Permitting Authorities / City of Hampton - Community Development Department, Development Services Center
Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Hampton, VA?
Adopted code
City of Hampton - Community Development Department, Development Services Center
No, Hampton, VA does not require a permit for like-for-like roof replacement (City of Hampton - Community Development Department, Development Services Center). No permit for a reroof of a house in Hampton, on the City's own statements and the statewide exemption, with limits to check first. The City of Hampton applies that exemption to houses in its own words. Its Re-Roof permit page says: "Re-roof permits are no longer required for residential projects. Commercial buildings still require a permit for re-roof work; please call 757-728-2444 for more information." Its Residential permits page says: "Re-roofing and re-siding on residential homes no longer require a building permit in Hampton." Its "Do I Need a Permit?" page lists "Resident re-roofing and re-siding" under "You DO NOT need a permit for:". Virginia's statewide building code reads: "108.2 Exemptions from application for permit. Notwithstanding the requirements of Section 108.1, 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. 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 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: 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 § 15.2-2306 of the Code of Virginia. 2. 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." (Virginia Construction Code Section 108.2, 13VAC5-63-80.) The general permit rule is state text too: Section 108.1 says "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". Neither that section nor the City's own code names roof work either way: City Code Chapter 9, Building and Development Regulations, read in full (Articles I through VIII, codified through Ordinance No. 26-0001, adopted January 28, 2026), adopts the Uniform Statewide Building Code in Sec. 9-26 and sets permit fees in Secs. 9-41 through 9-45, and neither those fee sections nor the City's published fee listing ("Updated Permit Fees, Effective July 1st, 2020") carries a roofing fee line. The no-permit answer is the City's stated practice under the state exemption; this record does not decide whether it is also the City's reading of the exemption's wind-speed condition. The City's Residential Design Criteria sheet prints "Wind speed 115" with no unit and without saying whether it is a nominal or an ultimate design wind speed; if it were a nominal speed, item 14.5 would not reach houses in Hampton on its own terms. This record does not convert one kind of speed into the other, and the answer here rests on the City's own statements. Replacing more than 256 square feet of roof decking is outside item 14.6, and a building official may still require a permit for a reroof in a locally designated historic district or in a special flood hazard area under the two Exceptions quoted above; call the Development Services Center (757-728-2444) before starting in either. An owner may always ask for a permit, and "a permit shall be issued and any related inspections shall be required." The work must still meet the code without a permit. City Code Sec. 9-42 provides: "Beginning work without first obtaining the necessary permit shall result in a fee of fifty dollars ($50.00)." Where a permit is needed, applications go through the City's Online Permits & Inspections Center or by email to [email protected], or in person at the Development Services Center, 3rd floor of City Hall, 22 Lincoln St., 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday; inspections are scheduled through the Citizen Contact Center at 3-1-1 (landline) or 757-727-8311. The Permits Center page says: "To obtain a permit, you must be the landowner / agent or a state and local licensed contractor." City Code Sec. 9-41(c) adds that "Each and every permit issued under this division shall incur a $10.00 technology surcharge.".
Roof code checklist: Hampton, VA
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
City of Hampton, Virginia
Address
22 Lincoln Street, 3rd Floor, City Hall, Hampton, VA 23669
Contact
- url: https://www.hampton.gov/447/Permits-Center
- phone: 757-728-2444
- email: [email protected]
Roofing permit required
Not required
Contractor registration required
Required
Registration details
- state_level: Virginia licenses contractors through the Board for Contractors. Code of Virginia 54.1-1100, as amended by 2025 Acts ch. 127, reads: "'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." Class B and Class A licences cover larger contracts. 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). Code of Virginia 54.1-1101 A 7 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. Pages giving a $10,000 floor for a Class C licence predate the 2025 amendment.
- city_level: The City sets no contractor licence, bond or examination of its own. Its Permits Center page says: "To obtain a permit, you must be the landowner / agent or a state and local licensed contractor." It reprints the state Class A, B and C thresholds, including "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", and says: "Visit the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation website for information about all licensed contractors. For more information, call the State Board for Contractors at 804-367-8511." The City's permit forms include an Owner / Agent Exemption Worksheet for applicants who are not state-licensed contractors. A local business licence is a tax registration, not a contractor credential. Because an ordinary residential reroof needs no permit in Hampton, the permit counter does not check a roofer's licence on that job; the state licence requirement applies to the contract either way.
