Where to look for Charlottesville permits
The City permits work inside city limits only. Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, runs its own permit office.
| Tool | Search by | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| City Permit Portal (Guest Access) | Not listed on the City's page | Permits and applications |
| Building Permits 2023 (Charlottesville Open Data) | Any column, including property address and permit number | Type, status, applied and issued dates; issue dates stop in December 2024; our source |
| Building Inspections, 434-970-3008, permits@charlottesville.gov | Address, permit number | Answers on a specific permit |
| Permit Portal help, 434-970-3182 | Help using the portal |
NDS is at 610 East Main Street, open Monday to Friday 8:30am to 5pm, and recommends an appointment to meet staff in person. The City says Building Inspections moved to the first floor of City Hall as of 26 January 2026.
How to look up the permits on a Charlottesville address
- Open the City Permit Portal and choose Guest Access.
- Search for the street address, or the permit number on your paperwork. Numbers look like EN-20-0608 (electrical) or PN-20-0369 (plumbing).
- Open each permit on the property. A remodel usually has a building permit plus separate electrical, mechanical, plumbing or gas permits.
- Check each status against the table below. A permit that reads Open or Issue years after the work is worth raising before you sell or pay a final invoice.
- For a list you can sort, filter the open data table by property address.
What the statuses mean
These are the status values in the City's open data table:
| Status in the City data | What it means | How we count it |
|---|---|---|
| CLOSED | The City closed the permit | Finished |
| OPEN, ISSUE | Applied for or issued, not closed | Open |
| EXPIRED | Lapsed without being closed | Expired |
| CANCELLED | Withdrawn | Not counted |
Of the permits issued December 2022 to November 2023, 62.1% were Closed, 29.3% still open and 8.6% expired by our 19 October 2026 snapshot. A closed permit may in a few cases have been closed without a final inspection, and the file has no final inspection date.
When the record is not online
The City handles requests under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Va. Code § 2.2-3700 et seq.). Submit a Records Request online, or request in person at the City Attorney's Office, by mail, or by fax to 434-970-3890 (Submit a FOIA Request, read 24 October 2026). Name the address, the permit numbers if you have them, and the years.
What our Charlottesville pages add
Our Charlottesville page counts the permits the City issued, December 2022 to November 2024:
| Kind of work | Permits (Dec 2022–Nov 2024) | Share | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical | 924 | 28% | 63% |
| Plumbing | 715 | 22% | 71% |
| HVAC | 472 | 14% | 63% |
| Remodels and repairs | 262 | 8% | 100% |
| Solar | 219 | 7% | 66% |
| Additions | 139 | 4% | 100% |
Solar permits fell 37% from the first year of the window (134) to the second (85). The permit statistics page has year and month counts, and browse permits lists the rows. To check a contractor's licence with the Virginia DPOR, see How to check a contractor's license in Virginia.
What this does not tell you
The City's file names no contractor and its valuation is zero on every permit, so we have no firm lists or costs for Charlottesville. It has no ZIP code, and it stops recording issue dates in December 2024, so these pages end with November 2024.
How we know this
The portal name, contacts and hours are from the City's Neighborhood Development Services page, the Guest Access option from the portal's sign-in page, and the FOIA routes from the City's Submit a FOIA Request page, all read 24 October 2026. Our counts are the City's Building Permits 2023 open data table, read 19 October 2026: permits issued December 2022 to November 2024.
Numbers come from public permit records in 57 cities, data through October 19, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- How do I find out if a permit was pulled on my house in Charlottesville?
Open the City Permit Portal at permits.charlottesville.gov/portal; the sign-in page offers Guest Access. For a definite answer on one address, email permits@charlottesville.gov or call Building Inspections at 434-970-3008.
- Does the City of Charlottesville handle permits in Albemarle County?
No. Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, runs its own permit office. The City permits work inside city limits only.
- What does Closed mean on a Charlottesville permit?
It is the City's finished status. Of permits issued December 2022 to November 2023, 62.1% were Closed, 29.3% still open and 8.6% expired in the City's open data file.
- How many building permits does Charlottesville issue?
About 1,658 a year: 3,317 permits issued December 2022 to November 2024 in the City's open data file. Electrical permits led with 924, then plumbing with 715.
- How do I get an old Charlottesville permit record?
Submit a Virginia FOIA request online through the City's Records Request portal, in person at the City Attorney's Office, by mail, or by fax to 434-970-3890.
Build your own list
Pick your city and the kind of work. Every firm with a permit on record, sorted by what you value.
Related guides
- Adams County, CO building permit search: the e-Permit Center, statuses and CORA
- Alachua County building permit search: Citizenserve, statuses and old records
- Anaheim building permit search: Anaheim NEXT and the Building Permit Report
- Arlington, VA building permit search: Permit Arlington lookups and FOIA requests
- Detroit building permit search: BSEED's Accela site and the open permit files
- Durham building permit search: the LDO portal, statuses and records