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

Yes. Greene County requires a building permit for most residential and commercial construction, including construction or demolition of a building or structure and regulated equipment work¹. The county enforces Virginia's Uniform Statewide Building Code rather than a separate county-written building code¹. A narrow exception covers residential accessory storage structures of 256 square feet or less, which are exempt from both building and zoning permits¹. Farm buildings used primarily for qualifying farm purposes are code-exempt, but the exemption does not cover residential use or a farm building operated as a licensed restaurant, and floodplain rules can still apply¹⁰. Greene County advises applicants to ask Building Inspections for final pricing before paying; online card payments add a 3% convenience fee with a $1 minimum⁴.

The Greene County Building Inspections Department handles the county's building-code questions, building permits and inspections⁴. Its office is at 40 Celt Road, Room 226, Stanardsville, and applicants can call 434-985-5204 or email inspections@gcva.us⁴. The county says completed applications and every required checklist item may be emailed to that address, while its online submission option is on hold^1,4. Permitted work must pass applicable inspections, and Greene County asks for inspection requests at least 48 hours in advance with the permit number available¹. A building or structure governed by the county zoning ordinance cannot be occupied until the Building Official and Zoning Administrator issue a certificate of occupancy².

Yes. Greene County zones the unincorporated area of the county, while the incorporated Town of Stanardsville has its own zoning ordinance and districts inside town limits^2,3. Greene County Planning & Zoning reviews new construction, site development, subdivisions, property divisions, rezonings and special-use applications for compliance with county ordinances⁷. Reach Planning & Zoning at 434-990-2519 or planning@gcva.us, or use the department's online application portal⁷. Front setbacks depend on the district: from a right-of-way at least 50 feet wide, the standard distance is 50 feet in C-1 and A-1, 35 feet in R-1, 25 feet in R-2 and 20 feet in SR¹¹. Minimum lot area also depends on the district and utilities: cited district provisions require 87,120 square feet without central water or sewer, 60,000 with one service and 20,000 with both⁹. The TFRD district caps coverage by all impervious surfaces at 75%, but that limit should not be applied to parcels in other districts⁹. Have Planning & Zoning confirm the parcel's district before designing the site⁷.

The Blue Ridge Health District Onsite Sewage and Water Program handles onsite sewage systems and private wells in Greene County through the local Environmental Health office^8,12. Contact the office at 50 Stanard Street in Stanardsville, by phone at 434-985-2262 or by email at GreeneEH@vdh.virginia.gov¹². For land without public sewer, obtain the septic construction permit before applying for the county building permit; the permit authorizes a specific system design and location and expires after 18 months⁵. For land without public water, the private-well permit likewise comes before the building permit and authorizes a specific design and location for 18 months⁵. An approved private septic system provides a sanitation path for residential development where public sewer is unavailable, subject to Health Department approval⁹. New construction must connect to public sewer, and often water, when a Greene County or Rapidan Service Authority line is within 350 feet, unless the Board of Supervisors finds inadequate capacity². Only about 31.9% of county soils are rated without severe limitations for a conventional drain field, so secure a site evaluation early¹³.

Greene County's confirmed RV limit applies to an individual unit in a recreational vehicle park or campground: continuous occupancy may not exceed 60 days within one year⁹. That campground rule does not answer whether someone may occupy an RV on a private homesite while building, so ask Greene County Planning & Zoning about the parcel and proposed duration before relying on an RV for housing⁷. A tiny home may function as an accessory dwelling unit by right in A-1, C-1 and R-1 when it meets the county's accessory-dwelling rules⁹. The accessory unit must be 300 to 800 square feet, have no more than two bedrooms, share ownership with the principal dwelling, and have an owner living in one of the dwellings as a permanent legal residence². Greene County does not establish a general minimum size for a principal dwelling in the supplied rules; ask Planning & Zoning and Building Inspections about the proposed home's classification and code path^4,7. Manufactured-home parks are limited to R-2 and require zoning, special-use and occupancy approvals².

1. Ask Planning & Zoning to confirm the parcel's zoning district, allowed residential use, setbacks and any development-review requirements^7,11.
2. If public service is unavailable, have the local Environmental Health office evaluate the site and obtain septic and private-well permits before the county building permit⁵.
3. Obtain a current VDOT entrance permit if the driveway is on a state-maintained or proposed state-maintained road; an existing entrance must also be reviewed⁶.
4. Submit the complete building application, plans, site sketch and supporting approvals to Building Inspections; incomplete submissions are not accepted¹.
5. If acting as the general contractor, identify yourself as the owner-builder while still completing every other required permit, plan and inspection step⁶.
6. Schedule county inspections at least 48 hours ahead and keep the permit number ready¹.
7. Obtain the county certificate of occupancy before moving into the completed home².

Start with a zoning and access check: Greene County regulates subdivisions, and a home application may need a current VDOT entrance permit for a driveway on a state-maintained road^6,9. Test the septic site early because only about 31.9% of county soils are rated without severe limits for a conventional drain field¹³. Terrain deserves equal attention: about 48.3% of Greene County land has a slope of 15% or less, while about 69.9% is wooded¹³. Check mapped flood hazards too, because Virginia allows the building official to require a permit even for otherwise exempt work in a special flood hazard area¹⁴. For carrying costs, the county's effective property-tax rate is about 0.6%, with a median annual property-tax bill near $2,009¹³.