Roofing in Portsmouth, Virginia

Required

City Code Sec. 7-96 adopts the "Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code," with "the accumulative supplements thereto and the amendments thereto", as the building code of the City. 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. The City's Department of Permits and Inspections states that its Building Inspection Division "is responsible for administration and enforcement of the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code (VUSBC)", and the climatic and geographic design criteria table on its forms list is headed "2021 VRC Effective 1-18-2024". City Code Chapter 7, Buildings and Building Regulations, read in full (Articles I through III, codified through Ordinance No. 2026-13, enacted February 10, 2026), carries the adoption clause, contractor registration and bonds, the Department of Permits and Inspections, permit and inspection fees, the fire limits and the local board of building code appeals, and no technical roofing provision.

Virginia Construction Code Section 108.2 (13VAC5-63-80), quoted in full in this record's repair permit threshold, exempts replacement of roof covering on a house from permit application "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 its exceptions let the building official require an application in a designated historic district or a special flood hazard area. By the Department's own statements, a reroof in a regulated flood hazard zone or in one of the City's historic districts needs a permit. "The Truxtun, Cradock, Port Norfolk, Olde Towne, and Park View Historic Districts are established and continued as shown on the City’s Zoning Map", and in them "New development, rehabilitation, or redevelopment within a historic district requires approval of a Certificate of Appropriateness, COA, (in addition to any other required permits)" (the City's Historic Districts page); the Permit Needed page adds that design review districts in "Olde Towne, Downtown, Port Norfolk, Park View, Cradock, and Truxtun require review and approval of exterior alterations by the appropriate reviewing authorities" (Planning Department, 757-393-8836). The City of Portsmouth's Department of Permits and Inspections publishes statements that do not agree with one another on whether an ordinary residential reroof needs a permit. Its Permit Needed page lists, among work for which "Building permit applications are required", "Installation, alteration, replacement, or repair of exterior building facades, components, or elements, including but not limited to roofing and siding finish materials, and doors and windows located in historic districts"; lists "Minor and ordinary repair, excluding work defined below." among its exemptions from permit application; and states "Exemptions do not apply in regulated flood hazard zones. All construction, addition, alteration, demolition, repair, or replacement located in regulated flood hazard zones require permits." and "Exceptions do not apply in regulated historic districts. All construction, addition, alteration, demolition, repair, or replacement located in regulated historic districts require permits." The Department's Permit Requirements and Guidelines, listed among the City's Permits & Inspection Forms, names "roofing or siding replacements" among the "Alterations (commercial or residential)" for which building permits are required, and under "When is a Permit NOT required?" lists "Roofing or siding work done on single family homes, duplexes, or townhomes outside the flood zone or designated historic districts". A one-page sheet on the same forms list, titled When is a building permit required?, which does not print the City's name, marks roof replacement as needing a permit. The City's climatic and geographic design criteria table prints a wind speed of 120 mph without saying whether it is a nominal or an ultimate design wind speed, so it does not settle whether the item 14.5 exemption reaches houses in Portsmouth; this record does not convert one kind of speed into the other. 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). This record does not decide whether an ordinary reroof in Portsmouth needs a permit. Before a reroof starts, ask the Department in writing or call the Building Division at 757-393-8531. Where a permit is taken: "All building, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing permits may be obtained at the Department of Permits and Inspections counter on the fourth floor of the City Hall Building", 801 Crawford Street, Portsmouth, open "Monday through Friday between the hours of 8 am and 5 pm"; "Check and credit cards are the only methods of payment currently accepted." (Where To Apply page). The City's Permits & Inspections page also links an online "Apply for Construction Permits" form and a "Schedule Construction Inspections" form. For "other alterations (i.e. siding, roofing, etc.)" the Department's Permit Requirements and Guidelines ask for the total contract value from a building contractor or the approximate cost of materials from a homeowner, and "Additionally, an asbestos exemption form filled out completely with property owner's name and address, and signature of contractor's representative (if contractor doing work) or property owner's signature (if owner doing work)". "If a homeowner obtains a permit for work done by a contractor, a “Homeowner’s Affidavit” must be completed and notarized prior to permit issuance." Fees are set in City Code Appendix A under Use Group T, "Alterations, Repairs, Private Piers, Bulkheads, Pools, Walls, Bay Windows, Dormers, Roofing, Siding, Commercial Interior Finish, Miscellaneous Structures": "The minimum fee shall be $50.00."; "For a valuation up to $4,999.00 the fee shall be $20.00 per $1,000.00 or fraction thereof."; from $5,000.00 to $19,999.00, "$100.00 for the first $5,000.00 plus $10.00 for each additional $1,000.00 or fraction thereof"; from $20,000.00 to $99,999.00, "$250.00 for the first $20,000.00 plus $5.00 for each additional $1,000.00 or fraction thereof". City Code Sec. 7-142 adds the state levy for the Virginia Building Code Academy, and Appendix A sets a $50.00 reinspection fee and a $150.00 "Administrative fee for failure to obtain permit; inspection, certificate of occupancy".