Hanover County, VA Building Safety: Building Inspections (2026)

Hanover County Code section 6-17 establishes the office of building official, made up of the building official plus whatever assistants and inspectors the board of supervisors authorizes, and charges that office with administering and enforcing the Uniform Statewide Building Code's construction and maintenance provisions; the office is deemed the county's 'building department' under section 36-105 of the state code. The building official may promulgate additional enforcement rules with the board's approval, and the board can also contract with a neighboring locality or another agency to perform these building-department functions instead.

Once construction is inspected and finished, section 26-345 requires a certificate of occupancy from the zoning administrator before any premises can be used, and before any newly built or structurally altered building can be occupied or put to a changed use; the certificate confirms the building or use complies with both the building laws and the zoning regulations. Applications for a certificate of occupancy are filed at the same time as the building permit application, and the certificate must be issued within 10 days after construction or alteration is completed in conformity with the regulations.

Vacant land itself cannot be occupied or used, except for farm-related agricultural uses, without a certificate of occupancy. Nonconforming uses also need their own certificate, applied for within 12 months of the ordinance's effective date. The zoning administrator can issue a temporary certificate of occupancy, valid up to 90 days, for a single-family home still missing its required off-street parking, if the owner posts adequate surety first, and can issue temporary certificates for commercial or industrial projects still finishing paving or water facilities under a performance agreement with posted security.