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

Roofing questions: Wise County, VA

When does a roof repair need a permit in Wise 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"). Wise County's Building & Zoning Department has not published a statement on whether a residential reroof needs a permit, and its pages and code print no design wind speed, so the exemption's 100 mph nominal wind-speed condition is not answered by anything the County publishes. What the County does say, on its Permits & Fees page: "A Building Permit is required for any new construction, enlargement or major renovation of a structure within the County including but not limited to the following:", and the list that follows includes "Structural Alterations to Any Existing Buildings" and "Any Interior/Exterior Work Involving Utility Replacement". Under "Projects That Don't Require a Building Permit" it lists "General maintenance work", "Insulation and storm doors and windows", "Painting" and "Repair of porches, steps, or walks". Neither list names roofing or re-roofing. Its fee schedule has no roofing line; it lists "Residential Remodel: $0.08 per square foot with a min. of $40" and, as fee exemptions, "Churches; local, state, and federal agencies; farm use; ordinary repairs", and adds "An additional 2% levy fee also applies." County Code Section 5-27 makes it unlawful "to build, remodel or add to a structure without the proper building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits, as required by the code adopted by section 5-25", and Section 5-28(a) of the codified text (through an amendment of May 9, 2019) says "Any work with a value of less than one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) shall not require a fee for a building permit." The County's floodplain page says "Much of Wise County is in the Floodplain" and "The Building and Zoning Department can determine if the property is in the floodplain or not", so the special flood hazard area exception may apply to a given property.

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

Yes.

What building code does Wise 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."). Wise County's Building & Zoning page states "Enforcement of the provisions of the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code (VaUSBC) shall be the responsibility of the local building department (Sec. 36-105 VAC). We currently enforce the 2021 VaUSBC for all buildings and structures, existing or new, in the towns of St. Paul, Coeburn, Pound, Wise, Appalachia, Big Stone Gap, and the unincorporated areas of Wise County. (The City of Norton has their own Building and Zoning Department.)" County Code Section 5-25 adopts "the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, as adopted and promulgated by the Virginia Board of Housing and Community Development and as hereafter amended from time to time." Article II of Chapter 5 (Building Code, Sections 5-21 through 5-35), read in full, adds no technical roofing provision of its own. The County's online code is codified through an amendment of May 9, 2019 (Supplement 19); it still defines use groups by "the 1981 BOCA Basic Building Code" (Section 5-22) and its Section 5-41 (Ord. No. 1-2019) adopts "the Virginia Property Maintenance Code, 2015, Part III of the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code". The County's page above is its current statement of the edition it enforces.

Is a mid-roof inspection required in Wise County, VA?

No. Wise County publishes no roofing inspection. Its Building & Zoning page says "There are 7 minimum required inspections:" and lists the footer inspection, the temporary electrical service inspection, reinforced concrete beams or columns and slabs, rough-in for framing, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical, required insulating materials before covering up, the new electrical service inspection, and the final inspection; none is a roofing, roof-covering, underlayment or sheathing inspection. The seven called inspections printed on its Building Permit Application likewise run from footings to final inspection. If an owner asks for a permit for a reroof, the statewide rule says "any related inspections shall be required", and the County sets them on that permit.