Which addresses this covers
The Planning Department's Permits Division issues permits inside the City of Virginia Beach. Norfolk, Chesapeake and the other Hampton Roads cities run their own permit offices.
| Tool | Search by | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| Accela public portal | Permit records (see the portal) | Applications, permits and inspections |
| Building Permits Applications (open data) | Any field, including street address and GPIN | Permit number, type, work type, work description, status, application, issue and final dates; our source |
| Our Virginia Beach permit list | Kind of work, ZIP, month | The same permits without addresses, with time to final |
How to look up the permits on a Virginia Beach address
- Open the Accela public portal from the Planning Department site and search for the address or permit number.
- Open each record on the property. Building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing and gas permits are separate, and a re-roof or new siding has its own permit type.
- Read the status and inspection results to see whether the final passed.
- For every permit on the address in one table, filter Building Permits Applications on the StreetAddress field.
- If something is missing, ask Permits & Inspections: (757) 385-4211, perminsp@vbgov.com, Building 3, Municipal Center, 2403 Courthouse Drive (Permits & Inspections, read 24 October 2026).
What the statuses mean
| Status in the City file | What it means | How we count it |
|---|---|---|
| Final | Final inspection passed | Finished |
| Closed | Closed, including permits that needed no final inspection | Finished |
| Active | Issued, work under way or not finaled | Open |
| Expired | Lapsed before a final | Expired |
| Void | Cancelled | Left out |
Of permits issued October 2024 to September 2025, 80.7% had finished, 19.3% were still open and 0.1% had expired by our 18 October 2026 snapshot. Roofing (61.0% finished), pools (62.4%) and additions (69.9%) are the ones most often still open a year on; demolition (95.1%) and solar (94.6%) close fastest.
What our Virginia Beach pages add
Our Virginia Beach page adds the City's home permits up by kind of work:
| Kind of work | Permits (Oct 2024–Sep 2026) | Finished (issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025) | Usual days to final (issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plumbing | 8,227 | 86.5% | 21 |
| HVAC | 8,024 | 72.8% | 42 |
| Electrical | 6,621 | 86.7% | 32 |
| Remodels and repairs | 4,189 | 76.6% | 39 |
| Solar | 2,580 | 94.6% | 34 |
| Additions | 1,010 | 69.9% | 133 |
| Pools and spas | 971 | 62.4% | 147 |
| Roofing and siding | 697 | 61.0% | 42 |
The usual permit that reached a final took 37 days (issued October 2024 to September 2025). HVAC permits rose 16% in the last 12 months (October 2025 to September 2026) against the 12 months before. The permit statistics page has year and month counts, how long a permit takes has the ranges, and the ZIP code pages split the file; 23456 led with 6,188 permits. The new home, demolition and garage and shed pages cover the smaller kinds. To check a contractor's DPOR license, see How to check a contractor's license in Virginia.
What this does not tell you
The City's file names no contractor and carries no job value, so there are no firm lists or costs for Virginia Beach. Commercial permits are left out, so these counts are homes only. The data comes from the City of Virginia Beach, which makes no claims as to its completeness, timeliness or accuracy.
How we know this
The portal link and Permits & Inspections contact details are from the City of Virginia Beach Planning Department website, read 24 October 2026. Our counts are the City's Building Permits Applications open data layer, read 18 October 2026: residential permits issued October 2024 to September 2026, City of Virginia Beach only.
Numbers come from public permit records in 57 cities, data through October 18, 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 Virginia Beach?
Use the City's online permitting system, the Accela public portal linked from the Planning Department website, or filter the City's Building Permits Applications open data by your street address. Each row has the permit type, status, issue date and final date.
- Can I look up Virginia Beach permits by contractor?
Not in the open data: the City's file has no contractor field, and its 'created by' column is a portal login, not a firm. Ask the contractor for the permit number, or call Permits & Inspections at (757) 385-4211.
- What is the difference between Final and Closed on a Virginia Beach permit?
Final means the final inspection passed. Closed is also used for permits that needed no final inspection. We count both, or any permit with a final date, as finished.
- Does Virginia Beach issue permits for Chesapeake or Norfolk addresses?
No. Norfolk, Chesapeake and the other Hampton Roads cities run their own permit offices. A Virginia Beach permit covers an address inside the City of Virginia Beach.
- How long does a Virginia Beach permit take to reach Final?
For permits issued October 2024 to September 2025, the usual home permit that finished took 37 days: 21 for plumbing, 32 for electrical, 42 for HVAC and 248 for a new home.
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