James City County, VA Building Safety: Building Inspections (2026)
Key Facts
- Utility hookup
- Requires inspection + certificate first
- Refund deduction
- $25 admin + $15 per inspection made
- Minimum refundable fee
- Over $25.00
- Certificate of occupancy fee
- $52.50
- Missed-inspection penalty
- $100/day first, $350/day repeat
- Enforcer
- Building official, Office of Building Safety and Permits
Summary
In James City County, no building may be hooked up to electric or gas utility service until the wiring or piping has been inspected and a certificate of inspection issued. The Office of Building Safety and Permits tracks fees per inspection performed on a permit and will not refund them once work has started.
No fee paid for any permit covered under section 4-8 of this Code and set forth in County Code Appendix A—Fee Schedule for Development Related Permits shall be refunded unless the permit application is denied and a permit is not issued or the permit is issued in error. If a permit is revoked, abandoned or the project for which the permit is obtained is discontinued, a portion of the permit fee may be refunded after deducting $25.00 for administrative costs plus $15.00 for each normal inspection that has been made. No permit fee, the value of which is $25.00 or less, shall be refunded. ... It shall be unlawful for anyone to connect to a public utility that furnishes electricity or gas until such electrical or gas piping installation in such building has been inspected and a certificate of inspection has been issued.
Full Breakdown
Permit and inspection fees run under section 4-8 of the county code, set out in Appendix A, and are administered by the building official under the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code adopted in article I of chapter 4. 00 or less is refunded at all, so the number of inspections completed directly shrinks any refund. Refunds are otherwise unavailable unless the permit application was denied and never issued, or was issued in error. Before a contractor may energize a building, section 4-13 makes it unlawful to connect to a public utility supplying electricity or gas until the electrical or gas piping has been inspected and a certificate of inspection has been issued, an inspection checkpoint that sits ahead of occupancy.
50, plus temporary 30-day certificates for residential and nonresidential projects, and section 4-14 lets the building official, a police officer, or a fire department officer order a utility disconnected in a fire, natural disaster, or other emergency, or after an electrical or mechanical inspector finds hazardous wiring or gas piping that the owner failed to correct once notified. James City Service Authority connection is likewise withheld under section 4-16 until sewer service is provided or an approved disposal system is in place. The building official or an appointed special police officer may serve a written notice of violation and swear a summons to the county's general district court for anyone who ignores a lawful inspection order.
Violations & Fines
Failing to obtain a required inspection carries a civil penalty of $100.00 per day for a first offense and $350.00 per day for a repeat of the same violation, capped at $4,000.00 for violations arising from the same facts within a ten-day period. As a criminal alternative, unlawful construction without a required inspection or in violation of an approved plan is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $2,500.00, rising to $500.00-$10,000.00 or ten days in jail for repeat offenses within ten years.
Frequently Asked Questions
When can I turn on electric or gas service to a new building in James City County?
Can I get my building permit fee back if I cancel the project?
What happens if I skip a required building inspection?
Who actually performs and enforces building inspections here?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in James City County
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