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

At a glance

Building permit

Required; issued by the Surry County Building Department¹

Zoning

Yes in unincorporated areas; district and land-use rules apply³⁷

Septic permit

Required through VDH's Crater Health District⁸

Private well permit

Required through VDH's Crater Health District⁹

RV living

Prohibited as a residence unless the zoning ordinance expressly permits it; tiny homes not confirmed⁶

Owner-builder permit exemption

No permit exemption; a limited contractor-license exemption may apply¹⁰

Driveway onto a VDOT road

A VDOT land-use permit is required¹¹

Conventional septic soils

Only about 0.9% of soils lack severe limitations¹²

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 9, 2026.

Do you need a building permit in Surry County, Virginia?

Surry County, Virginia requires a building permit for residential construction¹. The county administers the 2021 Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code¹³. Surry County's fee schedule lists a $75 base and minimum permit fee, a 2% state levy on applicable fees and a $100 re-inspection fee¹⁴. Starting covered work before receiving the permit carries a $100 fine¹. An owner may qualify to build or supervise construction of one primary residence for personal use within a 24-month period without a Virginia contractor license, but the owner must still obtain the building permit and comply with the building code¹⁰. A qualifying nonresidential farm building used primarily for farm purposes is exempt from the Building Code, although applicable flood-proofing or mudslide rules still apply in those hazard areas¹⁵.

Who is the Surry County building department, and how do you reach it?

Surry County Building Inspections is the county building department: it accepts applications, reviews them for compliance, issues permits and conducts construction inspections¹⁶². The office is at 45 School Street, Surry, VA 23883, and its main phone number is 757-294-5211¹⁶. Request inspections at 877-224-7978 or inspections@surrycountyva.gov and provide the permit number, inspection type and job address¹⁶². Telephone requests must arrive before 5:00 p.m., and owners should allow up to two business days for an inspection². Site visits occur at multiple construction stages and check structural, electrical, mechanical and plumbing work¹⁷. After successful completion, the department issues the certificate of occupancy¹⁸.

Does Surry County, Virginia have zoning?

Unincorporated Surry County has a zoning ordinance with district-specific use and dimensional standards³¹⁹. Published districts include Agricultural Limited, Agricultural-Rural, Rural Village Center, Medium Density Residence, Vacation Residence, two business districts and two industrial districts⁷. The Town of Surry and Town of Claremont have separate ordinances, so land inside either town needs a town-specific answer⁴. Before designing a house or placing another residential structure, ask Surry County Planning & Community Development at 757-294-5210 to identify the parcel's jurisdiction and zoning district²⁰. In the Agricultural-Rural (A-R) district, front setbacks are 100 feet on existing public roads and 50 feet on new subdivision roads, side setbacks are 25 feet on existing public roads and 20 feet on new subdivision roads, and principal structures need a 50-foot rear setback²¹. Minimum lot size depends on the district and the ordinance in effect when the preliminary plat is filed²². We could not confirm minimum dwelling size, lot coverage or a general height limit; obtain those from Planning before relying on a site plan. Septic permits stay with the Crater Health District even inside the two towns.

How do septic and well permits work in Surry County?

The Virginia Department of Health's Crater Health District handles site evaluation and permitting for septic systems and private wells in Surry County⁵⁹. A written septic construction permit is required before constructing, expanding or modifying a sewage system, and the statutory application fee is $75, subject to listed waivers and refunds²³. The local contact is the Surry Health Department at 474 Colonial Trail West, Dendron, VA 23839, telephone (757) 294-3185²⁴. Only about 0.9% of Surry County soils are rated without severe limitations for a conventional septic drain field, making septic feasibility an important purchase contingency¹². The health district conducts site evaluations, reviews private-sector submissions for permit issuance and performs inspections⁸²⁵.

Can you live in an RV or tiny home on land in Surry County, Virginia?

Surry County's zoning ordinance prohibits using a recreational vehicle, tent or camp cabin as a temporary or permanent residence unless the ordinance otherwise expressly permits it⁶. Living in an RV on a private parcel in unincorporated Surry County should therefore be treated as not allowed; confirm any exception with Planning & Community Development²⁰. Virginia's temporary-campground limits apply to permitted campgrounds and do not create permission to live in an RV on private land²⁶. We could not confirm a Surry County rule on tiny-home occupancy, so ask Planning for a parcel-specific answer. A tiny home used as a residence still needs building approval, septic or sewer approval and a certificate of occupancy before occupancy²⁷²⁸⁸.

