Building permits, zoning and land rules in Dickenson County, Virginia

Yes. Dickenson County requires permits for building construction, mobile and modular homes, remodeling, electrical and mechanical work, signs, swimming pools, elevators and fuel-tank removal¹. A permit is specifically required for a structure over 150 square feet or whenever the work makes structural changes¹. Dickenson County has adopted the 2021 Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, the statewide fire-prevention code and the erosion-and-sediment-control program throughout the county¹¹.

For work subject to the statewide building code, Dickenson County requires the applicable minimum inspections and a final inspection when permitted construction is complete¹². The permit holder must notify the building official when the work reaches an inspection stage; the official may accept approved third-party reports¹². A qualifying farm building is exempt only when it is nonresidential, stands on property where farming occurs and is used primarily for a listed farm purpose; floodplain and mudslide requirements can still apply⁹.

The Dickenson County Building Department handles building inspection throughout Dickenson County, including the towns of Clintwood, Clinchco and Haysi². The office also issues erosion and sediment permits, performs those inspections, and reviews construction and erosion-and-sediment plans².

Visit or mail the Dickenson County Building Department at 818 Happy Valley Dr., P.O. Box 733, Clintwood, VA 24228, call (276) 926-1673, or email crakes@dickensonva.org². The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m².. For a project that needs health-department or DEQ approval, obtain that approval before completing the county permit application¹. Building permit fees vary by project; the county FAQ lists $0.07 per square foot for new construction, $51.00 for a single-wide and $91.80 for a double-wide manufactured home⁶. The county says completing the application takes approximately 15–30 minutes and permit issuance usually takes approximately 15 minutes after completion¹.

Unincorporated Dickenson County has no county zoning ordinance, according to the county's report to the state³. That means the county sets no zoning setbacks or minimum lot sizes³, and no county rule sets a minimum dwelling size, lot coverage or building height or limits tiny homes, accessory dwellings, manufactured homes or temporary camping³. The Town of Clintwood does have a zoning ordinance and map, so land inside Clintwood follows town rules⁴. We could not confirm zoning in Clinchco or Haysi, so ask each town before buying inside its limits.

No zoning does not mean no rules. The building code, septic and well approval, floodplain review and subdivision regulation still apply³. Virginia requires every locality to regulate subdivision through a subdivision ordinance, so dividing land is a separate question¹³. Dickenson County's floodplain review asks whether the site is in a mapped flood zone or floodway and whether fill will be placed¹⁰.

The Virginia Department of Health's Cumberland Plateau Health District provides onsite sewage and private-well services for Dickenson County⁵. The Dickenson County Health Department is at 344 Brush Creek, P.O. Box 768, Clintwood, VA 24228, and its phone number is (276) 926-4979¹⁴.

The district processes septic applications, permits and onsite evaluations for a $75 fee⁷. Virginia requires a written construction permit before a sewage system is constructed, expanded or modified and an operation permit for covered systems after construction¹⁵. Start with a site evaluation: only 1.4% of Dickenson County soils are rated without severe limits for a conventional drain field¹⁶. The district also processes private-well applications and evaluations for a $40 fee⁷. Complete applicable health-department approval before the county building-permit application¹.

Dickenson County has no countywide zoning ordinance, so no county rule limits tiny homes or temporary camping in the unincorporated area³. Virginia's campground definition also excludes an individual owner's camping on the owner's own property when covenants, restrictions or conditions do not prohibit it and the owner provides sanitary facilities within the property lines⁸. We could not confirm a county rule for long-term or residential RV occupancy, and the Town of Clintwood has its own zoning⁴. Ask the Dickenson County Building Department about an unincorporated parcel and the applicable town about land in Clintwood, Clinchco or Haysi before using an RV as a residence².

A tiny home used as a dwelling still falls within the county's permit framework when it is a structure over 150 square feet or involves structural work, and mobile or modular home installations are among the work listed as requiring permits¹. The septic and well approvals from the health district still apply when the home uses a septic system or private well⁷.

1. Call the Dickenson County Building Department at (276) 926-1673 with the parcel location and project description².
2. Ask the applicable town to confirm zoning if the parcel is inside Clintwood, Clinchco or Haysi; unincorporated land has no county zoning, but subdivision rules still apply^3,4. If the site may be in a flood zone or floodway, ask the county about its floodplain-activity review before finalizing the site plan¹⁰.
3. Contact the Dickenson County Health Department at (276) 926-4979 for septic and private-well review¹⁴; the district processes both types of applications and evaluations⁷.
4. Obtain health-department or DEQ approval where applicable, then complete the county building-permit application¹.
5. Pay the locally established building-permit fee and the applicable code-academy levy¹⁷.
6. Notify the building official when each applicable inspection stage is ready, and obtain the required final inspection¹².
7. Obtain a VDOT land-use permit before constructing or qualifyingly modifying an entrance on a VDOT-maintained highway¹⁸.
8. Obtain the required certificate of occupancy before occupying the completed regulated dwelling¹⁹.

Usable ground is the first constraint to investigate: 6.7% of Dickenson County land has a slope of 15% or less, while 1.4% of its soils are rated without severe limits for a conventional septic drain field¹⁶. The county is 94.8% wooded, so clearing and solar exposure also deserve a site visit¹⁶. Get the health district's onsite evaluation before assuming a parcel can support the intended septic system⁷.

Confirm legal access and whether an entrance connects to a VDOT-maintained highway, because a new entrance or a qualifying modification needs a VDOT land-use permit¹⁸. Check the site's mapped flood zone and floodway before designing: Dickenson County's floodplain application also asks about proposed fill and warns that the application does not guarantee a building permit¹⁰. Dickenson County's effective property-tax rate is about 0.5%, and the median annual property-tax bill is about $503¹⁶. The nearest city of 100,000 or more is about 120 miles from the county center, so verify travel time to jobs, medical care and supplies from the actual parcel¹⁶.