Norfolk, VA Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing sections
- Norfolk Code §§ 11.1-1, 11.1-1.1, 11.1-3
- Minimum permit fee
- $50 (building and PME)
- No-permit penalty
- $150 administrative fee
- Residential new construction fee
- $0.15 per sq ft
- Plan review (0-2,500 sf)
- $35
- Board of Appeals fee
- $75
Summary
Norfolk adopts the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code as its building code under Sec. 11.1-1, and Sec. 11.1-1.1 makes that code control the construction, reconstruction, alteration, conversion, repair, maintenance, or use of any structure or equipment installed in one. Every permitted activity runs through the city's own fee schedule in Sec. 11.1-3, administered by the code official.
The construction, reconstruction, alteration, conversion, repair, maintenance, or use of structures and buildings within the City of Norfolk, and installation of equipment therein shall be governed by the USBC as adopted and promulgated by the Virginia State Board of Housing and Community Development, together with the local fee schedule and special climatic and geographic design criteria established by this article. [...] As provided for by section 36-105, Code of Virginia, 1950, as amended, the city council levies certain fees for plan examination, permits, inspections and to defray the costs of enforcement and appeals under the Uniform Statewide Building Code. [...] Minimum Permit Fee (Building and PME only) $50; Administrative Fee for work begun without a permit $150.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 166).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 1-2 makes it unlawful to construct, alter, extend, repair, remove, demolish, maintain, or use any building or equipment regulated by the USBC in violation of the code, and Sec. 1 assigns enforcement to the code official for building work and to the property maintenance code official for property-maintenance provisions. The fee table in Sec. 1-3 sets a minimum permit fee of $50 for building and plumbing/mechanical/electrical work, plus a $150 administrative fee if work starts before a permit issues. Plan review runs $35 for projects up to 2,500 square feet, $75 up to 5,000 square feet, and $100 above that.
16 per square foot for commercial new construction. A certificate of occupancy or compliance costs $50, waived when issued with the building permit, while a temporary certificate of occupancy runs $600 for the first thirty days and another $600 for each additional thirty-day extension. Every computed fee is increased 2% to fund the state's Building Code Academy training program under Code of Virginia Sec. 36-137, plus a flat $15 processing charge, per the closing language of Sec. 1-3. Appeals of a building official's decision go to the Board of Building Code Appeals for a $75 fee under the same schedule.
Violations & Fines
Constructing, altering, or using a building or its equipment in conflict with the USBC or this article is unlawful under Sec. 11.1-2, and the city adds a $150 administrative fee on top of the normal permit cost for any work started without a permit first, per the Sec. 11.1-3 fee schedule.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Norfolk
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