Fauquier County, VA Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing code
- Virginia USBC, adopted by reference (§5-1)
- Permits issued by
- county building official (§5-3)
- Ordinary repair exemption
- excludes structural, egress or utility-line work
- Wiring work
- always needs a permit (§5-3)
- Civil penalty
- $100 first summons, $350 each additional (§5-5.2)
- Penalty cap
- $4,000 per 10-day period for repeat violations
- Appeals body
- Board of Building Code Appeals (§5-4)
Summary
Unincorporated Fauquier County enforces the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, adopted by reference under County Code § 5-1, and requires a permit from the county building official for most construction, alteration or wiring work under § 5-3. Ordinary repairs that don't touch structural elements, egress or utility piping are exempt.
There is hereby adopted by reference by the board of supervisors the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, which is adopted for the purpose of establishing rules and regulations for the construction, alteration, removal, demolition, equipment, use and occupancy, location and maintenance of buildings and structures, including permits and penalties. ... The building official shall be responsible for issuing permits required under the provisions under the Uniform Statewide Building Code. Ordinary repairs may be made without application or notice to the building official; but such repairs shall not include the cutting away of any wall, partition or portion thereof, the removal or cutting of any structural beam or beam in support, or the removal or hanging of any required means of egress; nor shall ordinary repairs include addition to, alteration of, replacement or relocation of any standpipe, water supply, sewer, drainage, gas, soil, waste, vent or similar piping, electric wiring or mechanical or other work affecting public health or general safety. No wiring system for light, heat or power shall be installed, extended or altered without a permit.
Full Breakdown
The building official, an office established under § 5-2, issues permits and administers the USBC within the county, and submits an annual report to the Board of Supervisors. Section 5-3 exempts ordinary repairs from the permit requirement, but excludes from that exemption any work cutting away a wall or partition, removing or cutting a structural beam, removing or altering a required means of egress, or adding, altering, replacing or relocating any standpipe, water supply, sewer, drainage, gas, soil, waste or vent piping or electric wiring; no wiring system for light, heat or power may be installed, extended or altered without a permit.
The Board of Supervisors sets the permit fee schedule by ordinance or resolution, and no permit for which a fee has been set can issue until the fee is paid to the treasurer. Property owners may appeal a building official's refusal to modify USBC construction or materials requirements to the Board of Building Code Appeals (§ 5-4), and the Board of Supervisors can order unsafe buildings repaired, secured or removed at the owner's expense, with unpaid costs becoming a lien on the property (§ 5-5).
Violations & Fines
Violating this chapter can be prosecuted as a misdemeanor with a fine set by Code of Virginia § 36-106 and a court-ordered six-month abatement deadline, or handled through a civil penalty schedule of $100 for an initial summons and $350 for each additional one, capped at $4,000 total for a series of violations arising from the same facts within any ten-day period, under § 5-5.2.
Frequently Asked Questions
What building code applies in unincorporated Fauquier County?
Do I need a permit for minor home repairs?
Is a permit required to add new electrical wiring?
What are the penalties for building without a permit in Fauquier County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fauquier County
Compare Fauquier County to another location·View the Virginia building safety overview
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