Home / Roofing by City / Virginia Beach, Virginia

Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Virginia Beach, VA, issued by City of Virginia Beach - Permits & Inspections Division. 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 Virginia Beach asks for a permit for every residential reroof, and state text reads differently. The City's Residential Building Permits page states "A building permit is required to build or alter a residential structure." and lists "Roofing or siding replacements" among the alterations requiring permits; Permits & Inspections publishes an "Application for Roofing and Siding Permit" (rev. Jul-2025) and a roofing and siding fee schedule, "$50.00 plus $5.00 per $1000 of construction value or fraction thereof". City Code Sec. 8-31(a) provides: "It shall be unlawful for any person to construct, enlarge, alter, repair or demolish any building or structure as defined in the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code without first obtaining a building permit therefor and paying the permit fees set forth in this section." The City's own Table R301.2(1), Climatic and Geographic Design Criteria, prints a wind speed of 120 mph without saying whether it is a nominal or an ultimate design wind speed; if it is a nominal speed, the item 14.5 exemption does not reach houses in Virginia Beach at all. 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 the City's demand or the state exemption prevails. In practice, the City's Permits & Inspections Division is the office that issues permits and inspects in Virginia Beach, and it lists roofing replacement as permit work: apply before the job starts, or ask the Division in writing ([email protected], 757-385-4211) whether a particular reroof needs a permit. Permits are applied for online through the City's Accela portal (Permits & Inspections online permitting service) or at Permits & Inspections, Building 3, Municipal Center, 2403 Courthouse Drive, Virginia Beach, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For alterations "such as siding, roofing, etc." the Residential Building Permits page asks for "the total contract value (if a building contractor is obtaining the permit(; or the approximate cost of materials (if the homeowner is obtaining the permit)", plus "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)." The roofing and siding application asks for the contractor's State Registration # and a scope box: "Roof to be a nail-over with only one layer of roofing existing", "Existing roofing to be removed and replaced with new materials", or "Fire retardant treated plywood addressed in attached dwelling units". Fees: "$50.00 plus $5.00 per $1000 of construction value or fraction thereof"; "A 2% State Levy will be assessed on the permit fees listed above."; "A $10.00 Technology Fee is assessed on all permits." Where someone other than the owner or a licensed contractor applies for the owner, the City requires a notarized Affidavit of Permit Authorization and "strongly suggests that the contractor be the party to secure the necessary permit(s)". City Code Sec. 8-31(c)(14) adds "an administrative fee of two hundred fifty dollars ($250.00)" to the fee due when work requiring a permit "is commenced before a permit is secured and fee paid for same". This hub aggregates roofing permit and contractor-registration requirements for Virginia Beach, Virginia, along with sourced roofing material references — every fact linked to its directory record.