Article II – Building Construction
Article II – Building Construction
[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Supervisors of Appomattox County 7-5-2006 (Ch. 51 of the 1993 Code). Amendments noted where applicable.]
§ 19.2-1 Office of Building Inspections; enforcement of State Building Code.
A. There is hereby established an Office of Building Inspections within the Department of Community Development, whose responsibility is to enforce the provisions of the 2018 Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code. The Building Official may use at his/her discretion, for the purpose of reference material, any and all materials incorporated by reference into, or provisions that supersede the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, including the 2018 International Building Code, Appendix Q of the 2018 International Residential Code, and the 2017 National Electrical Code.
B. Cost of the enforcement thereof shall be defrayed through the levying of fees by the Office of Building Inspections and as provided in § 36-105, Code of Virginia, as amended.
§ 19.2-2 Permit required; issuance; display.
A. No person shall commence the construction, enlargement, alteration or demolition of any building or structure or part or parts thereof located in the County or make other changes which are regulated by the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code until there shall have first been obtained from the Building Official a permit, in writing, signed by such Official or his authorized agent.
(1) In the event that any construction, alteration, repairs, or other work requiring a permit is commenced before said permit is secured and the fee paid for the same, a fee of $50 shall be added to the original fee and paid at the time the permit is issued. Payment of such fee shall in no manner relieve the violator of any legal prosecution.
(2) Once a permit is obtained, all necessary steps to ensure the work was performed to meet code will be required. These steps will be determined by the Building Official.
B. The Building Official shall issue each such permit, when the same is required, to every person who shall apply therefor and describe with reasonable certainty the kind and the character of the work to be done and the estimated cost thereof, and each permit shall state the matter so described.
C. Such permits when issued shall be prominently displayed at the site of the construction, repair or improvements so as to be available for inspection by agents of the Board of Supervisors, the Building Official, the Sheriff and other County law enforcement agencies.
(1) At the time of the first inspection, if the permit is not displayed, there will be no further inspections performed until this is done.
(2) If at the second inspection the permit is not displayed there will be a fee of $25 charged.
§ 19.2-3 Fees; exceptions to permit requirement; term of permit.
A. No permit to begin work for new construction or other building repair or renovation, alteration, addition, removal, demolition, use or maintenance shall be issued until the fees prescribed in this section have been paid. No work is to commence prior to the issuance of the permit unless approved by the Office of Building Inspections. The fees shall be affixed at the following rates:
Type | Per Square Foot (psf) Charge* | Minimum Charge | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Accessory structure (stick built) | $0.15 | $75 | |||
Addition, commercial | $0.18 | $150 | |||
Addition, residential | $0.18 | $100 | |||
Alterations | $0.18 | $75 | |||
Antennas/towers | $100 | ||||
Chimney | $75 | ||||
Commercial construction | $0.18 | $150 | |||
Demolition | $50 | ||||
Electric | $50 | ||||
Farm use | No charge | ||||
Fire Protection Systems | $100 | ||||
General use | $50 | ||||
Mechanical | $50 | ||||
Mobile home, single-wide | $100 | ||||
Mobile home, double-wide | $150 | ||||
Modular home | $0.18 | $100 | |||
Plumbing | $50 | ||||
Pool, in-ground | $100 | ||||
Refund | $30 | ||||
Reinspection | $25 | ||||
Reopen a closed permit | $50 | ||||
Reprint of existing permit | $25 | ||||
Residential Finished(stick built) | $0.18 | $150 | |||
Residential Unfinished(stick built) | $0.15 | $100 | |||
Two Trades Combined | $75 | ||||
Three Trades Combined | $100 | ||||
Utility-Scale Solar Farm | $650.00/MW | ||||
NOTES: | |||||
* | All projects will be priced on a per square foot basis where applicable. If the fee calculation is less than the minimum charge, then the minimum charge will apply; if greater than the minimum charge, then the fee will be as calculated per square foot. If no per square foot charge is shown, then the minimum charge applies. | ||||
** | A two-percent state levy fee will be added to the total of all permits. |
B. Farm construction. An application must be filled out but no permit is required and no inspections will be made on farm buildings, unless more than 10 people would be employed.
C. Nothing in this regulation shall be construed to exempt anyone from obtaining the required permit where such work is regulated by the Uniform Statewide Building Code. No fee shall be charged for new construction or alterations to an existing structure where the value of the structural work only does not exceed $1,500 or the structure is not over 200 square feet, provided that, in the opinion of the Building Official, such does not alter the structural integrity of an existing building or otherwise conflict with the general meaning and purpose of the Uniform Statewide Building Code.
D. No permit is required for replacement heating and appliance units, provided that there is no change in load and they are not operated by gas or oil. Heating units operated by gas or oil require a mechanical permit; fees shown in chart.
E. A permit will become null and void if construction work is not started within six months of the date the permit is issued or if construction is abandoned for any six-month period. At this time the permit will be moved to the closed status in the Office of Building Inspections and will be held for a period of three years. During the three-year period the permit may be reopened by paying the fee prescribed in the fee schedule in Subsection A of this section plus the state levy fee. After three years all documentation will be destroyed, and before work may continue a new permit must be obtained and all necessary fees must be paid. If a permit is reopened, all work to be performed must be done under the code edition in effect at the time of reissuance.
§ 19.2-4 Contractors.
No person, firm or corporation shall conduct the business of building construction, electrical installations, HVAC, gas fitter, plumbing installation or elevator installations in the County unless and until such person, firm or corporation is licensed or certified in accordance with Title 54.1, Chapter 11, Code of Virginia.
§ 19.2-5 Board of Building Code Appeals.
A. The owner of a building or structure or any other person aggrieved by a decision of the Building Official may appeal to the Board of Building Code Appeals from a decision of the Building Official refusing to grant a modification of the provisions of the Uniform Statewide Building Code covering the manner of construction or materials to be used in the erection, alteration or repair of a building or structure.
B. Application for appeal may be made when it is claimed that the true intent of the Uniform Statewide Building Code or the rules legally adopted thereunder has been incorrectly interpreted, the provision of the Uniform Statewide Building Code does not fully apply or an equally good or better form of construction can be used.
C. The members of the Board of Building Code Appeals shall be appointed and operate in conformance with the Virginia Uniform Building Code. Compensation shall be determined from time to time by the Board of Supervisors.
§ 19.2-6 Enforcement; violations and penalties.
It shall be the responsibility and duty of the Building Official to enforce the provisions of the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code and the building regulations adopted by the State Board of Housing and Community Development, and any violation of this chapter shall be a misdemeanor and shall be punishable as set forth in Chapter 6, Title 36, of the Code of Virginia.