Lynchburg, VA Building Safety: Electrical Permits (2026)

Sec. 11-2 adopts the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, 2015 edition, Part I the Virginia Construction Code, Part II the Virginia Rehabilitation Code, and Part III the Virginia Maintenance Code, and all of the codes and standards referenced therein, making them controlling within the corporate limits of the city, with all future editions and amendments automatically adopted and incorporated into the City Code. That adoption is what pulls electrical work under city permitting. On top of it, Sec. 11-78 requires that where any electrical, plumbing, mechanical, gas or other trades work requiring a permit is being done, a master tradesman in the appropriate trade who holds a valid and current trades card recognized by the Commonwealth of Virginia shall at all times be in control of the work being performed.

A homeowner doing electrical work on his own residence is exempt only if he complies with Sec. 11-71 and shows a working knowledge of the trade; the building commissioner can still order a master tradesman onto the job if the homeowner's work keeps failing inspection. Every electrical contractor must also hold the license class required by the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation under Sec. 00 surety bond with the city attorney under Sec. 11-74; Class A contractors are exempt from the bond. Starting electrical work before the permit issues is a violation under Sec.

11-121, permits are not transferable between contractors under Sec. 11-81, and a contractor with repeated rule violations can have the building official refuse future permits under Sec. 11-79 after written notice. Violations of the Construction Code itself are prosecuted as state code violations under Sec. 11-9(a), with penalties set by Section 36-106 of the Code of Virginia and fines payable to the Commonwealth rather than the city.