Permitting Authorities / Chesterfield County - Building Inspection Department
Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Chesterfield County, VA?
Adopted codeChesterfield County - Building Inspection Department
No, Chesterfield County, VA does not require a permit for like-for-like roof replacement (Chesterfield County - Building Inspection Department). No permit for an ordinary shingle reroof of a single-family home, on the County's own statement and the statewide rule, with limits a roofer must check first. The County lists "re-roofing/shingles" among "Residential Projects that Do Not Require a Permit" and says "The following information pertains to single-family dwellings only. It does not pertain to apartments or condominiums, which are commercial projects." 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, and the County requires a permit for repairs to "any structural element of the house", rafters included. 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 publishes its residential design wind speed only as an ultimate figure (115 mph), not as the nominal figure item 14.5 uses, so the no-permit answer here rests on the County's own statement rather than on a converted wind speed. The work must meet the code with or without a permit ("While a permit is not required, the work must be in compliance with the code."). Where a permit is needed, the property owner, a licensed contractor or the owner's agent applies through the County's ELM portal; the County's inspection line is 804-751-4444 and its office line for questions is 804-748-1057. Skipping a required permit adds a Code Investigation Fee of the greater of 25% of the permit fee or $57.00.
Roof code checklist: Chesterfield County, VA
| Item | Answer | Code cite | Source | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Permit to replace a roof | No | chesterfield.gov | 2026-09-26 | |
| Repair permit threshold | Published | chesterfield.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 | No | chesterfield.gov | 2026-09-26 | |
| Impact-resistant (Class 4) roofing | No | law.lis.virginia.gov | 2026-09-26 | |
| Wind design criteria | Published | chesterfield.gov | 2026-09-26 | |
| Adopted code | Published | Sec. 310.6.1 | chesterfield.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
Chesterfield County, Virginia
Jurisdiction type
county
Address
9800 Government Center Parkway, Chesterfield, VA 23832
Contact
- url: https://www.chesterfield.gov/223/Building-Inspection
- phone: 804-751-4990
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"; the County's permit application prints its own summary of that exemption and a sworn checkbox for applicants who claim it. Some older pages give a $10,000 floor for Class C; that figure predates the 2025 amendment.
- county_level: Chesterfield County adds no contractor licence of its own. Its Residential Construction page says "The contractor must have a valid business license from a Virginia locality for jobs valued at $25,000 or less. For jobs valued at more than $25,000, the contractor must have a valid Chesterfield County Business License." The County's residential permit application asks for the contractor's "DPOR LICENSE #" and puts the business-licence test as "If the amount of business done by the contractor in Chesterfield County exceeds $25,000 YTD, a Chesterfield County Business license is required." A business licence is a local tax registration, not a trade credential. The page also tells homeowners to check a contractor's state licence through the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) at 804-367-8500.
Permit process note
No permit for an ordinary shingle reroof of a single-family home, on the County's own statement and the statewide rule, with limits a roofer must check first. The County lists "re-roofing/shingles" among "Residential Projects that Do Not Require a Permit" and says "The following information pertains to single-family dwellings only. It does not pertain to apartments or condominiums, which are commercial projects." 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, and the County requires a permit for repairs to "any structural element of the house", rafters included. 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 publishes its residential design wind speed only as an ultimate figure (115 mph), not as the nominal figure item 14.5 uses, so the no-permit answer here rests on the County's own statement rather than on a converted wind speed. The work must meet the code with or without a permit ("While a permit is not required, the work must be in compliance with the code."). Where a permit is needed, the property owner, a licensed contractor or the owner's agent applies through the County's ELM portal; the County's inspection line is 804-751-4444 and its office line for questions is 804-748-1057. Skipping a required permit adds a Code Investigation Fee of the greater of 25% of the permit fee or $57.00.
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 ... 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."), and the County Code's Chapter 5 applies it: "The Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code shall apply to all buildings and structures which are constructed, altered, repaired or converted in use and to all equipment associated with such buildings and structures." (Sec. 5-1). The County's own pages state "Chesterfield County is currently enforcing the 2021 code edition of the Virginia Library of Building Codes" and "The Virginia Construction Code 2021 edition becomes mandatory for all projects with a permit application date on or after Jan. 18, 2025." Chapter 5 of the County Code (Buildings), read in full, adds no technical roofing provision of its own.
Mid-roof inspection
Not required — Chesterfield County publishes no roofing inspection. Its list of inspection types for the automated scheduling line (804-751-4444, last revised 11/5/2024) names structural inspections from Footing through Ceiling Grid Structural and no roofing, underlayment or sheathing stage, and its table of required inspections for building and structural projects has no roofing project row. An ordinary single-family reroof needs no permit and so no inspection; if an owner asks for a permit, the statewide rule says "any related inspections shall be required", and the County sets them on that permit.
