Town of Hillsville, Virginia: building permits, zoning and septic

At a glance

Building permits

Required, with town approval documents before issuance¹

Zoning approval

Town Zoning Administrator reviews zoning permit applications²

Septic

Virginia Department of Health; local contact is Carroll County Health Department⁴⁵

Private wells

Ask the health department; town building application requests current well and septic permits for a new dwelling⁶

Owner-builder

Conditional contractor-license exemption; building-code requirements still apply⁷

Moving in

A certificate of occupancy is required for regulated dwellings before occupancy⁸

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 15, 2026.

Do you need a building permit in the Town of Hillsville, VA?

Hillsville requires a building permit, and the town’s prerequisites extend beyond a construction drawing: the building official must receive a town council approval certificate, a statement about whether town water and sewer will be furnished, and a town treasurer certificate showing delinquent taxes are paid.¹ If town service will not be furnished, Hillsville also requires a Carroll County health department suitability statement.¹ The town building application directs applicants to submit the required applications for approval, then await notification for payment and permit issuance.⁶

Who handles building permits and zoning in the Town of Hillsville?

Start a Hillsville building project with the town building office using the contact on the town’s building permit application.⁶ Hillsville’s Zoning Administrator separately reviews zoning permit applications and approves or disapproves them for compliance with the town zoning chapter.² Ask Town Hall to route parcel-specific zoning questions; the town code is available online and at Town Hall.⁹ For land outside town limits, use the Carroll County guide; the county’s no-countywide-zoning statement expressly leaves municipal land-use rules separate.³

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in the Town of Hillsville?

We could not confirm Hillsville’s rules for living in an RV, temporary camping, tiny homes, minimum dwelling size, lot size or setbacks; ask the town Zoning Administrator to review the proposed use and parcel before purchase.² Hillsville’s zoning permit review belongs to the town, so Carroll County’s absence of countywide zoning should not be treated as approval for a dwelling inside Hillsville.²³ A small dwelling subject to Virginia’s building code still needs the applicable building permit before covered construction begins and a certificate of occupancy before occupancy.¹⁰⁸

How do septic permits and water approvals work in the Town of Hillsville?

Hillsville’s building-permit prerequisites require a statement about town water and sewer availability, plus a health-department suitability statement when town service will not be furnished.¹ The town’s new-dwelling application also requests current well and septic permits from the health department.⁶ Contact the Carroll County Health Department in the Mount Rogers Health District for onsite-sewage questions.⁴ Virginia requires a written construction permit before constructing, expanding or modifying a sewage disposal system.¹¹ Ask the town building office to clarify the required utility documentation for the particular parcel before finalizing a house site.¹

What are the steps to build a home in the Town of Hillsville?

1. Ask Hillsville’s Zoning Administrator to review the parcel and proposed residential use for town zoning compliance.²
2. Resolve town water-and-sewer availability and obtain the health-department suitability statement if town service will not be furnished.¹
3. Assemble town council approval and the treasurer’s delinquent-tax certificate, then submit the building application to the town office for approval and issuance.¹⁶
4. Arrange applicable construction-stage and final inspections with the building official.¹²
5. Obtain the required certificate of occupancy before moving into the regulated dwelling.⁸

Virginia’s owner-builder exemption concerns contractor licensing; using that exemption does not remove building-code obligations.⁷

Watch-outs

• Carroll County’s lack of countywide zoning does not establish Hillsville’s RV, tiny-home or setback rules; ask the town Zoning Administrator about the parcel and proposed use.³²
• Hillsville’s published code-adoption provision names an older code edition; confirm the applicable edition with the town building office before preparing plans.¹³
• We could not confirm Hillsville building-permit fees or mandatory public-utility connection rules; ask the town building office before budgeting construction.⁶

Sources

1. Chapter 48 Building Construction - Town of Hillsville, VA (Town of Hillsville), quoted and re-checked
2. Town of Hillsville Zoning Administrator (ecode360.com)
3. carrollcountyva.gov, quoted and re-checked
4. Environmental Health - Mount Rogers Health District, quoted and re-checked
5. § 32.1-164. Powers and duties of Board; regulations; fees; onsite soil evaluators; letters in lieu of permits; inspections; civil penalty (Virginia statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
6. Town of Hillsville Building Office (townofhillsville.com)
7. § 54.1-1101. Exemptions; failure to obtain certificate of occupancy; penalties (Virginia statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
8. 13VAC5-63-160. Section 116 Certificates of occupancy (Virginia statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
9. Hillsville Town Hall (townofhillsville.com)
10. 13VAC5-63-80. Section 108 Application for permit (Virginia statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
11. 12VAC5-610-240. Permits; general (Virginia statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
12. 13VAC5-63-130. Section 113 Inspections (Virginia statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
13. Chapter 48 Building Construction - Town of Hillsville, VA (Town of Hillsville), quoted and re-checked

Written October 15, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.