Permitting Authorities / Amherst County - Building Safety & Inspections
Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Amherst County, VA?
Adopted codeAmherst County - Building Safety & Inspections
No, Amherst County, VA does not require a permit for like-for-like roof replacement (Amherst County - Building Safety & Inspections). No permit for an ordinary reroof of a house, on the County's own statement and the statewide rule, with limits a roofer must check first. The County's Building Permits page lists "Residential reroofing" among "Some projects not requiring a permit". The statewide rule behind it, Virginia Construction Code Section 108.2 item 14.5, exempts "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 m 2 ) or less of roof covering in all groups and all wind zones." Item 14.6 exempts only "Replacement of 256 square feet (23.78 m 2 ) or less of roof decking" in those groups, so replacing more decking than that falls outside the exemption. Two exceptions let the building official require a permit: "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 "for any items exempted in this section which are located in a special flood hazard area." An owner may always ask for one: "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." The County's Design Criteria sheet prints "Wind Speed 115 miles per hour" without saying whether that is a nominal or an ultimate figure, so the no-permit answer here rests on the County's own statement rather than on the wind-speed test in item 14.5; the County's page itself points to the 2018 edition of the statewide code for the full exemption list. Neither the County Code nor its fee schedule names roof work, so the no-permit line is the department's stated practice; this record does not decide whether it is the department's reading of item 14.5. Call Building Safety & Inspections (434-946-9302) if in doubt. Where a permit is needed, "All building permits and applications are on the County's iWork system", the County issues one blanket permit ("Amherst County issues blanket permits. We do not require separate permits per trade."), an owner doing the work under the owner exemption submits an "Owner Builder Permit Statement", inspections are requested "by 5 pm the day before", "A 2% State Levy Tax will be added to ALL permits", and "Working without a permit" costs $100.00 under the County's fee schedule.
Roof code checklist: Amherst County, VA
| Item | Answer | Code cite | Source | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Permit to replace a roof | No | amherstcountyva.gov | 2026-09-26 | |
| Repair permit threshold | Published | amherstcountyva.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 | 1785256335_74943.pdf | 2026-09-26 | |
| Adopted code | Published | Sec. 310.6.1 | law.lis.virginia.gov | 2026-09-26 |
| Contractor license / registration | Yes | law.lis.virginia.gov | 2026-09-26 | |
| Sales & use tax | Published | Sec. 58.1-603 | 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
Amherst County, Virginia
Jurisdiction type
county
Address
153 Washington Street, Amherst, VA 24521
Contact
- url: https://www.amherstcountyva.gov/217/Building-Safety-Inspections
- phone: 434-946-9302
Permit portal
Roofing permit required
Not required
Contractor registration required
Required
Registration details
- state_level: Virginia licenses contractors through the Board for Contractors (DPOR). 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. Roofing work is licensed under the Board's classifications and specialties, including the "Roofing contracting" (ROC) specialty of 18VAC50-22-30. Section 54.1-1111 makes anyone applying for a building permit furnish "either (i) 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 (ii) 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 chapter does not apply to "7. 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".
- county_level: Amherst County adds no contractor licence of its own. County Code Sec. 4-152(b) makes it "the duty of every contractor who makes contracts for the erection or construction or repair or demolition of buildings or structures for which a permit is required or subletting the same or any part thereof, to comply with licensing requirements as specified by the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation." Sec. 4-152(a) says nothing in the article prevents "any homeowner from construction, repair, or improvements on his own residence or a residence of his immediate family, provided he does the work himself or with his own employees, and he complies with the requirements of Code of Virginia, §§ 54.1-1100 and 54.1-1101 and signs an owner/builder affidavit as provided by the building official when obtaining a permit." The County's Owner Builder Permit Disclosure Statement says "property owners must personally appear before the Building Official and read and sign this Disclosure Statement", and its Building Permit Process page asks for that statement "if acting as owner builder (not a licensed contractor with DPOR, and working under owner exemption)". The online building permit application says "Contractors with expired licenses are not eligible to submit this form." Sec. 4-152(c) adds that "All contractors working in the county shall apply for and obtain a business license"; that is a local business licence, not a trade credential.
