Newport News, VA Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Built with new home
- excluded from floor-area fee
- Added to existing home
- billed as alteration/repair
- Alteration fee rate
- 0.44%-0.48% of value
- Governing sections
- Secs. 13-23, 13-26(a)(2)-(3)
Summary
Newport News bills decks and porches under its building permit fee schedule; an unenclosed deck, porch, or stoop built at the same time as a new R3-R5 dwelling is excluded from the floor-area fee computation.
In the case of buildings of use group R3, R4 or R5, any unenclosed carport, deck, porch or stoop, when built in conjunction with and at the same time as the dwelling, shall be excluded from the square footage computation.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 81).
Full Breakdown
Building permit fees for decks and porches run through Chapter 13's fee schedule. If a deck, porch, or stoop is added later to an existing house, it is billed as an alteration or repair under Sec. 13-26(a)(3), at 0.44%-0.48% of construction value. But under Sec. 13-26(a)(2), an unenclosed carport, deck, porch, or stoop for a single-family, two-family, or similar residential building (R3-R5) is excluded from the square-footage computation when it's built in conjunction with and at the same time as the dwelling, lowering the new-construction fee. Sec. 13-23 requires the underlying permit either way.
Violations & Fines
Building a deck or porch before a permit is issued doubles the applicable fee under Sec. 13-26(g), regardless of whether it's built with the house or added later.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit for a new deck or porch in Newport News?
Does adding a deck to my existing house cost the same as one built with a new house?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Newport News
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