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. Chesterfield County's Chapter 5 (Buildings), its residential permit and inspection pages, and its December 2024 summary of significant changes in the 2021 Virginia Residential Code 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"). Chesterfield County's Building Inspection Department applies it to single-family homes in its own words: under "Residential Projects that Do Not Require a Permit" it says "The building code allows work to be done without obtaining a permit. While a permit is not required, the work must be in compliance with the code. The following information pertains to single-family dwellings only. It does not pertain to apartments or condominiums, which are commercial projects." and lists among its examples "Repairing drywall, plaster, siding, re-roofing/shingles, etc." Its residential requirements page likewise says the Code excludes "ordinary repairs (such as replacing cabinetry, kitchen appliances (except gas equipment), electrical switches, electric water heaters, reroofing, etc.)" and to "Call the Building Inspection office at 804-748-1057 if you are in doubt." The County still requires a permit for "Repairing, altering, enlarging or modifying any structural element of the house, including: Any damaged structural element, such as load bearing stud walls, columns, piers, footings, foundations, floor joists, rafters, beams or girders." Replacing more than 256 square feet of roof decking, or any rafter or other structural member, is therefore permit work. The County's published residential fee schedule has no roofing line, and charges a Code Investigation Fee of "the greater of 25% of permit fee, or $57.00" for "failure to obtain a required permit prior to performing construction."
Wind design criteria
Chesterfield County publishes its own local design criteria (Building Inspection, Commercial Construction page, under "Local Design Load Criteria and Ultimate Wind Speed"): "Ground Snow Load: Per ASCE 7-22"; "Frost Depth: 18 in. (45.7 cm.)"; Ultimate Wind Speed (V ult) "Risk Category I: 105 MPH (47 m/s)", "Risk Category II and Residential: 115 MPH (51 m/s)", "Risk Category III: 120 MPH (54 m/s)". The 115 mph residential figure is an ULTIMATE design wind speed; the County states no nominal (allowable-stress) figure, and the two are different bases, so do not compare 115 mph directly with the 100 mph nominal-speed line in the statewide reroof permit exemption. The County says projects "must comply with the current building code and the local design criteria."
Deck & sheathing requirements
No county-specific 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 Chesterfield County's Chapter 5 (Buildings), 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: replacing more than 256 square feet of roof decking on a house needs a permit (Virginia Construction Code 108.2 item 14.6), and the County requires a permit for repairs to rafters and other structural elements.
Sales & use tax
6.0% general sales and use tax in Chesterfield County (Virginia Tax, "Sales Tax Rates by Locality" workbook, "January 1, 2026 - Present" sheet: Chesterfield, code 51041, General Sales 0.06). That is the 4.3% state tax (Code of Virginia Section 58.1-603), the 1% local option tax (Section 58.1-605) and the 0.70% regional tax of Section 58.1-603.1; Virginia Tax's rates page lists Chesterfield in the 6% Central Virginia 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
Christiansburg, VARoof permit
Danville, VARoof permit
Dinwiddie County, VARoof permit
Fairfax County, VARoof permit
Fairfax, VARoof permit
Roofing in VirginiaState hub
Related guides
The Building Inspection Department of Chesterfield County, Virginia, enforces the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code and issues residential and commercial building permits and inspections in the county, through the Enterprise Land Management (ELM) online portal and its Government Center office.
Hail reports near the center of Chesterfield County, VA
- Reports, last 24 months
- 4
- Largest, last 24 months
- 1.00 in May 5, 2025
- Most recent
- May 5, 2025 1.00 in
- Reports, last 5 years
- 14
| Date | Hail size | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| May 5, 2025 | 1.00 in | 7 mi NE |
| May 5, 2025 | 1.00 in | 8 mi NNE |
| Apr 14, 2025 | 1.00 in | 8 mi WSW |
| Apr 14, 2025 | 1.00 in | 4 mi WNW |
| Jun 16, 2023 | 1.50 in | 5 mi WNW |
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 Chesterfield County, VA. Data through Sep 30, 2026. A report is an observation, not a damage record.
Working an insurance claim in Chesterfield County, VA? Everything on this page (drip edge, ice & water shield, inspections, Class 4 rules) formatted as a claim-ready evidence pack: verbatim ordinance quotes, code section cites, verification dates, and official source links, ready to attach to a supplement. See a real sample pack (PDF, 4 pages, free).
Buy this jurisdiction's pack: $12 Delivered by email within minutes.
Questions about the Chesterfield County, VA pack?
Not ready to buy, or need a different jurisdiction? Tell us and we’ll reply directly.
Sources
- chesterfield.gov verified 2026-09-26
- chesterfield.gov 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
- chesterfield.gov verified 2026-09-26
- chesterfield.gov verified 2026-09-26
- chesterfield.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
- chesterfield.gov verified 2026-09-26
- chesterfield.gov verified 2026-09-26
- law.lis.virginia.gov verified 2026-09-26
- chesterfield.gov verified 2026-09-26
- chesterfield.gov 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
- chesterfield.gov verified 2026-09-26
- law.lis.virginia.gov verified 2026-09-26