Digital permit application gateway
Start with the issuing authority’s own submission lane. A complete application package, accurate valuation, and accessible inspection path are the fastest route through statutory plan review.
Recommended first click
Use the official digital gateway to submit plans, monitor review comments, pay required charges, and request inspections when the permit is issued. If the link is unavailable, use the agency website or phone number on the administrative profile to confirm the current lane.
Typical review lane
Residential intake/completeness check: 2-5 business days for county-typical decks, county-typical basements, and residential trades; up to 10 business days for other residential permits. After intake and fee payment, expected building review is 2 days for typical decks, basements, and trades, and 15 days for new construction, alterations, additions, and changes of use; associated zoning review is generally 2 or 10 days depending on type.
Treat this as a planning signal, not a guaranteed approval date. Completeness, corrections, resubmittals, and agency workload control the actual clock.
Verify the parcel is inside this agency’s service area and note whether a city, state, fire marshal, septic authority, or utility district also has approval authority.
Prepare legible plans, site information, project valuation, ownership authorization, contractor information, and any energy, floodplain, zoning, or utility documentation the issuing office requires.
Keep the permit number, approved plan set, correction comments, fee receipts, and inspection results together. Those records establish the compliance trail for the next trade.
Application documents
Before submission, call 703-777-0220 if the project involves a change of occupancy, structural alteration, accessory structure, demolition, or work near a regulated environmental feature.
Source trail
Use these direct agency or licensing links to confirm current instructions before you file, pay, or schedule work. External pages control if their information differs from this directory.
Project questions
Loudoun County Department of Building and Development is the identified county-level authority for this profile. Confirm that the property is in its service area before filing.
Begin with the online permit gateway listed in the application guide. If the portal does not recognize the address or project type, contact 703-777-0220.
Residential intake/completeness check: 2-5 business days for county-typical decks, county-typical basements, and residential trades; up to 10 business days for other residential permits. After intake and fee payment, expected building review is 2 days for typical decks, basements, and trades, and 15 days for new construction, alterations, additions, and changes of use; associated zoning review is generally 2 or 10 days depending on type.
Request, cancel, and view inspections in LandMARC. Inspections can be booked for the following workday or a future weekday, with a midnight cutoff for the following workday; they are performed Monday-Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. For help call 703-777-0220, option 1. Approved plans must be available on site, and reinspection fees may apply when work is not ready.
2021 Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, including the 2021 Virginia Construction Code, 2021 Virginia Existing Building Code, 2021 Virginia Property Maintenance Code, 2021 Virginia Residential Code, 2021 Virginia Plumbing Code, 2021 Virginia Mechanical Code, 2021 Virginia Fuel Gas Code, 2021 Virginia Energy Conservation Code, 2021 Virginia Statewide Fire Prevention Code, 2020 National Electrical Code, and 2017 ICC/ANSI A117.1 accessibility standard. Virginia's statewide building-permit exemptions include qualifying low-voltage wiring; detached one-story tool/storage sheds, playhouses, and similar accessory structures under 256 square feet; qualifying tents up to 900 square feet with fewer than 50 occupants; fences up to 7 feet unless serving as a pool barrier; low retaining walls; and ordinary cosmetic or maintenance work. Loudoun requires a county zoning-only residential application for sheds under 256 square feet outside incorporated towns, so a building-code exemption does not eliminate zoning or other approvals.
What makes an application complete
Before you click submit, make sure the drawings agree with the site plan, project description, valuation, ownership authorization, and contractor information. If the work changes structure, occupancy, drainage, fire protection, energy performance, or utility demand, describe that scope plainly. Ambiguous narratives create correction cycles and delay the field schedule.
Save the confirmation number, payment receipt, uploaded plan set, and every correction comment. Those records are the backbone of a defensible compliance file when multiple trades or agencies share responsibility.
Submission quality check
Site: address, parcel, access, setbacks, and existing conditions are consistent.
Scope: structural, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, fire, and energy work is identified.
Closeout: inspection contacts and the final approval path are understood before work begins.