Permitting Authorities / Accomack County - Building and Zoning Office
Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Accomack County, VA?
Adopted codeAccomack County - Building and Zoning Office
The Accomack County Building and Zoning Office enforces the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code throughout Accomack County and in the County's incorporated towns other than the Town of Chincoteague, which keeps its own Building and Zoning Office. It takes building permit applications through the County's ACCESS online permit portal and performs the required inspections.
Roof code checklist: Accomack County, VA
| Item | Answer | Code cite | Source | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Permit to replace a roof | Not published | |||
| Repair permit threshold | Published | accomack.gov | 2026-09-26 | |
| Layer limit / roof-over | Not published | |||
| Deck & sheathing | Published | R803 | law.lis.virginia.gov | 2026-09-26 |
| Drip edge | Not published | |||
| Ice & water shield | Not published | |||
| Mid-roof inspection | Not published | |||
| Impact-resistant (Class 4) roofing | No | law.lis.virginia.gov | 2026-09-26 | |
| Wind design criteria | Published | accomack.gov | 2026-09-26 | |
| Adopted code | Published | § 36-97 | law.lis.virginia.gov | 2026-09-26 |
| Contractor license / registration | Yes | law.lis.virginia.gov | 2026-09-26 | |
| Sales & use tax | Published | § 58.1-605 | tax.virginia.gov | 2026-09-26 |
Each row comes from the sourced record on this page; full wording is in the table below. "Not published" means no official source for that item was found when the record was last verified.
Jurisdiction
Accomack County, Virginia
Jurisdiction type
county
Address
23296 Courthouse Avenue, Room 105, Accomac, VA 23301
Contact
- url: https://www.accomack.gov/330/Building-Permits-Code-Inspections
- phone: 757-787-5721
Permit portal
Contractor registration required
Required
Registration details
- state_level: Virginia licenses contractors through the Board for Contractors. Under Code of Virginia Section 54.1-1100, as amended in 2025, Class C contractors "perform or manage construction, removal, repair, or improvements when (i) the total value referred to in a single contract or project is over $1,000 but less than $30,000, or (ii) the total value of all such construction, removal, repair, or improvements undertaken by such person within any 12-month period is less than $250,000." Larger jobs fall in the Class B and Class A tiers. The Board's rules define the Roofing contracting (ROC) specialty as "the service that provides for the installation, repair, removal, or improvement of materials common to the industry that form a watertight, weather resistant surface for roofs and decks" and state that "The CBC and RBC classifications and the HIC and CIC specialties also provide for this function." (18VAC50-22-30). Section 54.1-1111 requires a building permit applicant to furnish "satisfactory proof to such official or authority that he is duly licensed or certified under the terms of this chapter to carry out or superintend the same" or to "file a written statement that he is not subject to licensure or certification as a contractor or subcontractor pursuant to this chapter." Section 54.1-1101 A says the contractor chapter does not apply to "Any person who performs or supervises the construction, removal, repair, or improvement of no more than one primary residence owned by him and for his own use during any 24-month period"; this record does not decide whether a given owner falls within it. Some older pages give a $10,000 floor for Class C; that figure predates the 2025 amendment.
- county_level: Accomack County sets no contractor licence of its own. Its building permit application asks for the "CONTRACTOR LICENSE #" and the "ACCOMACK COUNTY BUSINESS LICENSE #" with expiration dates, and its list of items required for residential permits, which counts minor permits for re-roofs among them, calls for "Contractor's License Info & County Business License Info of Contractor OR Affidavit Form stating that the Applicant is not subject to licenser as a Contractor". The County's Owner / Agent Exemption Worksheet, which "Only applies to an applicant who is NOT a Virginia State Licensed Contractor", offers check boxes for the Section 54.1-1101 exemptions, including "The work consists of the construction, removal, repair, or improvement of my primary residence and I have not owned more than one primary residence in Virginia during the past 24 months." The County business licence (County Code Chapter 22, Article IV) is a general local business licence that reaches a "contractor subject to Code of Virginia (1950), § 58.1-3715"; it is a local tax registration, not a trade credential.
