Roanoke, VA Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing code
- 2015 Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code
- Fee schedule
- Set by council in fee compendium
- Fee due
- Paid before permit issues or inspection
- Historic district
- Permit required for siding, roofing, windows
- Violation
- Misdemeanor under § 7-1
Summary
Roanoke enforces building permits through the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, adopted wholesale into city law and controlling everywhere inside city limits. The building commissioner issues and enforces most permits, while the building maintenance code official handles existing-structure maintenance and repair. Every permit, inspection, or reinspection fee set in the city's fee compendium must be paid before the city issues the permit or performs the inspection.
Sec. 7-5 - Adopted; where copies filed. The provisions, requirements, and regulations known as the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code (2015 edition), Part I, the Virginia Construction Code; Part II, the Virginia Existing Building Code; and Part III, the Virginia Maintenance Code... are hereby adopted and incorporated in full by reference as if fully set out in length herein, and shall be controlling within the corporate limits of the city. ... Sec. 7-6. - Permit and inspection fees. (a)The fees for permits, inspections and reinspections required by the building code shall be in such amounts as are prescribed, from time to time, by the city council and published in the city's fee compendium... such fees shall be paid (i) in full prior to the issuance of the permit or the making of the inspection or reinspection, or (ii) pursuant to the deferred payment program set forth in section 2-178.2 of this Code.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 94 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Section 7-5 adopts the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code (2015 edition) in full by reference, including Part I, the Virginia Construction Code, Part II, the Virginia Existing Building Code, and Part III, the Virginia Maintenance Code, plus the Industrialized Building Safety Regulations, Manufactured Home Safety Regulations, and Virginia Amusement Device Regulations, and makes all of them controlling within the city. The ordinance also automatically pulls in future state amendments under section 1-220 of the Code of Virginia, so Roanoke's permit rules track the state code as it is updated.
Section 7-3 splits enforcement: the building commissioner, appointed by the city manager, handles inspection and enforcement for all provisions except maintenance and repair of existing structures, which falls to the building maintenance code official. 2. Section 7-8 layers on a historic-district rule: the building official must require a permit for replacement siding, roofing, and windows on any building inside a city council-designated historic district. Appeals from permit and code decisions go to the five-member building and fire code board of appeals created by section 7-7, whose members include a licensed contractor, a property manager, a licensed architect or engineer, and one other qualified individual; no city employee may sit on the board. Violating chapter 7 or the adopted building code is a misdemeanor under section 7-1, punishable under section 36-106 of the Code of Virginia.
Violations & Fines
Building, altering, or repairing without a required permit, or violating the adopted building code, is a misdemeanor under section 7-1, punishable under section 36-106 of the Code of Virginia. The city may also require an owner to remove, repair, or secure a noncompliant structure that endangers public health or safety under section 7-2, and unpaid costs become a lien on the property collectible like unpaid taxes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What building code does Roanoke use for permits?
When do I pay my Roanoke building permit fee?
Do I need a permit to replace my roof in a historic district?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Roanoke
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