Permit process note
No permit for a reroof of a house in Hampton, on the City's own statements and the statewide exemption, with limits to check first. The City of Hampton applies that exemption to houses in its own words. Its Re-Roof permit page says: "Re-roof permits are no longer required for residential projects. Commercial buildings still require a permit for re-roof work; please call 757-728-2444 for more information." Its Residential permits page says: "Re-roofing and re-siding on residential homes no longer require a building permit in Hampton." Its "Do I Need a Permit?" page lists "Resident re-roofing and re-siding" under "You DO NOT need a permit for:". Virginia's statewide building code reads: "108.2 Exemptions from application for permit. Notwithstanding the requirements of Section 108.1, 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. 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 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: 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 § 15.2-2306 of the Code of Virginia. 2. 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." (Virginia Construction Code Section 108.2, 13VAC5-63-80.) The general permit rule is state text too: Section 108.1 says "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". Neither that section nor the City's own code names roof work either way: City Code Chapter 9, Building and Development Regulations, read in full (Articles I through VIII, codified through Ordinance No. 26-0001, adopted January 28, 2026), adopts the Uniform Statewide Building Code in Sec. 9-26 and sets permit fees in Secs. 9-41 through 9-45, and neither those fee sections nor the City's published fee listing ("Updated Permit Fees, Effective July 1st, 2020") carries a roofing fee line. The no-permit answer is the City's stated practice under the state exemption; this record does not decide whether it is also the City's reading of the exemption's wind-speed condition. The City's Residential Design Criteria sheet prints "Wind speed 115" with no unit and without saying whether it is a nominal or an ultimate design wind speed; if it were a nominal speed, item 14.5 would not reach houses in Hampton on its own terms. This record does not convert one kind of speed into the other, and the answer here rests on the City's own statements. Replacing more than 256 square feet of roof decking is outside item 14.6, and a building official may still require a permit for a reroof in a locally designated historic district or in a special flood hazard area under the two Exceptions quoted above; call the Development Services Center (757-728-2444) before starting in either. An owner may always ask for a permit, and "a permit shall be issued and any related inspections shall be required." The work must still meet the code without a permit. City Code Sec. 9-42 provides: "Beginning work without first obtaining the necessary permit shall result in a fee of fifty dollars ($50.00)." Where a permit is needed, applications go through the City's Online Permits & Inspections Center or by email to
[email protected], or in person at the Development Services Center, 3rd floor of City Hall, 22 Lincoln St., 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday; inspections are scheduled through the Citizen Contact Center at 3-1-1 (landline) or 757-727-8311. The Permits Center page says: "To obtain a permit, you must be the landowner / agent or a state and local licensed contractor." City Code Sec. 9-41(c) adds that "Each and every permit issued under this division shall incur a $10.00 technology surcharge."
Inspection requirements
The City's Building Permit Inspection Checklist lists, in order: Footing; Plumbing/Electrical slab work; Slab; Foundation; Strapping and nailing of exterior walls; electrical, plumbing and mechanical rough-in; Framing; Above ceiling (commercial only); Insulation; electrical, plumbing and mechanical finals; and "Final building inspection – After all work and all other inspections have been completed and approved". It has no roofing stage. "For specific questions, contact Hampton’s 311 and ask to speak with the Building Inspector for your area." Inspections are scheduled through the Citizen Contact Center at 3-1-1 (landline) or 757-727-8311. City Code Sec. 9-42(b) sets a "Reinspection fee, each .....$50.00".
Adopted code
City Code Sec. 9-26(a) adopts "the Uniform Statewide Building Code (\"building code\"), including the Virginia Construction Code, Virginia Existing Building Code, Virginia Maintenance Code, and all other codes, regulations, and standards referenced in the building code, as amended". The edition in force is the 2021 Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code (13VAC5-63), effective January 18, 2024. For detached one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses, its Virginia Construction Code Section 310.6.1 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 the Virginia Existing Building Code, whose Section 602.3.2.1 reads: "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." Virginia law provides that the Uniform Statewide Building Code "shall supersede the building codes and regulations of the counties, municipalities and other political subdivisions and state agencies" (Code of Virginia 36-98), so a Virginia locality enforces the state code and does not write its own technical amendments. City Code Chapter 9, Building and Development Regulations, read in full (Articles I through VIII, codified through Ordinance No. 26-0001, adopted January 28, 2026), carries the adoption clause, the building official's appointment, permit and inspection fees, the housing improvement program, rooming houses and rental inspection districts, and no technical roofing provision. The City's Residential Design Criteria sheet gives the local design values "for buildings constructed in accordance with the Virginia Residential Code."
Ice & water shield
Not required — The City's Residential Design Criteria sheet prints "No" for "Ice barrier underlayment required". Virginia's amendments to the IRC in the 2021 Virginia Residential Code (VCC Section 310.8) contain no ice-barrier provision, and City Code Chapter 9 contains none. Manufacturer instructions may still call for it.
About ice & water barrierMid-roof inspection
Not required — An ordinary residential reroof needs no permit in Hampton (see the permit note), so no inspection is scheduled for it. The City's Building Permit Inspection Checklist runs from Footing through Final building inspection and names no roofing, underlayment or roof-sheathing stage. If an owner asks for a permit, Virginia's code says "a permit shall be issued and any related inspections shall be required", and the City sets them on that permit.
Impact-resistant roofing
Not required — Neither City Code Chapter 9 (which adopts the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code by reference in Sec. 9-26) nor Virginia's amendments to the IRC in the 2021 Virginia Residential Code (VCC Section 310.8) amend the roof-covering impact provisions, and the City's Residential Design Criteria sheet and permit pages carry none; no UL 2218 or Class 4 impact requirement appears in the City's adopted code or its amendments.