Permit process note
Virginia Construction Code Section 108.2 (2021 edition), as the County's Permit Requirements page reproduces it: "application for a permit and any related inspections shall not be required for the following; however, this section shall not be construed to exempt such activities from other applicable requirements of this code. In addition, when an owner or an owner's agent requests that a permit be issued for any of the following, then a permit shall be issued, and any related inspections shall be required." "14.5. Replacement of an unlimited amount of roof covering or siding in Group R-3, R-4, or R-5, provided the building or structure is not in an area where the nominal design wind speed is greater than 100 miles per hour (44.7 meters per second), and replacement of 100 square feet (9.29 m2) or less of roof covering in all groups and all wind zones." "14.6. Replacement of 256 square feet (23.78 m2) or less of roof decking in Group R-3, R-4, or R-5 unless the decking to be replaced was required at the time of original construction to be fire-retardant-treated or protected in some other way to form a fire-rated wall termination." Exceptions: "Application for a permit may be required by the building official for the installation of replacement siding, roofing, and windows in buildings within a historic district designated by a locality pursuant to Section 15.2-2306 of the Code of Virginia." and "Application for a permit may be required by the building official for any items exempted in this section that are located in a special flood hazard area." The County's codified text: County Code Section 18-2 provides that "No construction, alteration, addition, repair, demolition, removal, use, location, occupancy and maintenance of any building or structure regulated by Uniform Statewide Building Code shall be performed or occur until a permit has been issued and the payment of such fees then in effect.", and Appendix A, Section 3(e) (Ord. of 4-8-2026) says "No building permit shall be required for ordinary repairs including the replacement of the following with like materials: painting; roofing not exceeding 100 square feet;". The County's building permit application offers a "RE-ROOF" permit type, and its fee appendix prices a reroof: "Reroofing-Adding one Layer of Roofing Material to an Existing Roof .....$99.00". The County's exemption list names roofing only up to 100 square feet, a narrower line than item 14.5's unlimited replacement of roof covering on a house outside the areas the item's wind condition excludes, and the County publishes no nominal design wind speed (its pages give "Wind Load: 120-three second gust" and, on an older page, a "90 MPH Basic Wind Speed Zone") and no statement on whether a house reroof needs a permit, so this record does not say whether an ordinary reroof of a house needs a permit; ask the Building and Zoning Office (757-787-5721) before starting. Starting work that needs a permit without one costs an extra fee under the appendix: "For beginning construction prior to obtaining a building permit: First offense .....$116.00 Each offense thereafter .....$462.00". Apply online through the County's ACCESS Online Permit Portal; residential applications need current real estate taxes, the building application, the Owner's Consent Form if the owner does not live at the project address, and "Contractor's License Info & County Business License Info of Contractor OR Affidavit Form stating that the Applicant is not subject to licenser as a Contractor". The portal page adds: "All Captains Cove and Trails End roofing applications require approvals from them before a permit can be issued by the County." Permits in the Town of Chincoteague are issued by the Town's own Building and Zoning Office (757-336-6519), not by the County.
Inspection requirements
The Building and Zoning Office's Required Minimum Inspections page puts the request on the permit holder ("It shall be the responsibility of the permit holder or the permit holder's representative to notify the building department when the stages of construction requiring inspection are reached."), requires "A minimum 24 hours' notice" for all inspection requests, and says "Inspections will not be conducted unless the building permit card is posted conspicuously on site." Its list of minimum required inspections includes "Exterior Sheathing Fastening: Structural exterior wall and roof sheathing fastening, prior to covering with any concealing materials." and a final building inspection; "Failure to request any inspection will require the removal of any concealing materials to determine code compliance and will likely lead to sanctions against the contractors responsible." The list is written for new construction and does not say which stages apply to a reroof. Inspections are scheduled through the ACCESS Online Permit Portal; the fee appendix sets a $83.00 reinspection fee.
