Building permits in Loudoun County, Virginia
Of the 13 common home projects we have verified in Loudoun County, 7 need a permit outright and 5 depend on size or scope. Click any project for the full rule, fee, and how to apply.
By Mario Bailey Last checked · 1 official source
Verified against official sources- Project types verified
- 13
- in Loudoun County
One thing Loudoun County does not make you permit
Worth knowing before you call anyone. Most jurisdictions we cover require all of these.
- Fence Permit
No permit required for this work.
Loudoun County Department of Building and Development
- 1 Harrison Street SE, Leesburg, VA 20175
- Phone: (703) 777-0220
- Official permit page
- Permit portal
- Official fee schedule
Look up a permit in Loudoun County
Loudoun County permit records are public, and you can check a property's permit history online.
What needs a permit in Loudoun County
Of the 13 common home projects we have verified in Loudoun County, 7 need a permit outright and 5 depend on size or scope. Click any project for the full rule, fee, and how to apply.
| Project | Permit needed? | Threshold | Typical fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bathroom Remodel Permit | It depends | Cosmetic and like-for-like work is exempt in Virginia | ...residential alteration: building permit fee is 1% of construction cost plus a $130... |
| Deck Permit | Permit required | Any size | ...design) deck under 1,000 sq ft outside an incorporated town is a flat $265 covering... |
| Electrical Permit | Permit required | Any size | ...or relocating fixtures, receptacles or circuits in a 1 or 2 family dwelling is... |
| EV Charger Permit | Permit required | Any size | ...home charger circuit files under the standard residential Electrical Permit at $70... |
| Fence Permit | No permit needed | Exempt | Typical residential fences are exempt from the Zoning Permit requirement so no fee applies |
| HVAC Permit | Permit required | Any size | ...central heating or air conditioning equipment in a 1 or 2 family dwelling is $70... |
| Patio Permit | It depends | on-grade concrete or paver patios need no building permit; a permit is required for covered patios, patio covers, or slabs designed to support a future structure | Not published |
| Plumbing Permit | Permit required | Any size | ...replacing or relocating plumbing equipment in a 1 or 2 family dwelling is... |
| Pool Permit | Permit required | Any size | Flat $260 covers both the county building and zoning permit fees for a residential pool... |
| Roof Replacement Permit | It depends | permit required if replacing more than 256 sq ft of roof decking or making structural changes or changing roofing materials | reroofing bills as a residential alteration at 1% of construction cost plus a $130 plan... |
| Shed Permit | It depends | under 256 sq ft requires zoning permit only; 256 sq ft or larger requires a building permit in addition to zoning permit | Zoning-only permit is $165 |
| Solar Permit | Permit required | Any size | Building permit fee is $230 and electrical permit fee is $70 for rooftop systems |
| Water Heater Permit | It depends | A gas or oil fired water heater replacement requires a permit in Virginia: USBC Section... | install or replacement bills under the standard Plumbing Permit at $70 for 1 and 2... |
Planning a project in Loudoun County?
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Schedule an inspection in Loudoun County
Permitted work is not finished until it passes inspection. Inspections are requested through the LandMARC portal, explained on this page.
Schedule or request a Loudoun County inspection
When the portal will not take the date you need, the office still books by phone: (703) 777-0220.
Checked . If the office has changed its process, report it.
Loudoun County permit fees compared with nearby Virginia localities
| Virginia locality | Deck Permit | HVAC Permit | Electrical Permit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loudoun County | ...sq ft outside an incorporated town is a flat $265... | ...equipment in a 1 or 2 family dwelling is $70, per the... | ...or circuits in a 1 or 2 family dwelling is... |
| Arlington County | See schedule | See schedule | See schedule |
| Chesterfield County | $114 flat fee for a deck, carport, gazebo, or similar... | $114 for a new HVAC system installation or system... | $171 for a new single-family dwelling |
| Culpeper County | Not published | Not published | Not published |
Each cell is the opening clause of that Virginia jurisdiction's own fee schedule; the full wording and source sit on each permit page.
Loudoun County permit questions, answered from the data
- Do you need a permit in Loudoun County?
- For most projects, yes. Of the 13 permit types we have verified for Loudoun County, 7 always require a permit (for example a deck permit), 5 depend on size or scope (a bathroom remodel permit, for instance), and 1 needs no permit at all in Loudoun County. Each Loudoun County permit type's page states the exact rule and its source.
- How much does a permit cost in Loudoun County?
- Loudoun County publishes a fee for 12 of the 13 permit types we cover, each quoted on its page from the jurisdiction's own schedule (linked on every page that carries one). Fees are set by Loudoun County Department of Building and Development; we do not estimate or mark them up.
- Where do you apply for a permit in Loudoun County?
- Loudoun County Department of Building and Development issues permits in Loudoun County, with an online portal for applications, plan uploads and status checks, and takes questions at (703) 777-0220. The Loudoun County official page and portal are linked in the office section above.
How the Loudoun County pages were verified. 13 permit types, 8 distinct official sources, most recently checked . Every rule is read from Loudoun County Department of Building and Development or the applicable code and cited on its page; anything we could not confirm for Loudoun County is marked rather than estimated. How we verify.
Permitting activity in Loudoun County
In 2025, Loudoun County authorized permits for 1,561 new residential housing units (641 single-family, 920 in multi-family buildings), valued at $273M , down from 3,314 the year before. That works out to about 3.5 permits per 1,000 residents. It is a useful gauge of how busy the local permit office is.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2025 annual data · population 449,749.
About Loudoun County
Loudoun County has about 144,804 housing units. The median home is valued at $701,000, against a median household income of $178,707. About 78% of homes are owner-occupied, and the typical home was built around 2002.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 5-year.