Virginia Law

A. Section 109.1 Submittal of documents. Construction documents shall be submitted with the application for a permit. The number of sets of such documents to be submitted shall be determined by the locality. Construction documents for one- and two-family dwellings may have floor plans reversed provided an accompanying site plan is approved.

Exception: Construction documents do not need to be submitted when the building official determines the proposed work is of a minor nature.

Note: Information on the types of construction required to be designed by an RDP is included in the "Related Laws Package" available from DHCD.

B. Section 109.2 Site plan. When determined necessary by the building official, a site plan shall be submitted with the application for a permit. The site plan shall show to scale the size and location of all proposed construction, including any associated wells, septic tanks or drain fields. The site plan shall also show to scale the size and location of all existing structures on the site, the distances from lot lines to all proposed construction, the established street grades and the proposed finished grades. When determined necessary by the building official, the site plan shall contain the elevation of the lowest floor of any proposed buildings. The site plan shall also be drawn in accordance with an accurate boundary line survey. When the application for a permit is for demolition, the site plan shall show all construction to be demolished and the location and size of all existing structures that are to remain on the site.

Note: Site plans are generally not necessary for alterations, renovations, repairs or the installation of equipment.

C. Section 109.3 Engineering details. When determined necessary by the building official, construction documents shall include adequate detail of the structural, mechanical, plumbing or electrical components. Adequate detail may include computations, stress diagrams or other essential technical data and when proposed buildings are more than two stories in height, adequate detail may specifically be required to include where floor penetrations will be made for pipes, wires, conduits, and other components of the electrical, mechanical and plumbing systems and how such floor penetrations will be protected to maintain the required structural integrity or fire-resistance rating, or both. When dry floodproofing is provided, the engineering details shall include detail of the walls, floors, and flood shields designed to resist flood-related loads, including the sealing of floor and wall penetrations. All engineered documents, including relevant computations, shall be sealed by the RDP responsible for the design.

D. Section 109.4 Examination of documents. The building official shall examine or cause to be examined all construction documents or site plans, or both, within a reasonable time after filing. If such documents or plans do not comply with the provisions of this code, the permit applicant shall be notified in writing of the reasons, which shall include any adverse construction document review comments or determinations that additional information or engineering details need to be submitted. The review of construction documents for new one- and two-family dwellings for determining compliance with the technical provisions of this code not relating to the site, location or soil conditions associated with the dwellings shall not be required when identical construction documents for identical dwellings have been previously approved in the same locality under the same edition of the code and such construction documents are on file with the local building department.

E. Section 109.4.1 Expedited construction document review. The building official may accept reports from an approved person or agency that the construction documents have been examined and conform to the requirements of the USBC and may establish requirements for the person or agency submitting such reports. In addition, where such reports have been submitted, the building official may expedite the issuance of the permit.

F. Section 109.5 Approval of construction documents. The approval of construction documents shall be limited to only those items within the scope of the USBC. Either the word "Approved" shall be stamped on all required sets of approved construction documents or an equivalent endorsement in writing shall be provided. One set of the approved construction documents shall be retained for the records of the local building department and one set shall be kept at the building site and shall be available to the building official at all reasonable times.

G. Section 109.6 Phased approval. The building official is authorized to issue a permit for the construction of foundations or any other part of a building or structure before the construction documents for the whole building or structure have been submitted, provided that adequate information and detailed statements have been filed complying with pertinent requirements of this code. The holder of such permit for the foundation or other parts of a building or structure shall proceed at the holder's own risk with the building operation and without assurance that a permit for the entire structure will be granted.