Permit process note
No permit for an ordinary reroof of a house, on the County's own statement and the statewide rule, with limits a roofer must check first. The County's Building Permits page lists "Residential reroofing" among "Some projects not requiring a permit". The statewide rule behind it, Virginia Construction Code Section 108.2 item 14.5, exempts "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 m 2 ) or less of roof covering in all groups and all wind zones." Item 14.6 exempts only "Replacement of 256 square feet (23.78 m 2 ) or less of roof decking" in those groups, so replacing more decking than that falls outside the exemption. Two exceptions let the building official require a permit: "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 "for any items exempted in this section which are located in a special flood hazard area." An owner may always ask for one: "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." The County's Design Criteria sheet prints "Wind Speed 115 miles per hour" without saying whether that is a nominal or an ultimate figure, so the no-permit answer here rests on the County's own statement rather than on the wind-speed test in item 14.5; the County's page itself points to the 2018 edition of the statewide code for the full exemption list. Neither the County Code nor its fee schedule names roof work, so the no-permit line is the department's stated practice; this record does not decide whether it is the department's reading of item 14.5. Call Building Safety & Inspections (434-946-9302) if in doubt. Where a permit is needed, "All building permits and applications are on the County's iWork system", the County issues one blanket permit ("Amherst County issues blanket permits. We do not require separate permits per trade."), an owner doing the work under the owner exemption submits an "Owner Builder Permit Statement", inspections are requested "by 5 pm the day before", "A 2% State Levy Tax will be added to ALL permits", and "Working without a permit" costs $100.00 under the County's fee schedule.
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."). Amherst County Code Sec. 4-147 adopts the statewide code by reference without naming an edition ("the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, Part I, The Virginia Construction Code; Part II, The Virginia Rehabilitation Code; Part III, The Virginia Maintenance Code") and adds that "all future editions of the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code and all amendments thereto are hereby adopted and incorporated into the County Code"; the 2021 statewide code titles its Part II the "Virginia Existing Building Code". The County's Building Safety and Inspections "Design Criteria" sheet lists "Current Code Cycles: 2021 VCC, 2021 VRC, 2021 VSFP, and 2020 NEC." The County's Building Permits page still points readers to "the 2018 Virginia Construction Code" for the complete list of permit exemptions. Chapter 4 of the County Code (Building Regulations), 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). Amherst County's Chapter 4 (Building Regulations), its Design Criteria sheet and its building permit pages add none; 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
Statewide permit exemption, Virginia Construction Code Section 108.2 (2021 edition): "application for a permit and any related inspections shall not be required for the following ... 14. Ordinary repairs that include the following: ... 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 m 2 ) or less of roof covering in all groups and all wind zones. 14.6. Replacement of 256 square feet (23.78 m 2 ) 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 or original construction to be fire-retardant-treated or protected in some other way to form a fire-rated wall termination." The same section's two Exceptions: "1. 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 "2. Application for a permit may be required by the building official for any items exempted in this section which are located in a special flood hazard area." The owner keeps the right to a permit: "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." The exemption does not relax the code itself ("this section shall not be construed to exempt such activities from other applicable requirements of this code"). Amherst County's Building Permits page applies the exemption to houses in its own words: "Not all work requires a building permit. Some projects not requiring a permit are:" followed by "Residential reroofing" and "Residential exterior siding", and then "For a complete list of projects that are exempt from permits, view the 2018 Virginia Construction Code." The page names no wind-speed, decking or layer condition. The general permit rule is the statewide one (Virginia Construction Code Section 108.1: "Application for a permit shall be made to the building official and a permit shall be obtained prior to the commencement of any of the following activities"); Chapter 4 of the County Code, read in full, has no permit clause or roofing rule of its own. The County's Permit Fee Schedule (updated September 2022) has no roofing line; work that does need a permit is charged under "Alterations/Repairs/Renovations" at "0.75% of cost of job", with a "Minimum Permit Fee" of $30.00, "Working without a permit" $100.00, and "A 2% State Levy Tax will be added to ALL permits". Location branches: the County's zoning ordinance includes an "FH Flood Hazard District", and its building permit application asks "Is the property in a Flood Zone?"; the list of the County's eleven zoning districts (Sec. 501) names no historic district.
