Roanoke, VIRGINIA Building Permit Guide

Permit Authority

Roanoke is an independent city in Virginia. Permit administration is handled by the City of Roanoke for property within city limits and is separate from Roanoke County.

Department

City of Roanoke Planning, Building, & Development, Permit Center

Address

Noel C. Taylor Municipal Building, 215 Church Avenue SW, Room 170 South, Roanoke, VA 24011

Phone

540-853-1090

Email

permitcenter@roanokeva.gov

Website

https://www.roanokeva.gov/1006/Permit-Center

Online Permit Portal

Application Process

1. Start with the Permit Center project pages to identify the permit path and required submittals for the specific work type. The City directs applicants to use Project Pages as the first step.
2. Check zoning and overlays before preparing the application. Use the Real Estate GIS and verify whether the property is in a historic district, Neighborhood Design District, floodplain, or other overlay that adds approval requirements.
3. Prepare the application package. Depending on the project, this can include the permit application, site or development plan, construction plans, contractor list, owner-builder affidavit, floodplain elevation certificate, certificate of appropriateness, asbestos documentation, and other supporting forms.
4. Submit through Permit Counter Apps for any permit type, or through eTRAKiT if you are a licensed contractor applying for a permit type currently enabled there. Electronic plans may also be resubmitted through eTRAKiT, emailed to the Permit Center, or delivered on physical media under the electronic submission policy.
5. After the package is deemed complete and initialized, the City issues a Permit Submittal Confirmation Letter and routes the application for zoning and building review. Review comments may require an Additional Submissions Form and revised plans.
6. Pay permit and review fees when the permit is ready for issuance. eTRAKiT supports fee payment and permit document retrieval.
7. Receive the issued permit, post it as required, and schedule inspections through eTRAKiT or IVR as the work progresses.

Typical processing time: Roanoke publishes project-specific review clocks rather than one universal timeline. For a residential addition, staff states 10 business days for zoning review plus 5 business days for building review, for a total of 15 business days after a complete application is initialized. For trade permits requiring plans, the City states 5 business days for 1- and 2-family dwellings and 10 business days for all other building types; projects with no plans required may be issued on demand.

Source: City of Roanoke Planning, Building, & Development, Permit Center

General Requirements

The City states that permits are required for construction work within the property boundaries and for work regulated by the building code. Roanoke's business owners guide lists common triggers such as new tenant spaces, remodels, accessibility upgrades, asbestos abatement, installation or replacement of HVAC systems, new gas lines, new plumbing fixtures or piping, new electrical wiring or service panels, and new or modified fire alarm or sprinkler systems. The fire protection bulletin also states that installing or modifying regulated systems requires a permit, while emergency repairs must be followed by next-business-day permit application under the code rules cited there.

Required Documents

• Permit application
• Building plans
• Site or development plan
• Calculations and specifications if applicable
• Contractor or subcontractor list
• Owner-builder affidavit if seeking exemption
• Floodplain elevation certificate if in a Special Flood Hazard Area
• Certificate of appropriateness for H-1 or H-2 historic districts
• Neighborhood Design District affidavit where applicable
• Asbestos survey or certification for older buildings

Permit validity

Permit applications on the City forms are marked valid for 180 days. Issued building, zoning, and trade permits remain valid while work is proceeding and at least one inspection has occurred within the last 6 months. If work stops and no inspection occurs within 6 months, the permit may be suspended. Extensions require written request to the Building Commissioner or Deputy Building Commissioner and are not guaranteed.

Building code

Roanoke project pages cite the 2021 Uniform Statewide Building Code. Zoning review is under Chapter 36.2 of the Roanoke City Code. Note that the zoning page says Municode reflects amendments through March 2024, while a later Amendment 20 was adopted on September 16, 2024 and may not yet be reflected in Municode.

Owner-builder

A property owner may obtain a permit only if the owner qualifies for exemption and files an Owner/Builder Affidavit. The City states the applicant must either show proof of Virginia contractor licensure or file the affidavit indicating exemption from the licensing requirement.

Contractor requirements

Roanoke requires permit applications to include the contractor's DPOR license number when applicable. The City states permits should be obtained by the general contractor in the name appearing on that contractor license, or by the construction manager if that structure applies. All contractors and subcontractors must also have a current City of Roanoke business license before starting their portion of the work.

