Chesterfield County building department

Chesterfield County’s Building Inspection Department enforces the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code (USBC) in Chesterfield County. It works alongside the county’s other Community Development offices (planning, zoning, environmental engineering, and utilities). The department is led by the Director and Building Official. It issues residential, multi-family, and commercial building permits plus electrical, plumbing and gas, mechanical and boiler, fire, elevator, sign, and amusement-device permits.

Applying through ELM

Applications go through the Enterprise Land Management (ELM) citizen access portal, which runs on Accela. ELM is shared across Community Development, so the same account handles planning and zoning cases, permits, inspections, utility connections, and code enforcement. Most documents can be uploaded as PDFs, and you can track review progress and request inspections from the record.

The county says a residential permit can be pulled by the property owner, a licensed contractor, or the owner’s agent with written permission from the owner. Virginia allows homeowners to do all of the construction on their own home without hiring a licensed contractor (see owner-builder permits). Contractors need a business license from a Virginia locality for jobs valued at $25,000 or less, and a Chesterfield County business license for jobs over $25,000. Check state contractor licenses with DPOR at (804) 367-8500.

Residential forms on the department page include the residential building permit, amendment, and master plan applications, a swimming pool and barrier application, a mechanics lien agent form, a Certified Responsible Land Disturber (CRLD) form, HVAC duct testing, and residential soil testing and footing design requirements. New single-family homes can also use the county’s online Agreement in Lieu of an Erosion and Stormwater Management Plan.

Code edition

The department notes that the 2021 Virginia Construction Code is mandatory for all projects with a permit application date on or after January 18, 2025. It also publishes a “Significant Changes in the 2021 Virginia Residential Code” summary and an R-60 to R-49 blanket code modification for insulation.

What needs a building permit

Chesterfield requires a permit whenever you construct, reconstruct, enlarge, alter, or demolish a structure. For emergency repairs or equipment replacement, you can get the permit on the next working day after the emergency. The county’s residential list includes:

• New houses, additions, and attached or detached garages and carports
• Building, replacing, adding to, or structurally repairing any deck, attached or freestanding
• Converting a deck or porch to a sunroom, or a garage to living space
• Finishing an attic, basement, or room over a garage
• Moving, adding, or removing walls, and enlarging or adding door or window openings
• Repairing or altering any structural element (studs, columns, piers, footings, joists, rafters, beams, girders)
• Tool sheds 257 sq. ft. or larger. Sheds of 256 sq. ft. or less need no permit.
• Pools, hot tubs, or spas larger than 150 sq. ft., over 5,000 gallons, and deeper than 24 inches
• Retaining walls taller than 36 inches or carrying load from a structure
• Demolition whenever a structure, including a detached garage, is razed to grade

Changing a home to a business use requires a commercial permit. For questions on residential permits and required inspections, the department lists (804) 748-1057.

Residential fees

Fees come from Section 5.5 of the Chesterfield County Code. The Board of Supervisors reviews them every year, and they are due at application. The posted residential schedule covering July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026 lists, among others:

Residential item (2025–26 schedule)	Fee
Shed 256 sq. ft. or less	No permit required
Shed over 256 sq. ft. (up to 400 sq. ft.)	$114
Chimney or porch addition	$171
Demolition	$57
Electrical, new single-family dwelling	$171
Plumbing, new single-family dwelling	$228
HVAC new system / replacement without new ductwork	$114 / $57
Foundation pour inspection	$398
Reinspection or “not ready” fee	$57

Building permit fees are waived when the work costs less than $500 and needs no electrical, gas, mechanical, or plumbing permit. They are also waived for accessibility ramps at a single-family home when the applicant shows that a resident medically needs the ramp. A 2% state levy is added to Building Inspection fees. For new homes, planning and environmental engineering (site inspection and VSMP stormwater) fees are collected separately at application. Starting work without a required permit adds a code investigation fee. Confirm current-year figures on the department page, since the schedule resets each July 1.

Inspections

Building inspections are scheduled through the automated inspection line at (804) 751-4444, available seven days a week, or online through ELM. Requests can be made up to five business days ahead. A request made by 11:59 p.m. is performed on the next open business day, or on the date you choose within five business days. To cancel, call the same number by 11:59 p.m. the day before. Inspectors work Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and the department posts a holiday inspection schedule.

The county publishes a required-inspections matrix (PDF) that lists the inspection stages by project type: footing, projection, drainage and waterproofing, foundation, poured wall, slab, veneer, framing, fireplace throat, insulation, final building, and pool barrier. A Footing Inspection and Concrete Placement Report form is available for footing work. Temporary certificates of occupancy are granted at the inspection supervisor’s discretion.

Appeals and contact

The Board of Building and Fire Code Appeals hears appeals of the building official’s decisions under the USBC and the fire official’s decisions under the Statewide Fire Prevention Code.

Building Inspection: 9800 Government Center Parkway, Chesterfield, VA 23832 (mail: P.O. Box 40, Chesterfield, VA 23832). Phone (804) 751-4990, fax (804) 751-4713. Office hours are Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The department takes email questions by topic: [email protected], [email protected], and [email protected].