Bathroom Remodeling Permits in Richmond, Henrico & Chesterfield
Updated Aug 202610 sources
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The short answer
Where you live in the Richmond metro decides whether your remodel needs a permit at all. Henrico and Chesterfield explicitly exempt like-for-like fixture swaps — replacing a toilet, sink, or faucet takes no permit — while the City of Richmond prices permits on declared value from a $63 base. The moment supply or drain piping moves, every local jurisdiction requires a plumbing permit. Weigh the fee against your whole project budget and what a conversion actually involves.
Key numbers for Richmond
What follows is drawn from the permitting authority’s own published rules for Richmond, VA. Every figure links to its source.
What needs a permit in Richmond
- Permitting authority SOURCED
- City of Richmond Permits and Inspections (Dept. of Planning & Development Review), 900 E. Broad St., Room 108/110 rva.gov
- Permit required for like-for-like fixture swap SOURCED
- Henrico County: exempt. 'Replacement of plumbing fixtures and well pumps in all groups without alteration of the water supply and distribution systems, sanitary drainage systems or vent systems' does not require a permit. henrico.gov
- Permit required to relocate plumbing SOURCED
- Henrico County: relocating or otherwise altering the water supply/distribution, sanitary drainage, or vent system triggers a plumbing permit even though a straight fixture swap does not; removing or adding a wall/partition also requires a permit. henrico.gov
- How the permit fee is calculated SOURCED
- City of Richmond: percentage-of-value formula. $63 base for $0-$2,000 of declared value, plus $6.07 per additional $1,000 (or fraction) for residential 1-2 family work, plus a 2% state surcharge. 'Value of Work equals the higher value of either the Contractor or RS Means price.' rva.gov
- Adopted building code edition SOURCED
- 2021 Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code (Virginia Construction Code / Virginia Residential Code base editions), effective statewide January 18, 2024 — the same edition applies identically in Richmond, Henrico, and Chesterfield because Virginia is not a home-rule state for building codes; DHCD adopts one edition for the whole Commonwealth and localities only administer/enforce it. dhcd.virginia.gov
- Who customarily pulls the permit SOURCED
- A Virginia homeowner may pull their own permit and perform the work on their own occupied primary residence without a DPOR contractor license, limited to one such primary residence per 24-month period (Va. Code §54.1-1101(A)(7)); the City of Richmond publishes a dedicated 'Homeowner's Permit Process Guide' reflecting this path alongside the licensed-contractor path. law.lis.virginia.gov
- Whether a licensed contractor is required to pull the permit SOURCED
- Not required when the owner is performing work on their own owner-occupied primary residence under the statewide DPOR exemption; a licensed Class A/B/C contractor is required for any paid bathroom remodeling work performed for someone else, per Va. Code §54.1-1101. law.lis.virginia.gov
- Whether electrical permit is separate SOURCED
- Yes, in all three jurisdictions. Chesterfield's fee schedule lists Electrical Permits as a distinct fee category from Plumbing and Building; Richmond issues separate building, plumbing, and electrical permit types; Henrico issues electrical work under its own trade-permit category in the Build Henrico portal. chesterfield.gov
- Typical plan review time in days SOURCED
- City of Richmond: online submittal review 3-5 business days; initial plan review 5-10 business days for smaller residential projects (longer for projects over $10M). rva.gov
- Whether an online permitting portal exists SOURCED
- Yes in all three jurisdictions: Richmond uses energov.richmondgov.com; Henrico uses the 'Build Henrico' online permit portal; Chesterfield accepts applications and payment (including card payment) through its Building Inspection division. henrico.gov
What the local housing stock triggers
- Dominant era of housing stock SOURCED
- Metro-wide housing peaked in the 1980s (88,376 of 569,714 units, ACS 2024 5-yr) and is dominated by 1970s-2000s suburban construction; only about 8.7% of units were built 1939 or earlier, concentrated in the City of Richmond's urban core rather than spread evenly across the metro. censusreporter.org
- Prevailing housing structure type SOURCED
- Single-family detached is the dominant structure type metro-wide: 386,957 of 569,714 housing units (67.9%), ACS 2024 5-yr. censusreporter.org
Richmond answers to common questions
- Do you need a permit to remodel a bathroom in the Richmond area?
- It depends on the jurisdiction and the work: Henrico and Chesterfield exempt like-for-like fixture replacement, but installing new piping, replacing pipe, or moving fixtures or walls triggers a permit — so most genuine remodels need one even where a simple swap would not.SOURCED
How Richmond compares
Knoxville, TN
See how the numbers differ in the Knoxville area.
Hartford, CT
See how the numbers differ in the Hartford area.
Allentown, PA
See how the numbers differ in the Allentown area.
Sources
Bathroom remodelers serving Richmond
We researched 14 bathroom remodeling contractors serving the Richmond area from public sources. Two examples with public ratings below — tell us about your project and we'll match you with local pros.
Leo Lantz Construction, Inc.5.0 (55 reviews, Houzz)
Quality Remodeling5.0 (51 reviews, Houzz)
Ratings as observed on Houzz as of 2026-08-28. Not an endorsement — always verify licensing and references yourself.