Building permits, zoning and septic rules in Pulaski County, Virginia

Pulaski County requires a building permit for most residential construction in the unincorporated county¹. Pulaski County adopted the 2021 Virginia Construction Code and Virginia Residential Code effective January 18, 2024². The county publishes a building-permit fee schedule; it lists residential new construction at $0.16 per square foot plus tradesman fees, so confirm the current total with the Building Office before applying¹². Farm buildings that are not used for residential purposes and sit on land where farming operations take place are exempt from the Building Code, with an exception for a farm building operated as a licensed restaurant¹³. Virginia exempts an owner who performs or supervises work on no more than one primary residence owned and used by that person during a 24-month period from contractor licensing, but the owner must still follow the statewide building code and Pulaski County's permit process⁸. A new-home application needs the residential permit application, building plans, a site plan, the well and septic construction permit where the lot has no public sewer or water, a flood-elevation certificate in a flood zone, and an erosion-and-sediment-control agreement; the county says new-home reviews may take up to 3 days, with zoning review in the same period¹. The county strongly recommends that a licensed contractor pull the permit, though homeowners may obtain it¹.

Pulaski County's Building Office is part of the Community Development Department at 143 Third Street NW, Suite 1 in Pulaski, and can be reached at 540-980-7710¹⁴. The Building Office administers the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code and handles permitting and inspections for construction in the county¹⁴. The Planning & Zoning Office and the Engineering Department, which issues floodplain permits, work at the same address and use the same phone number^4,9. Virginia's building-permit process allows applications by mail and says an applicant may not be required to appear in person¹⁰.

Pulaski County's Unified Development Ordinance applies to unincorporated land and the Town of Draper; the incorporated towns of Pulaski and Dublin administer their own land-use ordinances^3,4. Residential dimensions depend on the district. Principal-building setbacks are 25 feet front, 15 feet side, and 25 feet rear in Low Density Residential; 20, 10, and 20 feet in Medium Density Residential; and 15, 10, and 20 feet in High Density Residential³. Minimum lots with private well and septic are 0.75 acre in all three districts; with both public water and sewer, the minimum is 0.25 acre in Low Density Residential and 0.2 acre in Medium or High Density Residential³. In the Agricultural district, principal buildings need setbacks of 35 feet front, 20 feet side and 35 feet rear³. Ask Planning & Zoning to confirm the parcel's district, use, corner-lot rules, and any accessory-building setback before relying on those figures⁴.

The Virginia Department of Health's New River Health District handles onsite sewage permitting for Pulaski County through the Pulaski County Environmental Health office^6,7. Pulaski County's residential building application requires a Virginia Department of Health permit when septic service is selected⁵. A written state construction permit is required before a septic system can be built, expanded, or modified¹⁵. The statutory onsite sewage permit application fee is $75, with waiver and refund provisions for specified applicants and situations¹⁵. Only about 9.1% of Pulaski County's land has soils without severe limitations for a conventional septic drain field, so arrange the district's site evaluation early and allow for the possibility of an engineered or alternative system^6,16.

For an RV or tiny home in unincorporated Pulaski County, ask the Planning & Zoning Office to check the parcel's zone district and the exact proposed use before you buy or move a unit onto the land^3,4. The Unified Development Ordinance identifies permitted uses by district, so a parcel-specific answer matters⁴. Virginia's temporary-campground rule concerns permitted campgrounds and does not answer whether someone may occupy an RV as a residence on private land¹⁷. A manufactured home is also legally different from an RV or a tiny home on wheels. Virginia requires manufactured homes in qualifying agricultural districts to be permitted where site-built housing is allowed and imposes conversion, individual-lot, and certificate-of-occupancy conditions in other qualifying residential districts¹⁸. We could not confirm a single answer for RV residence, tiny-home residence, or minimum home size; ask Planning & Zoning about each proposed structure and use⁴.

• Confirm the parcel's jurisdiction, zone district, allowed use, setbacks, and minimum lot size with the Planning & Zoning Office^3,4.
• Apply for the Virginia Department of Health septic permit through the Pulaski County Environmental Health office if the home will use septic^5,6,7.
• Apply to the Building Office under the county's adopted Virginia construction and residential codes, and confirm the current fee under the published schedule^2,12,14.
• If the driveway will connect to a state-maintained road, get a VDOT land use entrance permit before building it¹¹.
• If the parcel sits in a mapped special flood hazard area, get a floodplain development permit from the Engineering Department^9,10.
• Schedule the required inspections as work proceeds, followed by the final inspection¹⁹.
• Obtain the certificate of occupancy before moving in²⁰.

Soils: only about 9.1% of Pulaski County has soil without severe limitations for a conventional septic drain field, so get a site and soil evaluation before you count on a standard system¹⁶. Slope: about 39.4% of the county's land sits at 15% slope or less, but a specific parcel can still be steep enough to complicate a septic field, driveway, or foundation¹⁶. Cover: the county is about 62.4% wooded, which can affect clearing and utility siting¹⁶. Federal land accounts for about 10.2% of the county¹⁶. Flood risk: check with the Engineering Department, which administers the floodplain ordinance and issues floodplain permits⁹. Access: a new or modified entrance connecting to a state-maintained highway requires a VDOT land-use permit¹¹. Pulaski County's effective property-tax rate is about 0.6%, with a median annual bill near $1,176¹⁶. The nearest city of 100,000 or more is about 71 miles from the county center¹⁶.