Wind design criteria
Amherst County publishes its own design criteria (Building Safety and Inspections, "Design Criteria", headed with the County Administration Building address, 153 Washington Street, Amherst): Ground Snow Load "30# per square foot"; Wind Speed "115 miles per hour"; Seismic Design Category "B"; Subject to Damage From Weathering "Severe to Moderate", Frost Line Depth "18 inches", Termite "Moderate to Heavy"; Winter Design Temperature "20 Degrees F."; Air Freezing Index "300"; Mean Annual Temperature "56 Degrees F."; "Current Code Cycles: 2021 VCC, 2021 VRC, 2021 VSFP, and 2020 NEC." The sheet does not say whether the 115 mph figure is a nominal (allowable-stress) or an ultimate design wind speed, and the two are different bases, so do not compare it directly with the 100 mph nominal-speed line in the statewide reroof permit exemption. The sheet gives no ice barrier entry.
Deck & sheathing requirements
No county-specific sheathing rule. 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 Amherst County's Chapter 4 (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." Permit line: the statewide rule exempts replacing 256 square feet or less of roof decking on a house (Virginia Construction Code 108.2 item 14.6).
Sales & use tax
5.3% general sales and use tax in Amherst County (Virginia Tax, "Sales Tax Rates by Locality" workbook, "January 1, 2026 - Present" sheet: Amherst, code 51009, General Sales 0.053). That is the 4.3% state tax (Code of Virginia Section 58.1-603) and the 1% local option tax (Section 58.1-605); Virginia Tax's rates page lists no regional or local add-on for Amherst County, which falls in its 5.3% "Everywhere else" group. Food and personal hygiene items are taxed at 1% statewide. 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 and "does not pass the sales or use tax on to anyone else as a tax"; "If a supplier of a contractor doing work in Virginia does not collect the Virginia tax from the contractor, the contractor will be liable for the use tax on the contractor's purchases from the supplier." Repair and full replacement are treated alike. Local rate changes take effect only on the first day of a calendar quarter.
More roof permit pages in Virginia
Arlington County, VARoof permit
Botetourt County, VARoof permit
Campbell County, VARoof permit
Caroline County, VARoof permit
Charlottesville, VARoof permit
Roofing in VirginiaState hub
Related guides
Building Safety & Inspections is the Amherst County, Virginia department that enforces the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, issuing building permits and performing inspections from the County Administration Building in Amherst. It takes permit applications through the County's iWorQ citizen portal. The Town of Amherst's own building page says the Amherst County Building Official issues building permits and performs inspections for the Town as well.
Hail reports near the center of Amherst County, VA
- Reports, last 24 months
- 2
- Largest, last 24 months
- 1.75 in May 27, 2026
- Most recent
- May 27, 2026 1.75 in
- Reports, last 5 years
- 5
| Date | Hail size | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| May 27, 2026 | 1.75 in | 8 mi SSE |
| Dec 31, 2024 | 0.88 in | 8 mi E |
| Jun 26, 2023 | 1.50 in | 8 mi E |
| Jun 26, 2023 | 1.00 in | 8 mi E |
| May 22, 2022 | 1.00 in | 5 mi WSW |
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 Amherst County, VA. Data through Sep 30, 2026. A report is an observation, not a damage record.
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Sources
- amherstcountyva.gov verified 2026-09-26
- amherstcountyva.gov verified 2026-09-26
- countyofamherst.com verified 2026-09-26
- dhcd.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
- law.lis.virginia.gov verified 2026-09-26
- library.municode.com verified 2026-09-26
- amherstcountyva.gov verified 2026-09-26
- amherstcountyva.gov verified 2026-09-26
- amherst.portal.iworq.net verified 2026-09-26
- countyofamherst.com verified 2026-09-26
- amherst.portal.iworq.net verified 2026-09-26
- amherstcountyva.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
- library.municode.com verified 2026-09-26
- law.lis.virginia.gov verified 2026-09-26
- library.municode.com verified 2026-09-26
- library.municode.com verified 2026-09-26
- tax.virginia.gov verified 2026-09-26
- tax.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