Virginia Beach Building Department | Permits, Inspections & Contact

Virginia Beach is an independent city, so the City of Virginia Beach Permits and Inspections Division is the local building-code authority for projects within the city’s jurisdiction. The division administers the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code together with Virginia Beach ordinances and also administers Department of Environmental Quality requirements for stormwater, erosion, and sediment control connected with private development and franchise utilities.

Applying for a Virginia Beach building permit

The city accepts online building-permit submissions through its Accela Citizen Access service. The building-permits page says all items that do not fit the small-plan counter criteria should be submitted online; the initial review for online submissions and revisions is listed as three business days. Commercial counter reviews are limited to defined small alterations, no change of use, no A, I, or H uses, and plan sets of five pages or fewer. Residential counter reviews are limited to listed small additions, alterations, accessory structures, and uncovered decks.

For work outside those counter limits, prepare the appropriate residential or commercial building permit package and use the online service. A project may also need separate trade, zoning, stormwater, erosion and sediment control, fire, right-of-way, or other approvals. Confirm the proposed use and site constraints with the city’s planning and zoning functions before starting construction.

Inspections and occupancy in Virginia Beach

The same Accela service is the city’s confirmed online route to apply for permits and request inspections. The permit holder should keep approved documents available and schedule inspections at the construction stages required for the permit and code. Virginia Beach’s published division information separates building, electrical, fire, mechanical, plumbing, and civil contacts, so a project with multiple disciplines should not assume that one inspection completes every approval.

The city reported that its planning and community-development department issued more than 34,000 permits and completed nearly 79,000 inspections in the prior year, illustrating why the permit number and exact inspection type matter when contacting staff. Confirm final building, trade, fire, and any occupancy requirements with the assigned permit staff before the space is occupied or opened.

Official Virginia Beach contact

Permits and Inspections lists (757) 385-4211, email perminsp@vbgov.com, and Building 3, Municipal Center, 2403 Courthouse Drive, Virginia Beach, VA 23456. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The official Accela portal supports permit searches, applications, and inspection requests; use the city building-permits page for current counter-review limits and related forms.