Repair permit threshold
Virginia's statewide building code reads: "108.2 Exemptions from application for permit. Notwithstanding the requirements of Section 108.1, 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. 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 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: 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 § 15.2-2306 of the Code of Virginia. 2. 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." (Virginia Construction Code Section 108.2, 13VAC5-63-80.) The City of Hampton applies that exemption to houses in its own words. Its Re-Roof permit page says: "Re-roof permits are no longer required for residential projects. Commercial buildings still require a permit for re-roof work; please call 757-728-2444 for more information." Its Residential permits page says: "Re-roofing and re-siding on residential homes no longer require a building permit in Hampton." Its "Do I Need a Permit?" page lists "Resident re-roofing and re-siding" under "You DO NOT need a permit for:". The general permit rule is state text too: Section 108.1 says "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". Neither that section nor the City's own code names roof work either way: City Code Chapter 9, Building and Development Regulations, read in full (Articles I through VIII, codified through Ordinance No. 26-0001, adopted January 28, 2026), adopts the Uniform Statewide Building Code in Sec. 9-26 and sets permit fees in Secs. 9-41 through 9-45, and neither those fee sections nor the City's published fee listing ("Updated Permit Fees, Effective July 1st, 2020") carries a roofing fee line. The no-permit answer is the City's stated practice under the state exemption; this record does not decide whether it is also the City's reading of the exemption's wind-speed condition. The City's Residential Design Criteria sheet prints "Wind speed 115" with no unit and without saying whether it is a nominal or an ultimate design wind speed; if it were a nominal speed, item 14.5 would not reach houses in Hampton on its own terms. This record does not convert one kind of speed into the other, and the answer here rests on the City's own statements. Replacing more than 256 square feet of roof decking is outside item 14.6, and a building official may still require a permit for a reroof in a locally designated historic district or in a special flood hazard area under the two Exceptions quoted above; call the Development Services Center (757-728-2444) before starting in either. An owner may always ask for a permit, and "a permit shall be issued and any related inspections shall be required." The work must still meet the code without a permit. City Code Sec. 9-42 provides: "Beginning work without first obtaining the necessary permit shall result in a fee of fifty dollars ($50.00)." Commercial reroofs still need a permit in Hampton, per the Re-Roof page quoted above.
Wind design criteria
The City's Residential Design Criteria sheet (Hampton Development Services, linked as "Hampton Design Criteria" from the Permits Center page), for "buildings constructed in accordance with the Virginia Residential Code", prints: Ground snow load 15 PSF; Wind speed 115; Seismic design category A; Weathering Severe; Frost line depth 12 IN; Termite Moderate to heavy; Winter design temperature 22ºF; Ice barrier underlayment required No; Flood hazards May 16, 2016; Air freezing index 150; Mean annual temperature 59ºF. The sheet gives no unit for the wind speed and does not say whether it is a nominal or an ultimate design wind speed, and it has no entries for wind exposure, special wind region or windborne debris region. For other buildings it points to Chapter 16 of the Virginia Construction Code.
Deck & sheathing requirements
Virginia's amendments to the IRC in the 2021 Virginia Residential Code (VCC Section 310.8) make no change to the IRC's roof sheathing section (R803), and City Code Chapter 9, read in full, contains no roof-sheathing provision, so no Virginia or City text adds to the base sheathing provisions. For permits, state law exempts "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" (Virginia Construction Code 108.2, item 14.6); replacing more decking than that is permit work even where the reroof itself is not.
Sales & use tax
6.0% general sales and use tax in the City of Hampton, per Virginia Tax's "Sales and Use Tax Rates by Locality" workbook, "January 1, 2026 - Present" sheet (Hampton, code 51650, General Sales 0.06). That is 4.3% state tax (Code of Virginia 58.1-603) plus 1% local tax (58.1-605) plus 0.7%; the workbook notes that "An additional Regional State Sales and Use Tax of 0.7% for localities in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads went into effect on July 1, 2013". Virginia treats a roofing contractor as the consumer of its materials: "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 when buying materials and does not charge sales tax on the job. Repair and replacement are treated alike.
Local roofing hub
More roof permit pages in Virginia
Related guides
The Development Services Center of the City of Hampton Community Development Department takes building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permit applications and schedules inspections in the City of Hampton, an independent city. The City enforces the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code.
Hail reports near Hampton, VA
- Reports, last 24 months
- 2
- Largest, last 24 months
- 1.25 in Jun 14, 2026
- Most recent
- Aug 10, 2026 1.00 in
- Reports, last 5 years
- 5
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 Hampton, VA (Census point). Data through Sep 30, 2026. A report is an observation, not a damage record.
Working an insurance claim in Hampton, 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).
Code items like ice & water shield are what adjusters ask you to document.
Buy this jurisdiction's pack: $12 Delivered by email within minutes.
Questions about the Hampton, VA pack?
Not ready to buy, or need a different jurisdiction? Tell us and we’ll reply directly.