ROAN Branch · Southwest Virginia · WV

Roanoke — Third-Party & Special Inspection Jurisdiction Matrix

31 Virginia jurisdictions plus McDowell County WV, covering the Roanoke and New River valleys and the far southwest coalfield counties.

COMPILED 2026-08-08 · VERIFIED = primary document fetched · SNIPPET = search result only · INFERRED = from state code, not a local document
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Jurisdiction dossiers

Compiled 2026-08-08 from each jurisdiction's published websites, policy PDFs, permit packets, and ordinances (7 parallel research agents, primary documents fetched and read; every claim below carries its source). Verification labels: VERIFIED = fetched page/PDF; SNIPPET = search result not fetched; INFERRED = from statewide code, not a local document.

Scope: 31 VA jurisdictions + McDowell County WV (tracker counts in TRIAGE_BRANCH_JURISDICTION_RESEARCH_SCOPE_2026-08-08.md). Nelson County → Richmond session.


The statewide frame (applies to all VA jurisdictions)

Who actually enforces where (the shared-department map)

The "small counties share officials" hypothesis mostly ran the other way — counties cover their towns, but several towns run their OWN full building departments (jobs inside those limits are separate jurisdictions):

County office covers Separate town/city departments inside the area
Tazewell Co → Towns of Tazewell, Richlands, Pocahontas, Cedar Bluff (VERIFIED) Town of Bluefield runs its own office (VERIFIED)
Washington Co → Damascus, Glade Spring, part of Saltville (VERIFIED) Town of Abingdon own dept (VERIFIED; inspector Rick Statzer SNIPPET)
Franklin Co → Rocky Mount + Boones Mill (VERIFIED — one dept for all three)
Giles Co → countywide permits; towns do zoning sign-off only (VERIFIED from form)
Montgomery Co → unincorporated areas only Blacksburg (own dept, 3P forms on portal [SNIPPET]) + Christiansburg (own dept, BO Jerry Heinline) — both VERIFIED
Pulaski Co → county Town of Pulaski own dept (BO Nathan Smythers, VERIFIED)
Bedford Co → outside town limits Town of Bedford own dept (BO Jeremy Marquis, VERIFIED — contradicts the "county took over after reversion" assumption)
Wythe Co → county Town of Wytheville own dept + portal (SNIPPET)
Buchanan Co → county incl. Town of Grundy (VERIFIED, 2017 DHCD directory)
Russell Co → county incl. Lebanon, Honaker, Cleveland (VERIFIED, dated)
Covington City → its own dept — NOT consolidated with Alleghany Co (VERIFIED; Alleghany's separate office serves county + Iron Gate)
Martinsville → still independent, own dept (reversion abandoned Jan 2023 [SNIPPET]; own BO VERIFIED)

THE MATRIX

Tier 1 — Published product-specific rules

Jurisdiction UND ANC BRC SUP FND WTR ENC RTW How it works
Botetourt County ¹ ² SSI form explicitly names helical pile foundations (1704.10, continuous inspection) + driven/cast-in-place deep foundations. 3P policy (BoS-adopted 1/28/2025) is commercial/industrial only but its eligible-inspection list includes Building Pier Footing / Footing / Foundation / Drain Tile / Slab Prep — and waives 75% of permit fees on 3P-inspected permits. Residential = ask the BO (§113.7).
Pulaski County ³ Strongest published SI program in ROAN territory: full SSI package (2/2025) with pile driving records/tip+cutoff elevations, pile load tests, drilled piers, caissons, earth-retaining structures >10 ft — owner-engaged inspectors, PE/GE qualification key, Final Report before CO. Drain tile & waterproofing = required county inspection before backfill.
Montgomery County Retaining-wall matrix: permit ≥3 ft; engineered design 4–6 ft; >6 ft height or >4 ft unbalanced fill = VA RDP stamp; >10 ft = Special Inspections Program. Commercial: 3P plan review mandatory, "third party inspector may be required" at plan review. Unincorporated areas only — Blacksburg/Christiansburg separate.
Franklin County VA Same retaining-wall ladder (rev. 12/2014): 3–4 ft permit only; >6 ft RDP stamp; >10 ft = "Special Inspections Program" (named but unpublished — request it). One dept serves county + Rocky Mount + Boones Mill.
Lynchburg City Published shrink-swell-soils provision: where moderate/high shrink-swell soils exist, "a third-party inspection may be required… a letter of acceptance may be submitted in lieu of a footing or foundation inspection" — the only in-lieu-of acceptance published in ROAN territory. Retaining walls >4 ft (from footing bottom) = RDP-sealed plans. No standalone §113.7 policy published.
Staunton City ¹⁰ ¹¹ Published 2021-USBC SSI form (Hampton Roads template DNA — cites "HRRSIGP") with a dedicated "DEEP FOUNDATION/HELICAL PILE FOUNDATION ELEMENTS" category — "recording installation torque, pressure, blows per foot, cut off, and tip elevation" = exactly UP's pier-log data — and "Retaining walls" under Special Cases. SER/RDP/SI/BO signature architecture; Final Report before CO. No general 3P policy published (§113.7 — request from BO John Glover).

