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

Section 6-1 adopts the Commonwealth's Uniform Statewide Building Code to control construction, alteration, addition, repair, removal, demolition, use, location, occupancy and maintenance of buildings, structures and their service equipment countywide. Section 6-3 establishes the county's own office of building inspection to enforce that code, with a building official appointed under the county's personnel system responsible for the office's organization and daily operation. Section 6-4 lets the board of supervisors enter joint inspection agreements with the incorporated towns, under which permit issuance, fee collection and inspection responsibility follow the terms of that interlocal agreement rather than defaulting to the county.

Section 6-9 requires anyone commencing covered work to obtain a building permit from the building inspection office, and the application must be accompanied by the zoning administrator's written statement, or the equivalent town authority's statement under a joint agreement, that the proposed work conforms to Chapter 17's zoning ordinance before the permit can issue. Section 6-10 then requires the permit holder to report, within 30 days of substantial completion or occupancy, whichever comes first, any modification to the specifications or cost of the work, with additional fees possible for a reported cost increase.

Fees themselves run off the county's posted Fee Compendium under section 6-11, and disputes over an inspector's refusal to modify code requirements go to the five-member Board of Building Appeals under sections 6-22 through 6-25 for a $250 filing fee.