Data through September 2026 · updated 18 Oct 2026
The usual permit in Virginia Beach takes 37 days from issue to the city's final inspection; the middle half take 11 to 117 days. That is from 13,185 permits issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025 that reached a final. Demolition permits are quickest at 14 days; new home permits take longest at 248 days. This is the time to finish the work and close the permit, not the wait for approval.
“How long does a permit take?” can mean two waits. This page measures the second one.
Getting the permit (not measured): application → issue, the wait for the city to approve the plans. Ask the city for its current review times.
Finishing the work (measured here): issue → final. From the day the city issued the permit to the day it recorded the final inspection. We count only permits issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025, at least 12 months before the file ends, so slow jobs have had time to finish; a permit still open is not in the days.
Permits issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025. Usual days is the middle permit among those with a final date: half finished sooner, half later. Middle half is the range the middle 50% fell in. Kinds of work with fewer than 100 permits in that period are left out.
| Kind of work | Permits | Finished | Expired | Usual days to final | Middle half (days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plumbing | 4,131 | 86.5% | 0.0% | 21 | 6–107 |
| HVAC | 3,723 | 72.8% | 0.0% | 42 | 12–120 |
| Electrical | 3,337 | 86.7% | 0.1% | 32 | 8–111 |
| Remodels & repairs | 1,990 | 76.6% | 0.1% | 39 | 14–107 |
| Solar | 1,267 | 94.6% | 0.2% | 34 | 21–51 |
| Additions | 552 | 69.9% | 0.2% | 133 | 65–238 |
| Pools & spas | 457 | 62.4% | 0.0% | 147 | 69–238 |
| Roofing | 308 | 61.0% | 0.0% | 42 | 22–87 |
| New homes | 249 | 84.3% | 0.4% | 248 | 193–344 |
| Demolition | 184 | 95.1% | 0.0% | 14 | 7–34 |
| Garages, sheds & shade structures | 124 | 67.7% | 0.0% | 140 | 60–216 |
| Other | 316 | 60.1% | 2.2% | 48 | 23–100 |
Each kind of work on its own, issue to the city's final.
The usual plumbing permit in Virginia Beach takes 21 days from issue to final; the middle half take 6 to 107 days (3,516 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 86% of the 4,131 permits issued then have finished and 0% expired. Virginia Beach plumbing permits →
The usual HVAC permit in Virginia Beach takes 42 days from issue to final; the middle half take 12 to 120 days (2,669 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 73% of the 3,723 permits issued then have finished and 0% expired. Virginia Beach HVAC permits →
The usual electrical permit in Virginia Beach takes 32 days from issue to final; the middle half take 8 to 111 days (2,858 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 87% of the 3,337 permits issued then have finished and under 1% expired. Virginia Beach electrical permits →
The usual remodel and repair permit in Virginia Beach takes 39 days from issue to final; the middle half take 14 to 107 days (1,495 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 77% of the 1,990 permits issued then have finished and under 1% expired. Virginia Beach remodel and repair permits →
The usual solar permit in Virginia Beach takes 34 days from issue to final; the middle half take 21 to 51 days (1,133 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 95% of the 1,267 permits issued then have finished and under 1% expired. Virginia Beach solar permits →
The usual home addition permit in Virginia Beach takes 133 days from issue to final; the middle half take 65 to 238 days (382 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 70% of the 552 permits issued then have finished and under 1% expired. Virginia Beach home addition permits →
The usual pool and spa permit in Virginia Beach takes 147 days from issue to final; the middle half take 69 to 238 days (280 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 62% of the 457 permits issued then have finished and 0% expired. Virginia Beach pool and spa permits →
The usual roofing permit in Virginia Beach takes 42 days from issue to final; the middle half take 22 to 87 days (186 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 61% of the 308 permits issued then have finished and 0% expired. Virginia Beach roofing permits →
The usual new home permit in Virginia Beach takes 248 days from issue to final; the middle half take 193 to 344 days (207 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 84% of the 249 permits issued then have finished and under 1% expired. Virginia Beach new home permits →
The usual demolition permit in Virginia Beach takes 14 days from issue to final; the middle half take 7 to 34 days (173 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 95% of the 184 permits issued then have finished and 0% expired. Virginia Beach demolition permits →
The usual garage, shed and shade structure permit in Virginia Beach takes 140 days from issue to final; the middle half take 60 to 216 days (84 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 68% of the 124 permits issued then have finished and 0% expired. Virginia Beach garage, shed and shade structure permits →
From our cross-city data studies: the same measure, read the same way, for every city we cover.
Source: City of Virginia Beach Open Data, Building Permits Applications (data.virginiabeach.gov, ArcGIS layer Building_Permits_Applications_view), read 18 Oct 2026. We count permits issued October 2024 through September 2026; denied and withdrawn permits are left out.
Residential permits the City of Virginia Beach issues inside the city: building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing and gas permits for homes, plus the city's roof and siding permits. Commercial permits, moving and hauling, utility, civil site work, fire, elevator and amusement permits in the same file are not counted. Norfolk, Chesapeake and the other Hampton Roads cities run their own permit offices and are not in this file.
Counts are permits, not jobs: one job can need several permits. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can. Sources and definitions →
Free to reuse with attribution (CC BY 4.0). Please credit Contractor Records and link to this page. Suggested citation:
Contractor Records, "How long do permits take in Virginia Beach, VA?", https://contractorrecords.com/virginia-beach/how-long-does-a-permit-take, data through September 2026, from the City of Virginia Beach Planning Department, Permits Division building-permit records.Link to a table: By kind of work · Each kind of permit.
Download the tables (CSV): Days to final by kind of work.