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Permitting Authorities / Greene County - Building Inspections Department

Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Greene County, VA?

Adopted code

Greene County - Building Inspections Department

The Building Inspections Department of Greene County, Virginia, which its own page says "handles all the county’s building code and building permit issues," from its office at 40 Celt Road in Stanardsville. It takes permit applications by email or in person, schedules inspections by phone, and posts a monthly list of the permits it issues, including permits at addresses in Stanardsville.

Roof code checklist: Greene County, VA

ItemAnswerCode citeSourceVerified
Permit to replace a roofNot published
Repair permit thresholdPublishedgreenecountyva.gov2026-09-30
Layer limit / roof-overNot published
Deck & sheathingPublishedR803law.lis.virginia.gov2026-09-30
Drip edgeNot published
Ice & water shieldNogreenecountyva.gov2026-09-30
Mid-roof inspectionNot published
Impact-resistant (Class 4) roofingNolaw.lis.virginia.gov2026-09-30
Wind design criteriaPublishedgreenecountyva.gov2026-09-30
Adopted codePublishedSec. 310.6.1greenecountyva.gov2026-09-30
Contractor license / registrationYeslaw.lis.virginia.gov2026-09-30
Sales & use taxPublishedSec. 58.1-603tax.virginia.gov2026-09-30

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
Greene County, Virginia
Jurisdiction type
county
Address
40 Celt Road (Room 226), Stanardsville, VA 22973
Contact
  • url: https://www.greenecountyva.gov/164/Building-Inspections
  • phone: 434-985-5204
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"; this record does not decide whether any reader is inside that exemption. Some older pages give a $10,000 floor for Class C; that figure predates the 2025 amendment.
  • county_level: Greene County adds no contractor licence of its own. Its Building Inspections checklists ask for "A copy of the contractor’s Virginia state license" and for "A copy of contractor’s Greene County business license", say "Owner can act as own general contractor", and the permit application’s affidavit reads "I understand that state law prohibits illegal contracting. All contractors need a state and county license." The county licence is the business licence tax of Chapter 22 of the County Code: Section 22-157 sets "an annual license tax of $.12 per $100.00 of gross receipts" for every contractor, and Section 22-46 has a contractor exhibit that county licence when applying for a permit. A business licence is a local tax registration, not a trade credential. The Commissioner of Revenue answers business licence questions at 434-985-5211. The County’s Contractor Tips page says "Contractor licenses are obtained through the state" and points to the state Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation for checking a licence.
Permit process note
The permit answer for an ordinary house reroof in Greene County rests on the statewide rule; the County pages, application packets and fee schedule read do not address reroofing. 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 Group R-3, R-4 or R-5" (with a fire-retardant-treated decking carve-out), so more decking than that is permit work. 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 exemption does not relax the code itself ("this section shall not be construed to exempt such activities from other applicable requirements of this code"). The County’s Building Design Criteria sheet gives only an ultimate wind speed of 115 mph, not the nominal speed item 14.5 turns on, and the County documents read do not say whether a house reroof needs a permit, so this record states the state rule and does not turn it into a yes or a no for a particular house. The County’s general statement is "State law requires a building permit for most residential and commercial construction projects." The County’s application packets have no roofing work-type box. As of the County page read on September 30, 2026, its online Civic Portal submission option is on hold (effective December 1, 2025), and the County asks that the completed application and every item on the submittal checklist be emailed to the department or brought to its office at 40 Celt Road (Room 226), Stanardsville; payment can be by check, cash or the County’s online payment link. The department asks for inspections at least 48 hours ahead, by phone at 434-985-5204. Working without a required permit can cost up to double the permit fee, at the Building Official’s discretion, with a $100 minimum penalty fee.
Adopted code
The 2021 Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code (13VAC5-63), effective January 18, 2024 under the Virginia Administrative Code’s history note. 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."). Greene County Code Section 18-1 provides "Volume I of the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, as now or hereafter revised or amended, is hereby adopted as if set out at length in this section." The County’s Building Inspections page states "Effective January 18, 2025, the 2021 Uniform State Building Code will be enforced as the only code effective in the Commonwealth of Virginia," a date one year later than the state history note gives. The County’s Building Design Criteria sheet, updated May 31, 2023 and still posted on its website when read, lists "2018 Virginia Uniform State Building Codes" and "2018 ICC Code materials and other standards referenced by 2018 USBC"; that sheet predates the 2021 edition and is not listed among the Helpful Documents on the County’s Building Inspections page. Chapter 18 of the County Code (Sections 18-1 through 18-4, read in full) adds no technical roofing provision of its own.
Ice & water shield