Tier 2 — Published general third-party policy (all 8 product types eligible, conditions apply)

Jurisdiction All products Policy conditions
Danville City Full §113.7.1 policy + request form published. Triggers: city can't inspect in 2 working days / fast-track / emergency (§108.1). VA DPOR design professional qualifies alone; per-inspection written pre-approval MANDATORY ("If you do not have written confirmation… inspections will not be accepted"); sealed reports within 2 working days on the city form. No insurance requirement stated.
Roanoke City Procedure #450 (eff. 1/18/2025), same DNA as Danville: capacity-relief only (2-working-day trigger, fast-track, emergency), per-request written approval by the Building Commissioner, DPOR RDP qualifies, sealed reports within 2 working days. Not a standing acceptance program.
Bedford County Policy pub. 11/18/2022: DHCD cert OR VA design-professional license; written request 2 weeks before inspection; reports within 5 working days (date/time/conditions, code sections, approval status). County = outside town limits only.
Campbell County 2025 policy: RDP license qualifies; conflict-of-interest ban; Section A/B categories are commercial/apartments/townhouses — single-family not listed (ask); finals never 3P; 5-working-day request lead + 5-working-day sealed report; late report = immediate Stop Work. Published commercial SSI form (concrete/steel/masonry only — no soils/deep-foundation rows; county keeps its own pre-pour concrete inspection).
Amherst County Policy 4/12/2023: RDP license qualifies; 3P mandated for utility-scale solar + elevators, otherwise "when conditions and/or circumstances necessitate"; 5-working-day request lead + 5-working-day report. Most permissive wording of the Region-2000 trio.
Waynesboro City (cleanest PE fit) Written policy expressly referencing §113.7.1: VA DHCD cert "-or- Licensed design professional with the Commonwealth of Virginia" — a VA PE qualifies outright. Mandatory pre-approval (Preapproval Form + affidavit, scoped commercial/residential × trade); city-issued form obtained before EACH inspection; reports within 2 business days. Published SSI Agreement too (VCC 1704/1705, prequalification, final report before BO final).
Highland County (with a catch) Published "THIRD PARTY POLICY" (2024, §113.7): notify BO before inspection, report within 72 hours; qualifications = DHCD cert + ICC exam + ACI concrete cert "or equivalency" — NO PE-alternative clause — plus $1M professional insurance naming the county as additional insured. How a VA PE slots in ("or its equivalency") needs a BO conversation before relying on it. One-person Building Inspector/Zoning Administrator shop.

Tier 3 — No published policy (§113.7 written policy exists by law — request it)

