Hanover County, VA Code Violation Reporting: How to Report (2026)

Section 26-341 of the Zoning Ordinance makes zoning enforcement the duty of the zoning administrator, who must enforce the ordinance's provisions and refuse to issue any building permit or use permit that would violate them. The same section extends that duty to every officer and employee of the county: each is obligated to assist the zoning administrator by reporting any seeming violation in new construction, reconstruction, or land uses. That duty is written into the code itself rather than left to informal practice, so county staff who spot a possible violation while doing other county business are required to flag it to the zoning administrator.

Once the zoning administrator determines that a violation has occurred, Section 26-347(b) requires a notice of violation be issued to the responsible person or entity, unless the administrator instead issues a ticket under Section 26-348. The notice must state the date, the basis for the decision, the deadline to abate the violation, and that the decision can be appealed to the Board of Zoning Appeals within the applicable appeal period, becoming final and unappealable if not timely appealed. Notice can be hand delivered, posted on the building's door, or mailed by regular or certified mail to the address on the current real estate tax assessment records; if issued to someone other than the owner, a copy also goes to the owner.

Under Section 26-346, once a violation is confirmed the zoning administrator is authorized and directed to institute any appropriate action to end it, which can lead to a civil summons carrying penalties set out in Section 26-348.