Adopted code
The 2021 Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code (13VAC5-63), effective January 18, 2024. For detached one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses, Section 310.6.1 of the Virginia Construction Code applies "The provisions of the IRC for detached one-family and two-family dwellings and townhouses as amended by VCC Section 310.8, also referred to as the Virginia Residential Code (VRC)"; work on existing buildings falls under Part II, the Virginia Existing Building Code, whose reroofing section reads "602.3.2.1 Reroofing. Materials and methods of application used for recovering or replacing an existing roof covering shall comply with Chapter 15 of the VCC, except as modified by Section 302.1 and this section." The statewide code supersedes local building codes (Code of Virginia Section 36-98: "Such building code shall supersede the building codes and regulations of the counties, municipalities and other political subdivisions and state agencies."). Accomack County Code Section 18-1 establishes the local building department "pursuant to the provisions of Code of Virginia, §§ 36-97 and 36-105, which shall have responsibility for the enforcement of the Uniform Statewide Building Code." The County's Model Codes Adopted page lists "2021 Virginia Construction Code", "2021 Virginia Residential Code" and "2021 Virginia Existing Building Code" among "the codes referenced by the Uniform Statewide Building Code". An older County page on wind-resistant construction still refers to "the referenced BOCA National Building Code and the CABO One and Two Family Dwelling Code". Chapter 18 of the County Code (Buildings and Building Regulations, codified through the ordinance of May 20, 2026), read in full, adds no technical roofing provision of its own.
Impact-resistant roofing
Not required — Virginia's statewide building code (13VAC5-63), which a county may not amend, carries no UL 2218 or Class 4 impact requirement for roof coverings in its Virginia amendments to the International Residential Code (Virginia Construction Code Section 310.8) or its existing-building reroofing rules. Accomack County Code Chapter 18 (Buildings and Building Regulations) and the County's fee appendix add none, and the Building and Zoning Office's Design Loads and Criteria and Wind-Resistant Construction Requirements pages set no impact rating; no UL 2218 or Class 4 impact requirement appears in the code the County enforces. Insurers may still offer discounts for impact-rated shingles; that is not a code requirement.
Repair permit threshold
Virginia Construction Code Section 108.2 (2021 edition), as the County's Permit Requirements page reproduces it: "application for a permit and any related inspections shall not be required for the following; however, this section shall not be construed to exempt such activities from other applicable requirements of this code. In addition, when an owner or an owner's agent requests that a permit be issued for any of the following, then a permit shall be issued, and any related inspections shall be required." "14.5. Replacement of an unlimited amount of roof covering or siding in Group R-3, R-4, or R-5, provided the building or structure is not in an area where the nominal design wind speed is greater than 100 miles per hour (44.7 meters per second), and replacement of 100 square feet (9.29 m2) or less of roof covering in all groups and all wind zones." "14.6. Replacement of 256 square feet (23.78 m2) or less of roof decking in Group R-3, R-4, or R-5 unless the decking to be replaced was required at the time of original construction to be fire-retardant-treated or protected in some other way to form a fire-rated wall termination." Exceptions: "Application for a permit may be required by the building official for the installation of replacement siding, roofing, and windows in buildings within a historic district designated by a locality pursuant to Section 15.2-2306 of the Code of Virginia." and "Application for a permit may be required by the building official for any items exempted in this section that are located in a special flood hazard area." The County's codified text: County Code Section 18-2 provides that "No construction, alteration, addition, repair, demolition, removal, use, location, occupancy and maintenance of any building or structure regulated by Uniform Statewide Building Code shall be performed or occur until a permit has been issued and the payment of such fees then in effect.", and Appendix A, Section 3(e) (Ord. of 4-8-2026) says "No building permit shall be required for ordinary repairs including the replacement of the following with like materials: painting; roofing not exceeding 100 square feet;" and adds that "Ordinary repairs do not include additions, alterations, replacement or relocation of plumbing, electrical or mechanical systems, or other work deemed by the building official to affect public health or general safety." The County's building permit application offers a "RE-ROOF" permit type, and its fee appendix prices a reroof: "Reroofing-Adding one Layer of Roofing Material to an Existing Roof .....