Middlesex County

Middlesex County, VA Permits for Metal Carports and Garages

Plan on one: Middlesex County handles building and zoning on a single form, the Building and Zoning Application, and posts no size cutoff that excuses a carport. Anyone asking about a Middlesex County carport permit should call the Building Official in Saluda first, since the waterfront rules here can change the job. A Zoning Permit is $50, and the plot plan must show any Chesapeake Bay protection areas on your lot.

Permit office: Middlesex County Building Official (Building Inspection Office)
Address: 865 General Puller Highway, Saluda, VA 23149 (mail: P.O. Box 428)
Phone: 804-758-4305
Official county page

When a permit is required

The Building and Zoning Application covers all site built structures, along with signs, remodels and demolition.
Unattached garages and sheds appear on the county's building fee list, charged by the square foot.
Sheds: state code exempts one-story detached tool and storage sheds of 256 sq ft or less from a building permit. Carports are not listed in that exemption. Ask Planning & Zoning whether a small shed still needs the Zoning Permit, because we did not find a posted answer.
Electrical, mechanical and plumbing work each have their own county application.

Zoning and setbacks

Planning & Zoning enforces the Zoning Ordinance and the county's local Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act rules. Call 804-758-3382 for setbacks on your lot, since we could not confirm the numbers from the ordinance text available to us. The plot plan has to show the distance to all property lines and the outline of the Resource Protection Area (RPA) and Resource Management Area (RMA). Under Section 4A-11.B, more than 2,500 sq ft of land disturbance in an RPA or RMA needs an approved plan of development before a Zoning and Building Permit is issued. The Wetlands Board also meets in the county.

What to bring

Completed Building and Zoning Application
Two sets of building plans for residential work
Plot plan showing acreage, the parcel's recording date, distances to all property lines, the RPA and RMA, and land disturbance in square feet (the form says a survey is preferred as the base)
Copy of the State Contractor's License
Signed certification that the work meets Virginia Department of Health setbacks from wells and septic systems
Base floor and finished floor elevations if you are building in a flood zone

Farm buildings

Farm buildings and structures are exempt from the building code under Code of Virginia § 36-99 and USBC Section 102.3, unless used as a restaurant, and flood plain and mudslide rules still apply. We found no posted Middlesex procedure for claiming the exemption. With so much of the county's permit paperwork tied to the bay rules, ask Planning & Zoning before you set a farm structure.

Good to know

Both offices keep the same hours, Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. The Building Official works from the first floor of the Historic Courthouse Building in the Courthouse Complex. The fee list charges unattached garages and sheds $0.10 per square foot, with a $50 minimum and the state levy on top. The county's FEMA flood map page posts map files dated January 2015, so confirm the current zone with the office. The application lists an erosion and sediment control agreement in lieu of a plan at 2,500 sq ft or more of disturbance in a Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area, $50.00.

Common questions

Do I need a permit for a carport in Middlesex County?
Expect to. The county posts no size cutoff for carports, and the state shed exemption does not list them. The Building Official at 804-758-4305 can confirm for your lot, including any bay rules that apply.

Do I need a permit for a metal garage or shed in Middlesex County?
Unattached garages are on the building fee list, and the joint application covers site built structures, so plan on it for a garage. A shed of 256 sq ft or less is exempt from a state building permit, but ask Planning & Zoning about zoning since no local cutoff is posted.

Does the Chesapeake Bay rule affect my carport pad?
It can. Your plot plan must mark the RPA and RMA and the size of the disturbance. More than 2,500 sq ft of disturbance in those areas requires an approved plan of development first.

Sources

Rules and fees change. Call the office to confirm before you order.

See the full Virginia permit guide for statewide rules, farm exemptions and wind and snow ratings.

Looking at buildings? See our metal carports, metal garages and metal buildings.

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