Stafford County, VA Building Safety: Plumbing Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Adopting section
- County Code § 6-16(1)
- Local insert, P-303.3
- 300 feet, fourth line
- Local insert, P-308.3
- 3 feet, third and fifth lines
- Permit fee due
- before issuance (§ 6-18)
- Plumber certification
- separate requirement, Article III
Summary
Stafford County's plumbing code is the plumbing chapter of the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, adopted whole as part of the Construction Code under Section 6-16(1), with two local edits: a three-hundred-foot distance written into Section P-303.3 and a three-foot distance written into Section P-308.3. A permit for plumbing work covered by that code has to be paid for before the county issues it, under Section 6-18.
(1)Construction Code (USBC, Part I), in its entirety, with the following insertions: ... c.Insert "three hundred feet" in the fourth line of section P-303.3 of the plumbing code.d.Insert "three feet" in the third and fifth lines of section P-308.3 of the plumbing code.
Full Breakdown
Stafford County has no standalone plumbing ordinance; the plumbing code lives inside Section 6-16(1) of the building code chapter, which adopts the Construction Code, USBC Part I, in its entirety and then makes four local insertions into the state text. 2, inserting a five-foot distance into each. 3. Those sections deal with distribution piping and water-service clearances, so the local numbers set how far certain plumbing runs and connections have to sit from other features on a Stafford County lot. Because plumbing work is construction governed by the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, the general permitting rule in Section 6-18 applies directly: before the county issues a plumbing permit, the owner or the plumber doing the work has to pay the fee the Board of Supervisors sets by resolution after a public hearing.
The director of code compliance reviews plumbing plans and inspects the work, and plumbers themselves are separately certified by that office under Article III of the same chapter before they can pull permits to work for the public for compensation.
Violations & Fines
Plumbing work done without the required permit, or against an approved plan or a code compliance directive, is a misdemeanor under Section 6-17, punishable by a fine of up to one thousand dollars. Separately, working as a plumber for the public for compensation without the county's Article III certification is its own Class 3 misdemeanor under Section 6-34.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Stafford County have its own plumbing code?
What did the county change in the plumbing code?
Do I need a permit for plumbing work?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Stafford County
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