Fees

Minimum permit fee

The published citywide construction permit minimum is $50 plus the 2 percent state levy. Some project pages still show older work-type examples such as a $45 base building fee for residential additions, so the fee compendium and master fee page appear to be the current citywide schedule.

Plan check fee

Building plan review is 10 percent of the building permit fee for the first two reviews and 2 percent of the building permit fee for each additional review. The residential permit requirements sheet also states that the plan-checking fee is paid at submittal and is in addition to the permit fee.

Permit fee formula

Construction permits are valuation based. The July 1, 2023 city fee page and the FY2025 fee compendium state $50 up to $1,000 of value, and for $1,000.01 and above the fee is $50 plus $6.57 for each additional $1,000 of value, plus a 2 percent state levy. Zoning and building permits add $25. Some permit categories are flat fee, such as sign permits and zoning permit or basic development plan review.

Reinspection fee

The inspection page warns that work must be ready to avoid possible reinspection fees, but the public fee pages do not publish a standard reinspection amount. For work started before permit issuance, the residential permit requirements sheet states the applicant must pay twice the normal permit fee up to a maximum of $250, in addition to possible enforcement.

Payment note

The Permit Center states eTRAKiT can be used to pay fees and retrieve permit documents. Fees are generally due at permit issuance. Electronic resubmissions can go through eTRAKiT, email, or physical media delivery. Permit-specific online payment surcharge details were not found on the public permit pages.

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

Work That Does NOT Require a Permit

• Accessory structures with floor area of 256 square feet or less do not require a building permit unless the property is in the H-1 Historic Downtown Overlay District, H-2 Historic Neighborhood Overlay District, Floodplain Overlay District, or River and Creek Corridors Overlay District.
• Painting, papering, tiling, carpeting, cabinets, countertops, and similar finish work are listed by the City's business owners guide as work not requiring a building permit.
• Non-fixed and movable fixtures, cases, and racks are listed by the City's business owners guide as not requiring a building permit.
• Electrical minor repair work, including replacement of lamps and receptacles, is listed by the City's business owners guide as exempt from electrical permit.
• Ordinary repairs to structures, replacement of lamps, and connection of approved portable electrical equipment to approved permanently installed receptacles are identified in the City's fire protection bulletin as exempt examples under the code excerpt it reproduces.
• Like-for-like replacement of fire alarm equipment with the same make and model is stated in the City's fire protection bulletin to typically not require a fire alarm permit.
• Maintenance performed in accordance with the fire code is stated in the City's fire protection bulletin to not require a permit.

Inspections

How to Schedule

• eTRAKiT portal (online)
• Residential IVR inspection scheduling (phone)
• eTRAKiT account setup assistance (email)

Scheduling deadline

Inspection requests made before 4:00 p.m. are scheduled for the following business day. Requests after 4:00 p.m. are scheduled for the second working day.

Inspection hours

Inspectors are typically in the field from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and in the office after 4:00 p.m.

Typical inspection sequence: Sequence varies by permit, but the City's residential IVR code list shows a common progression of temporary power, footing or pier footing, foundation layout and drain tile or coating, under-slab or groundwork plumbing, gas, HVAC and electrical, slab prep, rough-in framing and trade rough-ins, insulation and energy, and final inspections including building, electric, gas, HVAC, plumbing, flood compliance, and certificate of occupancy when applicable.

Additional Resources

• Building code: Roanoke project pages cite the 2021 Uniform Statewide Building Code. Zoning review is under Chapter 36.2 of the Roanoke City Code. Note that the zoning page says Municode reflects amendments through March 2024, while a later Amendment 20 was adopted on September 16, 2024 and may not yet be reflected in Municode.
• Zoning information: View zoning info
• Real Estate GIS
• Project Pages
• Inspections
• Historic District Applications
• Historic District Guidelines
• Flood Preparedness
• Flood Zone Information and Flood Insurance
• Create a Development Plan
• Business License Verification
• License lookup guide: Virginia Contractor License Requirements
• Contract template: Virginia Homeowner-Contractor Agreement
• Virginia hub: Virginia Contractor License & Permit Hub