Not required — Greene County’s Building Design Criteria sheet answers the ice barrier question in one line: "Ice and Water Shield is not required." The sheet is headed "Building Design Criteria for County of Greene", is dated "Updated: May 31, 2023", and is posted on the County’s website; it lists the 2018 Virginia Uniform State Building Codes, an older edition than the 2021 code the County now says it enforces, and it is not listed among the Helpful Documents on the County’s Building Inspections page. A manufacturer’s installation instructions may still call for an ice barrier. About ice & water barrier
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. Greene County’s Chapter 18 (Buildings and Building Regulations, Sections 18-1 through 18-4, read in full), its Building Design Criteria sheet, its Building Inspections pages and its 2025 fee schedule 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; 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." Item 14 is "Ordinary repairs that include the following", and item 14.5 reads "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 reads "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 has 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." Greene County states no wind speed on the nominal basis that item 14.5 uses. Its Building Design Criteria sheet (updated May 31, 2023) prints "Ultimate wind speed: 115 mph", which is a different basis, and this record does not convert one basis to the other; whether a given house sits in an area where the nominal design wind speed is greater than 100 miles per hour is therefore not something the County’s published figures settle. The County documents read do not address reroofing. Its Building Inspections page says "The Inspections Department handles all the county’s building code and building permit issues. State law requires a building permit for most residential and commercial construction projects." Its "When is a permit needed?" answer repeats the state rule ("a permit shall be obtained prior to the commencement of any of the following activities ... Construction or demolition of a building or structure, including the installation or altering of any equipment regulated by the USBC") and lists decks, sheds, garages, carports, oversized tents, gas installations, basement finishing, chimneys, generators, demolition, porch or deck enclosures and "remodeling a structure" as needing a building and zoning permit, with "Residential accessory storage structures 256 square feet or less" exempt. Its residential permit application packets, submittal checklists and 2025 fee schedule (each read in full) do not name roofing, reroofing or roof covering: the application’s work-type boxes are New Residence, New Commercial, Addition/Deck/Porch/Ramp, Remodel, Garage/Shed/Accessory Bldg., Barn, Pool, Mobile home, Generator/Solar, Duplex/Apartments, Electrical, Mechanical, Plumbing and Other, and the fee schedule prices "ADDITIONS/REMODEL/REPAIR" by finished square footage ($0.48 per square foot, $300 minimum) with no roofing line. The County Code’s building chapter (Chapter 18, four sections, read in full) adopts the state code and adds no permit exemption or roofing provision. The table of contents of the County’s zoning ordinance (Appendix C to the County Code, Articles 1 through 22) lists conservation, agricultural, residential, business, industrial, floodplain, sign and other districts and no historic district; the County Code also has a flood damage prevention article (Chapter 46, Article II) that applies to land the Federal Insurance Administration identifies as being in the 100-year floodplain; the two Exceptions above are the building official’s call for those locations. Starting work without a required permit is priced on the County’s fee schedule: "Working w/o a Permit = up to double Permit fee at CBO discretion with $100 min penalty fee." The Building Inspections office is at 434-985-5204.
Wind design criteria
Greene County’s Building Design Criteria sheet ("Building Design Criteria for County of Greene", County of Greene Department of Building Inspections, 40 Celt Rd, Stanardsville; "Updated: May 31, 2023") prints these design values: Frost Depth 18 inches; Seismic category B; "Ultimate wind speed: 115 mph"; Ground snow load 30 pounds per square foot; Soil Presumptive Load Bearing Values 1,500 psf; "Ice and Water Shield is not required." The sheet states one wind speed, with no map or zones, and labels it an ultimate design wind speed, not a nominal one, so do not compare it directly with the 100 mph nominal-speed line in the statewide reroof permit exemption. The sheet is headed "2018 Virginia Uniform State Building Codes" and "2018 ICC Code materials and other standards referenced by 2018 USBC", which is an older edition than the 2021 code the County now says it enforces. It is a one-page list, not a printout of Table R301.2(1), and it is not listed among the Helpful Documents on the County’s Building Inspections page.
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 Greene County’s Chapter 18 (Buildings and Building Regulations, Sections 18-1 through 18-4, 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). Permit line: replacing more than 256 square feet of roof decking on a house is outside the statewide permit exemption (Virginia Construction Code 108.2 item 14.6).
Sales & use tax
5.3% general sales and use tax in Greene County (Virginia Tax, "Sales Tax Rates by Locality" workbook, "January 1, 2026 - Present" sheet: Greene, code 51079, 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); the sheet shows no regional or school-tax add-on for Greene. 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 repair and full replacement are treated alike.

