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

Roofing questions: Hanover County, VA

When does a roof repair need a permit in Hanover 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 ... 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"). Whether a house falls inside item 14.5 turns on the nominal design wind speed where it stands. Hanover County publishes its residential design wind speed only as an ultimate figure ("Vult = 115" mph in its residential climate and geographic data table), not as the nominal figure item 14.5 uses, and the two are different bases; the County has published no statement of its own on whether a residential reroof needs a permit. Nothing the County has published settles whether an ordinary reroof here falls inside the exemption; call the Building Inspector's Office at 804-365-6040 before starting. Replacing more than 256 square feet of roof decking is outside item 14.6. The County's permit submittal page, under Residential Alteration, says "A completed asbestos certification form is required for renovation, demolition and reroofing work performed on structures built prior to January 1, 1985."; the County's certification form lists "The building is a single-family dwelling." among its exemption reasons. Where a permit is issued, the County's fee resolution of September 12, 2025 sets a $99.75 building permit fee for residential additions, alterations, sheds, garages and similar residential structures, and adds an $89.25 investigative fee when the building official discovers unauthorized work commenced before a permit application has been approved. The fee resolution has no roofing line.

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

Yes.

What building code does Hanover County, VA use?

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 Hanover County Code adopts it: "The Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, Parts I and II, shall control all matters concerning the construction of all buildings and structures within the county and the procedures for the administration and enforcement of such standards" (Sec. 6-16(a)). The County's Building Inspections page states "The Governor's Office has signed into law the 2021 Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, effective January 18, 2024. Beginning on that date, permits for construction throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia must comply with the 2021 Edition, except that applicants may choose to use the 2018 Edition during a one-year grace period." and that the office "is responsible for the enforcement of the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code (VUSBC) in Hanover County, Virginia and the Town of Ashland, Virginia." Chapter 6 of the County Code (Buildings and Construction Regulations), read in full, adds no technical roofing provision of its own.