$99.00"; other lines are "Remodeling and Alterations: .....Per square foot $0.31 Minimum Fee $139.00" for residential buildings and "For other work not specifically listed the following permit fees will apply: Residential .....$143.00", plus a 2% State Code Academy Surcharge. The County's exemption list names roofing only up to 100 square feet, a narrower line than item 14.5's unlimited replacement of roof covering on a house outside the areas the item's wind condition excludes, and the County publishes no nominal design wind speed (its pages give "Wind Load: 120-three second gust" and, on an older page, a "90 MPH Basic Wind Speed Zone") and no statement on whether a house reroof needs a permit, so this record does not say whether an ordinary reroof of a house needs a permit; ask the Building and Zoning Office (757-787-5721) before starting. Location branches: the County's zoning chapter lists its districts and overlay districts for the unincorporated area (Section 106-31) and names no historic district, while its Flood Hazard Overlay District says "All uses, activities, and development occurring within any floodplain district, including placement of manufactured homes, shall be undertaken only upon the issuance of a zoning permit." (Section 106-365(a)). For incorporated towns and two private communities the County says: "If you live in Captain's Cove, Trail's End or in an incorporated town, you should first apply to that entity for approval to build."
Wind design criteria
The Building and Zoning Office's Design Loads and Criteria page lists: "Wind Load: 120-three second gust"; "Seismic Zone: A1"; "Roof Snow Load: 20 PSF"; "Termite: Moderate to Heavy"; "Decay: Severe"; "Weathering: Severe"; "Frost Line Depth: 12 inches minimum"; "Winter Design Temperature: 20 degrees"; "Flood Hazards Adopted June 1, 1984 (New FEMA Panels May 1, 2015)". It does not say whether the 120 mph figure is an ultimate or a nominal design wind speed, and it gives no exposure, topographic, special wind region, windborne debris or ice barrier entry. A second County page, Wind-Resistant Construction Requirements, says "Being located along the Atlantic coastline, Accomack County is subject to many coastal storms, including hurricanes. This is evidenced by the County's inclusion in the 90 MPH Basic Wind Speed Zone as set forth in the referenced BOCA National Building Code and the CABO One and Two Family Dwelling Code." That page lists standards it says "will be strictly enforced" for "all wood residential and commercial structures built in Accomack County", among them "Approved metal high wind roof rafter-to-top plate tie downs fastened in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions are required at every connection to reduce uplift." and, for one- and two-family dwellings, "Shingles shall be installed as per the shingle manufacturer's printed instructions for a high wind zone." Confirm the design wind speed with the Building and Zoning Office (757-787-5721) before relying on it for a wind-rated installation.
Deck & sheathing requirements
No County ordinance on roof sheathing. Virginia's amendments to the International Residential Code (Virginia Construction Code Section 310.8, 13VAC5-63-210) do not amend the roof sheathing section (R803), and Accomack County Code Chapter 18 (Buildings and Building Regulations), read in full, adds no sheathing or decking provision, so the base 2021 IRC roof-sheathing provisions apply unmodified to work under the Virginia Residential Code. For reroofing an existing house, the Virginia Existing Building Code sends materials and methods to Chapter 15 of the Virginia Construction Code (602.3.2.1) and adds "602.3.2.2 Structural and construction loads. Structural roof components shall be capable of supporting the roof covering system and the material and equipment loads that will be encountered during installation of the systems." The Building and Zoning Office's own Wind-Resistant Construction Requirements page states that "Minimum fastening schedules for exterior wall and roof sheathing are 8d common nails fastened no more than 4 inches on center on edges and no more than 6 inches on center in the field." Permit line: the statewide rule exempts only "Replacement of 256 square feet (23.78 m2) or less of roof decking in Group R-3, R-4, or R-5" (Virginia Construction Code 108.2 item 14.6), so replacing more decking than that is permit work.