Building a home in Surry County: what are the steps, in order?

1. Ask Surry County Planning & Community Development to identify the parcel's jurisdiction and zoning district, then confirm the proposed home and site plan comply with that district³⁷²⁰.
2. Apply to the Crater Health District for septic and private-well review where public utilities are unavailable⁸⁹.
3. If the driveway connects to a VDOT-maintained highway, obtain the required VDOT land-use permit for the entrance¹¹.
4. Submit the building application and plans to Surry County Building Inspections, pay the applicable fees and wait for permit issuance before starting covered work¹¹⁴².
5. Request each construction inspection when the work is ready, allowing up to two business days after a timely telephone request¹⁷².
6. Finish construction and obtain the certificate of occupancy before moving in¹⁸²⁸.

What should you check before buying land in Surry County?

Start with septic feasibility because only about 0.9% of Surry County soils are rated without severe limitations for a conventional drain field¹². Check the zoning district and whether the property lies inside the Town of Surry or Town of Claremont, where separate municipal rules apply²⁹. If mapped in a special flood hazard area, even work otherwise exempt from the building-permit section may require a permit from the building official³⁰. Confirm legal access and obtain a VDOT land-use permit before creating or modifying an entrance on a state-maintained road¹¹. Surry County is sparsely settled at about 23.6 people per square mile, with roughly 63.8% wooded land and 94.1% of land at a slope of 15% or less, so inspect clearing needs and drainage on the actual homesite³¹³²³³. The effective property-tax rate is about 0.6%, and the median annual property-tax bill is about $1,474³⁴³⁵.

Watch-outs

• Only about 0.9% of Surry County soils are rated without severe limitations for a conventional septic drain field, so make VDH site evaluation an early contingency¹²⁸.
• The Town of Surry and Town of Claremont have separate zoning ordinances; confirm the parcel's jurisdiction before using county zoning guidance⁴.
• Surry County's zoning ordinance bars living in a recreational vehicle unless expressly permitted, and its rules for tiny-home occupancy remain unconfirmed; ask Planning & Community Development for a parcel-specific written answer⁶²⁰.

Sources

1. Building Inspections, quoted and re-checked
2. Building Inspections, quoted and re-checked
3. Planning & Community Development Documents, quoted and re-checked
4. Chesapeake Bay Act Requirements, quoted and re-checked
5. Environmental Health - Crater Health District, quoted and re-checked
6. Surry County Code, § 4-201 Prohibited uses, quoted and re-checked
7. Water or Sewer Pumping Station Draft Ordinance, quoted and re-checked
8. Environmental Health - Crater Health District, quoted and re-checked
9. Environmental Health - Crater Health District, quoted and re-checked
10. § 54.1-1101. Exemptions; failure to obtain certificate of occupancy; penalties, quoted and re-checked
11. Land use permits (Virginia statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
12. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data
13. Building Inspections, quoted and re-checked
14. Onsite Sewage Forms and Application Fees, quoted and re-checked
15. Code of Virginia § 36-99. Provisions of Code; modifications (Virginia statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
16. Surry County Building Inspections (surrycountyva.gov)
17. Building Inspections, quoted and re-checked
18. Building Inspections, quoted and re-checked
19. Water or Sewer Pumping Station Draft Ordinance, quoted and re-checked
20. Surry County Planning & Community Development (surrycountyva.gov)
21. January 15, 2020 Surry County Board of Zoning Appeals Staff Report, quoted and re-checked
22. Surry County Zoning Ordinance, Article I - General Provisions, quoted and re-checked
23. 12VAC5-610-240. Permits; general (Virginia statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
24. VDH Crater Health District — Surry Health Department (vdh.virginia.gov)
25. Environmental Health - Crater Health District, quoted and re-checked
26. 12VAC5-450 Rules and Regulations Governing Campgrounds (Virginia statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
27. Building Inspections (2026 county census)
28. 13VAC5-63-160. Section 116 Certificates of occupancy (Virginia statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
29. Chesapeake Bay Act Requirements, quoted and re-checked
30. 13VAC5-63-80. Section 108 Application for permit (Virginia statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
31. Population density: Bolthole Index county data
32. Wooded share of land: Bolthole Index county data
33. Share of land at 15% slope or less: Bolthole Index county data
34. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
35. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data

Written October 9, 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.