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Remodel and repair permits in Norfolk, VA

Data through September 2026 · updated 19 Oct 2026

1,327 remodel and repair permits were issued in Norfolk, October 2024 through September 2026: about 664 a year and 10% of all permits. 713 remodel and repair permits in the last 12 months (Oct 2025–Sep 2026), 16% more than the 614 in the 12 months before. The busiest month is May. The usual one took 56 days from issue to the city's final. 23518 has the most, 210.

1,327permits issued
713last 12 months
Maybusiest month
56days, usual issue to final
77%finished
$10,070usual declared value
Sep 2026records through

Remodel and repair permits by month

Permits issued each month, October 2024 through September 2026.

Oct 2024: 64Oct2024Nov 2024: 62Dec 2024: 40Jan 2025: 51Jan2025Feb 2025: 41Mar 2025: 56Apr 2025: 55May 2025: 61Jun 2025: 53Jul 2025: 54JulAug 2025: 38Sep 2025: 39Oct 2025: 57Nov 2025: 33Dec 2025: 67Jan 2026: 47Jan2026Feb 2026: 54Mar 2026: 78Apr 2026: 76May 2026: 75Jun 2026: 48Jul 2026: 69JulAug 2026: 47Sep 2026: 62
The same numbers as a table
MonthPermits
Oct 202464
Nov 202462
Dec 202440
Jan 202551
Feb 202541
Mar 202556
Apr 202555
May 202561
Jun 202553
Jul 202554
Aug 202538
Sep 202539
Oct 202557
Nov 202533
Dec 202567
Jan 202647
Feb 202654
Mar 202678
Apr 202676
May 202675
Jun 202648
Jul 202669
Aug 202647
Sep 202662

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When remodel and repair permits are filed

By calendar month, 100 = an average month (the thin line). May is the busiest (123), August the quietest (77). A busy month at the permit counter usually means a longer wait for a contractor.

January: 89 (100 = an average month)February: 86 (100 = an average month)March: 121 (100 = an average month)April: 118 (100 = an average month)May: 123 (100 = an average month)123June: 91 (100 = an average month)July: 111 (100 = an average month)August: 77 (100 = an average month)September: 91 (100 = an average month)October: 109 (100 = an average month)November: 86 (100 = an average month)December: 97 (100 = an average month)JFMAMJJASOND
The same numbers as a table
MonthIndex
January89
February86
March121
April118
May123
June91
July111
August77
September91
October109
November86
December97

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How long a remodel and repair permit takes

Permits issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025, at least 12 months before the file ends. Usual days is the middle permit among the 475 with a final date.

MeasureValue
Permits issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025614
Finished77.4%
Expired19.5%
Usual days, issue to final56
Middle half, days23–139

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What a remodel and repair permit is declared at

The value written on the permit at application, from 1,319 permits with one. Not a quote and not the final bill.

MeasureValue
Usual declared value$10,070
Middle half$5,000–$21,990

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ZIP codes with the most remodel and repair permits

Counted at the property's ZIP code. Share is the part of the city's 1,327 remodel and repair permits.

ZIP codePermitsShare
2351821016%
2350317513%
2350517513%
2351316312%
2350814011%
235091209%
235041169%
235021169%
23507554%
23523282%

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The city's own permit types

How the city filed these permits. We group its types into kinds of work; this is the split.

Permit typePermitsShare
Building: Alteration/Repair - Renovate Existing Square Footage1,24194%
Building: Replacement866%

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How Norfolk compares with other cities

From our cross-city data studies: the same measure, read the same way, for every city we cover.

How these numbers are made

Source: City of Norfolk Open Data, Permits (data.norfolk.gov, dataset fahm-yuh4), read 19 Oct 2026. We count permits issued October 2024 through September 2026; denied and withdrawn permits are left out.

Residential permits the City of Norfolk issues inside the city: building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing and demolition permits for single-family homes, duplexes, townhouses and their garages and sheds. Commercial permits, zoning permits and short-term rental inspections in the same file are not counted. Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Portsmouth and the other Hampton Roads cities run their own permit offices and are not in this file.

  • The city's file names no contractor, so there are no contractor lists, rankings or firm pages for Norfolk.
  • The city files roof replacements and rooftop solar under one work type. We count a permit of that type as solar when the city issued an electrical permit under it, and as roofing when it did not.
  • A new house or a big renovation gets separate building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits, so one project can count several times, once under each kind of work.
  • The value is the project cost declared on the permit. The ZIP code comes from the city assessor's record for the parcel.

Counts are permits, not jobs: one job can need several permits. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can. Sources and definitions →

Cite this page

Free to reuse with attribution (CC BY 4.0). Please credit Contractor Records and link to this page. Suggested citation:

Contractor Records, "Remodel and repair permits in Norfolk, VA", https://contractorrecords.com/norfolk/remodel-permits, data through September 2026, from the City of Norfolk Development Services Center building-permit records.

Link to a table: By month · Season · Days to final · Declared value · By ZIP code · Permit types.

Download the tables (CSV): Remodels & repairs permits by month · Remodels & repairs permits by calendar month (index) · Remodels & repairs permits: days to final · Remodels & repairs permits: declared value · Remodels & repairs permits by ZIP code · Remodels & repairs permits by permit type.

Common questions

  • How many remodel and repair permits does Norfolk issue a year?About 664 a year in Norfolk: 1,327 permits issued October 2024 through September 2026, 713 of them in the last 12 months.
  • How long does a remodel and repair permit take in Norfolk?The usual one took 56 days from issue to the city's final inspection, and the middle half took 23 to 139 days (475 permits issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025 that reached a final). The wait to get the permit issued is not in this file.
  • When do people in Norfolk file the most remodel and repair permits?May (123 against an average month of 100); August is the quietest (77). If you can choose, a quiet month at the permit counter can mean contractors have more room in their schedules.
  • Which ZIP code has the most remodel and repair permits in Norfolk?23518, with 210 of the 1,327 (16%); then 23503 (175).