit in Build Henrico and post the permit and address on site.
7. Request inspections in Build Henrico or through the IVR line and obtain all required approvals before occupancy or final completion.

Typical processing time: Henrico does not publish a general countywide SLA. It does publish same-day walk-through review and issuance for certain residential project types if all required plans and documents are provided by 3:00 PM, and older Permit Center guidance says many residential walk-through additions may be issued within about 1.5 hours or less.

Source: Henrico County Department of Building Construction and Inspections, with residential intake and customer assistance through the Henrico Permit Center

General Requirements

Henrico requires permits for construction or demolition of buildings and structures; structural changes; work affecting fire- or smoke-rated assemblies or egress; many plumbing, electrical, mechanical, and fuel-gas installations; change of occupancy requiring a new certificate of occupancy; certain retaining walls, pool barriers, decks, sheds over threshold size, swimming pools over threshold size, reroofing over threshold sheathing limits, and other work listed on the County's permit-required page.

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 rather than a licensed contractor
• Residential DPW forms where required

Permit validity

Henrico's public Build Henrico FAQ says permits in Issued status do not expire in the portal. It also says applications awaiting corrections expire after six months of applicant inactivity and can then be requested for reinstatement through the portal. Henrico's public-facing materials do not clearly publish a separate general local expiration page for issued building permits.

Building code

Henrico administers the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code. The County's Building Code Information page says the 2021 USBC became effective January 18, 2024, and permits filed no later than January 17, 2025 could remain under the 2018 edition.

Owner-builder

Henrico allows a homeowner or authorized agent to apply if an Owner's Statement of Responsibility is provided. Permit pages describe that statement as confirming the applicant is the owner or owner's agent and therefore exempt from being a licensed contractor.

Contractor requirements

Henrico's Permit Center states a licensed contractor may apply if the contractor has a valid Virginia contractor number. Public permit pages repeatedly distinguish licensed contractors from owner-applicants using the Owner's Statement of Responsibility. County business activity may separately require a local business license.

Fees

Minimum permit fee

$100 minimum for existing one- and two-family dwelling building permits, commercial building permits, and most trade permits; $680 flat fee for new one- and two-family dwelling building permits; $100 flat permit fee for trade permits on new one- and two-family dwellings before the 2 percent state levy

Plan check fee

Henrico lists plan amendments and re-reviews at $25 each after the department has reviewed the plan twice because of plan deficiencies or plan amendments

Permit fee formula

Existing residential building and trade permits are $100 for the first $5,000 of estimated cost plus $6 per additional $1,000 or fraction thereof; commercial building and trade permits are $100 for the first $5,000 plus $7 per additional $1,000 or fraction thereof; new one- and two-family dwelling building permits are a $680 flat fee; a 2 percent state levy is added

Reinspection fee

Inspection surcharge fee is $75 for each inspection of a new one- or two-family dwelling exceeding the published average inspection count

Penalty (no permit)

10 percent of the permit fee, or $20 minimum, when unauthorized work started before permit approval

Payment note

The residential, electrical, mechanical, and plumbing permit pages state refund treatment as 100 percent of the permit fee if the permit has not been issued and 75 percent if the permit has been issued and is then canceled. Henrico's July 1, 2025 inspection surcharge notice says surcharge payments may be made by cash, check, echeck, or credit/debit card, with cash or check in person, echeck in the customer portal, and credit/debit either online or in person.

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

Work That Does NOT Require a Permit

• Detached accessory structures such as sheds, playhouses, or similar uses not over 256 square feet, not more than one story, under 18 inches floor height, and under 10 feet eave height above grade
• Tents or air-supported structures 900 square feet or less with occupant load 50 or less
• Fences not more than 7 feet high that do not serve as a swimming pool barrier
• Concrete or masonry walls not over 6 feet high
• Retaining walls supporting less than 3 feet of unbalanced fill
• Small swimming pools not greater than 150 square feet, not over 5,000 gallons, and less than 24 inches deep
• Wiring and equipment operating at less than 50 volts
• Ordinary repairs such as replacement windows and doors in existing openings in listed residential settings, replacement plumbing fixtures without piping-system alteration, replacement of general-use switches and receptacles, certain non-gas and non-oil mechanical appliance replacements, replacement roof covering or siding, up to 256 square feet of roof decking in qualifying cases, floor finishes, cabinetry or trim, paint, wallpaper, and similar finish work

Inspections

How to Schedule

• Build Henrico portal (online)
• IVR at (804) 501-7770 (phone)
• Building Inspections at (804) 501-4360 (phone)

Scheduling deadline

Inspection requests may be entered any time before 7:00 a.m. on the day requested; requests after 7:00 a.m. are scheduled for the following day.

Time windows

Honoring morning or afternoon requests is discretionary based on workload.

Typical inspection sequence: Permit and address posting, then the inspection path shown on the applicable residential or trade matrices. Henrico highlights footing, building, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing matrices and requires all applicable trade finals before the building inspection can be finalized.

Additional Resources

• Building code: Henrico administers the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code. The County's Building Code Information page says the 2021 USBC became effective January 18, 2024, and permits filed no later than January 17, 2025 could remain under the 2018 edition.
• Verify contractor license: Virginia DPOR license lookup
• Zoning information: View zoning info
• Owner-builder rules: View rules
• Building Code Information
• When a permit is required
• When a permit is not required
• Department contacts
• Zoning ordinance PDF
• License lookup guide: Virginia Contractor License Requirements
• Contract template: Virginia Homeowner-Contractor Agreement
• Virginia hub: Virginia Contractor License & Permit Hub