How Much Does a Building Permit Cost in Richmond?

Permit Cost by Project

Do You Need a Permit?

The Fee Schedule (Revision 07-01-2024, still the file the City links today) says a building, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, gas-piping or other permit "shall be calculated as follows": residential work $63.00 up to $2,000 of value, plus $6.07 per thousand or fraction thereof above that. A 2.0% state surcharge is added to every permit.

Worked through: a $7,100 deck is $63 + 6 x $6.07 = $99.42, plus 2% = $101.41. A $12,000 job is $123.70 + 2% = $126.17; a $25,000 job $202.61 + 2% = $206.66. Demolishing a house or garage is a flat $184.00, $187.68 with the surcharge.

A remodel needs a permit for each system it alters, each calculated on its own share of the value. The USBC (Section 108.1) requires permits for work on the water supply, drainage and vent systems and on electric wiring; it exempts replacing fixtures in place, cabinets, finishes and paint, and no building permit is needed when no wall, structural member or exit is changed. Our remodel figures use plumbing at 30% of a bathroom and electrical at 20%: a $15,000 bathroom is $153.28. A $25,000 kitchen that replaces its fixtures in place and adds one lighting circuit needs only the electrical permit, $82.83. Interior strip-outs are pending its confirmation of whether they take the $184 demolition line or a building permit on value.

Virginia's Uniform Statewide Building Code applies in Richmond, and Section 108.2 (13VAC5-63-80) lists work that needs no permit. For houses it includes replacing roof covering or siding where the nominal design wind speed is 100 mph or less, replacing windows and doors of similar operation in the same framed opening, fences of any height (unless a pool barrier or required for pedestrian safety), sheds up to 256 square feet, replacing plumbing fixtures without altering the piping, replacing mechanical appliances not fueled by gas or oil, flooring, cabinetry, paint and wallpaper.

Richmond's permits page lists a basic design wind speed of 115 mph for ordinary buildings, which converts to about 89 mph nominal, so the roof and siding exemption applies on our reading, pending confirmation from the City. Decks, remodels, gas appliance replacements and new electrical work need permits. Historic-district and flood-zone work can require a permit even for exempt items.

The fee schedule charges $400 per permit for the "Investigation of 'Stop Work' order" when work starts without a permit. The regular permit fee is still due.

Unpermitted work also surfaces at sale and in insurance claims. Pull the permit before work starts.

Permit time limits come from the Virginia USBC. The fee schedule charges $25 for a permit extension. Check the start and inactivity limits with the Bureau of Permits and Inspections when the permit is issued.

Licensed contractors or homeowners can pull permits in Richmond. Virginia requires a DPOR contractor license for anything above the Class C threshold. Homeowners can usually pull owner-builder permits on their primary residence.

Your contractor should pull it. Not you. That keeps them on the hook for code compliance and insurance. If a contractor asks you to pull the permit yourself that's a red flag. Walk away.

Confirm the permit responsibility sits in your written contract. Then follow up. Too many projects stall because this step got dropped.

Richmond uses one simple formula for every residential permit type, so the fee for any single permit is easy to compute: $63 plus $6.07 per $1,000 over $2,000, plus 2%.

The larger savings come from the statewide exemption list. A reroof, new siding, same-opening windows or an electric appliance swap on a house needs no permit at all.

How much does a building permit cost in Richmond?

Each residential permit is $63 up to $2,000 of value plus $6.07 per $1,000 above that, plus a 2% state surcharge: $101.41 at $7,100, $126.17 at $12,000 and $206.66 at $25,000. A remodel may need several permits.

Do I need a permit to replace a water heater in Richmond?

Not for an electric unit: USBC Section 108.2 item 14.4 exempts replacing mechanical appliances "not fueled by gas or oil" in houses. A gas water heater needs a permit: $63 plus the 2% surcharge, $64.26.

Do I need a permit to build a deck in Richmond?

Yes. A $7,100 deck is $63 + 6 x $6.07 = $99.42, plus the 2% state surcharge, $101.41.

Do I need a permit in Richmond to replace a roof?

Not for a house on our reading. USBC Section 108.2 item 14.5 exempts replacing roof covering where the nominal design wind speed is 100 mph or less; Richmond's 115 mph basic design speed is about 89 mph nominal, pending confirmation from the City. Historic-district roofs can still require a permit.

Why does Richmond add a 2% state surcharge to every permit?

The City's fee schedule states: "For all permits, a 2.0% state surcharge is added to the final calculated fee." On a $99.42 deck permit it adds $1.99.