Fastening requirements
The Building and Zoning Office's Wind-Resistant Construction Requirements page states, for "all wood residential and commercial structures built in Accomack County": "Asphalt/fiberglass shingle roofing: For one and two-family dwellings: Shingles shall be installed as per the shingle manufacturer's printed instructions for a high wind zone." and "For commercial structures built under the BOCA Code: Shingles shall have a minimum of 6 fasteners per shingle section, placed in accordance with the shingle manufacturer's printed instructions." It adds that "Minimum fastening schedules for exterior wall and roof sheathing are 8d common nails fastened no more than 4 inches on center on edges and no more than 6 inches on center in the field." About roofing nails
Sales & use tax
5.3% general sales and use tax in Accomack County (Virginia Tax, "Sales Tax Rates by Locality" workbook, "Jan 2026 - Present" sheet: Accomack, code 51001, General Sales 0.053); Virginia Tax's sales and use tax page puts every locality outside its named regional groups at "5.3% Everywhere else". That is the 4.3% state tax and the 1% local option tax, which the County levies in Code Section 82-1: "Pursuant to Code of Virginia § 58.1-605, a local county general retail sales tax at the rate of one percent, to provide revenue for the general fund for the county, is levied." Food and personal hygiene items are taxed at 1%. Virginia treats the roofing contractor as the consumer of the materials: "Unless otherwise noted, the law treats every contractor as the user or consumer of all tangible personal property furnished to the contractor or by the contractor in connection with real property construction, reconstruction, installation, repair, and similar contracts" (23VAC10-210-410). So the roofer pays the tax on shingles and other materials when buying them; "The dealer (supplier) making the sale, distribution, or lease to or storage for such a contractor must collect the tax from the contractor." Repair and full replacement are treated alike.
More roof permit pages in Virginia
Alexandria, VARoof permit
Amherst County, VARoof permit
Arlington County, VARoof permit
Botetourt County, VARoof permit
Campbell County, VARoof permit
Roofing in VirginiaState hub
Related guides
Hail reports near the center of Accomack County, VA
- Reports, last 24 months
- 0
- Largest, last 24 months
- None
- Most recent
- None in 24 months
- Reports, last 5 years
- 2
| Date | Hail size | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 5, 2022 | 1.00 in | 4 mi SSE |
| Jun 17, 2022 | 1.00 in | 9 mi ENE |
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database and daily storm reports (reports since the start of the current year are preliminary), within 10 miles of the center of Accomack County, VA. Data through Sep 30, 2026. A report is an observation, not a damage record.
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Sources
- accomack.gov verified 2026-09-26
- accomack.gov verified 2026-09-26
- law.lis.virginia.gov verified 2026-09-26
- law.lis.virginia.gov verified 2026-09-26
- law.lis.virginia.gov verified 2026-09-26
- law.lis.virginia.gov verified 2026-09-26
- accomack.gov verified 2026-09-26
- accomack.gov verified 2026-09-26
- accomack.gov verified 2026-09-26
- library.municode.com verified 2026-09-26
- accomack.gov verified 2026-09-26
- dhcd.virginia.gov verified 2026-09-26
- library.municode.com verified 2026-09-26
- library.municode.com verified 2026-09-26
- accomack.gov verified 2026-09-26
- accomack.gov verified 2026-09-26
- accomack.gov verified 2026-09-26
- law.lis.virginia.gov verified 2026-09-26
- law.lis.virginia.gov verified 2026-09-26
- law.lis.virginia.gov verified 2026-09-26
- law.lis.virginia.gov verified 2026-09-26
- accomack.gov verified 2026-09-26
- library.municode.com verified 2026-09-26
- library.municode.com verified 2026-09-26
- accomack.gov verified 2026-09-26
- tax.virginia.gov verified 2026-09-26
- tax.virginia.gov verified 2026-09-26
- library.municode.com verified 2026-09-26
- law.lis.virginia.gov verified 2026-09-26