Albemarle County, VA Building Safety: Elevator Maintenance (2026)

County Code § 1-501's fee schedule lists "Building—Elevators, Escalators and Lifts" at $285 for the building permit and a separate line item, "Other—Elevator Certificate," at $100 per elevator, both payable under authority the Board of Supervisors cites from Virginia Code §§ 15.2-2241 and 36-105. Fees must be paid in full when the application is submitted, and no elevator permit or certificate application is considered complete until it is, per § 1-500.

Enforcement runs through the Building Inspection Office, created within the Department of Community Development under § 5-102, which is charged with "administering and enforcing the Building Code and this chapter, reviewing and acting on plans, inspecting buildings and structures, and issuing related permits and certificates," language that covers elevator permits and the per-elevator certificate alike. The Building Official, appointed by the County Executive under § 5-103, directs that office and administers the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, which § 5-100 applies to structures and "the equipment in such structures," including elevators, escalators, and lifts.

An owner who builds or alters an elevator installation before securing the permit faces the fee schedule's $250 "Administrative Fee for Working Without A Permit" on top of the $285 permit charge. Disputes over an elevator permit or certificate decision go to the county's five-member Board of Appeals under §§ 5-104 and 5-105, whose members are appointed by the Board of Supervisors to five-year terms.