Virginia permit review deadlines
How long does it take to get a building permit in Virginia?
Virginia's clock covers the step before the building permit. A locality has 40 days to act on a site plan, plat, or plan of development for a commercial or residential project, and 30 days on a resubmittal.
Miss the resubmittal deadline and the plan is deemed approved. We found no statewide deadline for building permit plan review in the statute covered here.
See the deadlines ↓Current Virginia state-level guidelines
The short answer
Under Virginia Code 15.2-2259, a locality must act on a proposed plat, site plan, or plan of development for a commercial or residential parcel within 40 days. After a disapproval, it has 30 days to act on a resubmitted plan. If it does not act on a resubmission in time, the plan is deemed approved. On a third or later resubmittal, the locality must respond within 14 days. These deadlines apply to site plans and plats. We found no statewide deadline for building permit plan review, so that timing depends on the locality.
By project type
Virginia site plan review deadlines.
Virginia's deadlines apply to plats, site plans, and plans of development.
| Step | Deadline | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| First action on a commercial or residential plan | 40 days | The locality must identify all deficiencies. |
| Action on a resubmitted plan | 30 days | Failure to act means the plan is deemed approved. |
| Third or later resubmittal | 14 days | Administrative approval within 7 days for minor fixes. |
| Forwarding to a state agency, when needed | 5 business days | The state agency then has 30 days. |
| Other plats | 60 days | 45 days on resubmission. |
Deemed approval does not cover deficiencies that would violate the law or mandatory state transportation, engineering, or safety requirements.
Step by step
How Virginia's review clock works.
The locality may not delay the official submission by requiring pre-submission meetings.
On the first resubmission, the locality may only raise deficiencies it flagged before that were not fixed, or ones the corrections created.
Review is limited to the deficiencies that caused the earlier disapproval.
If a resubmission materially changes the infrastructure or triggers a new state review, new comments are allowed.
What this means for a review team
- The first review has to be complete. New comments on later rounds are mostly off the table.
- Every reviewing discipline needs to finish inside the same 40 days.
- A missed resubmittal deadline approves the plan.
When the clock runs out
What happens when a Virginia locality misses the deadline.
If the locality does not act on a resubmission within the deadline, the plan is approved by law.
In other cases, after 10 days' written notice, the applicant can petition the circuit court.
Faster permit approvals start with more efficient plan review.
See how your team can spend less time chasing comments, waiting on other disciplines, and tracking down the status of a review, without changing your permitting system or CDP.
Recent changes
What changed, and when.
2025
HB 2660 and SB 974 amend section 15.2-2259Chapters 100 and 594 of the 2025 Acts of Assembly.
City by city
How Virginia cities handle review times.
Richmond publishes what applicants should expect on building plan review, which state law leaves to localities.
Richmond
Richmond's permit guide estimates 5 to 10 business days for a first review of mid-size commercial projects and 10 to 20 for larger ones, with the biggest jobs taking 30 or more. These are published expectations with no penalty attached.
Read the source →City details come from each city's public pages as of November 12, 2026. Cities change their targets and processes often, so check the linked source for the current version.
Common questions
Virginia building permit deadlines, answered.
How long does it take to get a building permit in Virginia?
The state deadlines on this page cover site plans and plats: 40 days for a first review and 30 days for a resubmittal. We found no statewide deadline for building permit plan review, which depends on the locality.
What happens if a Virginia locality does not act on a resubmitted site plan?
The plan is deemed approved, except for deficiencies that would violate the law or mandatory engineering and safety requirements.
Can a Virginia locality add new comments on a resubmittal?
Only in limited cases. On a first resubmission it can raise earlier deficiencies that were not corrected and new ones created by the corrections. On a second, review is limited to the previously identified deficiencies.
How do Virginia building departments keep up with these deadlines?
Three habits show up in the departments that hit the clock. They check applications for missing items in the first few days. They let building, fire, planning, and engineering review the same plans at the same time. And they track the days left on every review, so a manager can step in before a deadline passes.
Read it for yourself
Sources.
Keep exploring
Deadlines in other states.
If you review plans in Virginia
Working under Virginia's review clock? See how e-PlanSoft can help you hit it consistently.
Meeting a review deadline starts with a good intake process, disciplines that work together, and a clear view of every review in progress.
Book a demoSee how collaborative review works →This page summarizes public laws, rules, and city review practices in Virginia as of November 12, 2026. Deadlines vary by location and permit type. These summaries are for reference, not legal advice. Check the linked sources and local requirements for the rules that apply to your project.