More roof permit pages in Virginia

Halifax County, VARoof permit Hampton, VARoof permit Hanover County, VARoof permit Harrisonburg, VARoof permit Henrico County, VARoof permit Roofing in VirginiaState hub

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Denver-Metro Roofing Permits Filing a Hail Insurance Claim Colorado Hail Season Prep Hiring a Contractor

Hail reports near the center of Greene County, VA

Reports, last 24 months
1
Largest, last 24 months
1.00 in May 15, 2025
Most recent
May 15, 2025 1.00 in
Reports, last 5 years
6
5 most recent reports, last 5 years
DateHail sizeDistance
May 15, 20251.00 in2 mi NNW
Apr 15, 20241.25 in9 mi SE
Aug 7, 20232.50 in10 mi S
Aug 7, 20231.75 in7 mi S
Aug 7, 20231.75 in9 mi S

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 Greene County, VA. Data through Sep 30, 2026. A report is an observation, not a damage record.

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Sources

Roofing questions: Greene County, VA

When does a roof repair need a permit in Greene County, VA?

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; 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." Item 14 is "Ordinary repairs that include the following", and item 14.5 reads "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 reads "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 has 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." Greene County states no wind speed on the nominal basis that item 14.5 uses. Its Building Design Criteria sheet (updated May 31, 2023) prints "Ultimate wind speed: 115 mph", which is a different basis, and this record does not convert one basis to the other; whether a given house sits in an area where the nominal design wind speed is greater than 100 miles per hour is therefore not something the County’s published figures settle. The County documents read do not address reroofing. Its Building Inspections page says "The Inspections Department handles all the county’s building code and building permit issues. State law requires a building permit for most residential and commercial construction projects." Its "When is a permit needed?" answer repeats the state rule ("a permit shall be obtained prior to the commencement of any of the following activities ... Construction or demolition of a building or structure, including the installation or altering of any equipment regulated by the USBC") and lists decks, sheds, garages, carports, oversized tents, gas installations, basement finishing, chimneys, generators, demolition, porch or deck enclosures and "remodeling a structure" as needing a building and zoning permit, with "Residential accessory storage structures 256 square feet or less" exempt. Its residential permit application packets, submittal checklists and 2025 fee schedule (each read in full) do not name roofing, reroofing or roof covering: the application’s work-type boxes are New Residence, New Commercial, Addition/Deck/Porch/Ramp, Remodel, Garage/Shed/Accessory Bldg., Barn, Pool, Mobile home, Generator/Solar, Duplex/Apartments, Electrical, Mechanical, Plumbing and Other, and the fee schedule prices "ADDITIONS/REMODEL/REPAIR" by finished square footage ($0.48 per square foot, $300 minimum) with no roofing line. The County Code’s building chapter (Chapter 18, four sections, read in full) adopts the state code and adds no permit exemption or roofing provision. The table of contents of the County’s zoning ordinance (Appendix C to the County Code, Articles 1 through 22) lists conservation, agricultural, residential, business, industrial, floodplain, sign and other districts and no historic district; the County Code also has a flood damage prevention article (Chapter 46, Article II) that applies to land the Federal Insurance Administration identifies as being in the 100-year floodplain; the two Exceptions above are the building official’s call for those locations. Starting work without a required permit is priced on the County’s fee schedule: "Working w/o a Permit = up to double Permit fee at CBO discretion with $100 min penalty fee." The Building Inspections office is at 434-985-5204.

Is ice & water shield required in Greene County, VA?

No. Greene County’s Building Design Criteria sheet answers the ice barrier question in one line: "Ice and Water Shield is not required." The sheet is headed "Building Design Criteria for County of Greene", is dated "Updated: May 31, 2023", and is posted on the County’s website; it lists the 2018 Virginia Uniform State Building Codes, an older edition than the 2021 code the County now says it enforces, and it is not listed among the Helpful Documents on the County’s Building Inspections page. A manufacturer’s installation instructions may still call for an ice barrier.

Do roofing contractors need a license or registration in Greene County, VA?

Yes.

What building code does Greene County, VA use?

The 2021 Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code (13VAC5-63), effective January 18, 2024 under the Virginia Administrative Code’s history note. 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."). Greene County Code Section 18-1 provides "Volume I of the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, as now or hereafter revised or amended, is hereby adopted as if set out at length in this section." The County’s Building Inspections page states "Effective January 18, 2025, the 2021 Uniform State Building Code will be enforced as the only code effective in the Commonwealth of Virginia," a date one year later than the state history note gives. The County’s Building Design Criteria sheet, updated May 31, 2023 and still posted on its website when read, lists "2018 Virginia Uniform State Building Codes" and "2018 ICC Code materials and other standards referenced by 2018 USBC"; that sheet predates the 2021 edition and is not listed among the Helpful Documents on the County’s Building Inspections page. Chapter 18 of the County Code (Sections 18-1 through 18-4, read in full) adds no technical roofing provision of its own.