Jurisdiction Status What IS known
Roanoke County No 3P policy published, but the most complete SI paperwork of the region (full 2021-USBC SI forms suite) + published Retaining Wall Guidelines, Expansive Soils Policy, Professional Seal Requirements. BO Morgan Yates (long-tenured). High-function office — request the policy.
Russell County * Leaning ALLOWED: county demonstrably accepts 3P reports in a published workflow (tiny-house sheet: "a third party inspection report… submitted to the Building Official"). Permit app captures retaining-wall height. BO Josh Stinson (named on the current form).
Craig County Nothing published; permit packet has Alteration/Repair class + waterproofing/draintile hold points; "additional… engineering may be required depending on scope." BO Brandon King. Small relationship-driven office.
Covington City Own dept (NOT Alleghany). Permit app has REPAIR class + the 7 USBC minimum inspections. BO Eric Tyree (seated since ≥2017). Nothing else published.
Radford City Commercial 3P plan review mandatory + published vendor list — no inspection policy. BO Chris Childress.
Christiansburg (town) Own dept, BO Jerry Heinline; commercial 3P plan review + vendor list; no inspection policy published.
Blacksburg (town) * Own dept; town says "3rd party inspection forms" live on its OpenGov portal [SNIPPET — behind login]. Possibly the only working 3P intake in the NRV — verify by phone.
Giles County Nothing published (checked 20+ PDFs). County permits countywide, towns zoning-only. BO Anna Welch.
Floyd County Nothing published (13 PDFs text-searched). BO Mark Bolt. Town of Floyd adds an extra town step (nature unknown).
Pittsylvania County Nothing published. CBO Otis Vaughan, permits@pittgov.org.
Henry County Nothing published; fee schedule (read in full) has no 3P/SI line items. BO Charles Campbell.
Martinsville City Still independent (reversion dead since 1/2023); nothing published. BO Kris Bridges, kbridges@ci.martinsville.va.us.
Wythe County Nothing published. BO Kyle Taylor. Town of Wytheville separate.
Bland County Smallest web presence — one-official shop (BO Joel Cagle, CBO); only a permit application online.
Smyth County * No BO named on the official site; county tells applicants to use "an approved certified plan reviewer" (3P plan review accepted). Contact Clegg Williams (Asst. Co. Admin – Development).
Tazewell County Nothing published; site is code-cycles stale (still says 2012 USBC). BO Gary Jackson covers county + 4 towns (not Bluefield).
Washington County VA Nothing published; publishes a "Foundation" permit type (early-start for new construction, not repair [SNIPPET]). BO Jason McCall. Abingdon separate.
Buchanan County Nothing published; county site search returns zero building content. Contact Bart Chambers (title unconfirmed; 2017 directory BO = Larry Scott Jackson). Active floodplain office (Todd Vanmeter).
Harrisonburg City No general 3P policy published — but a published third-party elevator inspection program (reports through the LAMA portal) proves the office already administers 3P reports. Sealed drawings required for assembly/institutional/apartment uses. BO Jeremy C. Dean.
Augusta County Nothing 3P/SI published (checked 6 pages incl. plan checklist + both permit processes). "Permits must be obtained to construct, enlarge, alter, repair…" Plan checklist requires pier size/spacing on foundation plans (support-pier sense). NB: county keeps permit records only 3 years after completion — keep our own. BO name unpublished; bi@co.augusta.va.us.

Tier 4 — No building-code enforcement (WV local-option)

Jurisdiction Status Finding
McDowell County WV No county building department, permit office, or code-enforcement function exists (VERIFIED — county commission site lists none) and no evidence the county ever adopted the WV State Building Code (87 CSR 4, local-option). City of Welch likewise publishes no building/permits function (VERIFIED). But floodplain permitting DOES exist: Judy Heath, (304) 436-8558, is the NFIP floodplain manager for the county AND every municipality incl. Welch (VERIFIED — wvinsurance.gov roster). Practical rule: no building permits or municipal inspections; engineer letters serve client/lender/insurer purposes only — EXCEPT work in a mapped floodplain (very common in these creek valleys), which needs a floodplain development permit through Heath's office, where PE elevation/floodproofing documentation is the standard NFIP instrument. Confirm non-adoption with one call (Fire Marshal keeps the adopters registry offline).

Footnotes (Tier 1):

  1. Botetourt Statement of Special Inspections form (Rev. 01/22, read in full): checklist includes Soils/Footing 1704.7, Driven deep foundations 1704.8, Cast-in-place deep foundations 1704.9, Helical pile foundations 1704.10 — "Inspection continuously performed during installation with site-specific soils report" — the only local form in ROAN territory naming helical piles. RDP-sealed; county keeps its own slab-prep + grounding-electrode inspections.
  2. Botetourt Third Party Inspection Policy (BoS 1/28/2025): commercial/industrial permits only; DHCD cert OR DPOR design-professional license OR BO-accepted alternate; bi-weekly progress reports; written full-compliance certification before final CO; 75% of permit fees waived on 3P-inspected permits; attached list of 37 eligible inspections includes "Building Pier Footing," "Building Footing," "Building Foundation," "Building Drain Tile," "Building Slab Prep."
  3. Pulaski County SSI schedule (2021 VCC, form 2/2025): Soils & Foundations rows cover bearing at bottom of footing excavations, bottom of caissons (1810.7), pile driving records, tip & cutoff elevations (1704.8/1808/1809), pile load tests (1808.2.8.3), drilled pier foundations — exactly UP's pier-log data. Inspectors engaged by the Owner, never the contractor; BO acceptance signature; Final Report before CO. (Applicability to residential R-5 jobs only if the BO invokes Ch 17 — INFERRED.)
  4. Pulaski required-inspections sheet: drain tile and waterproofing inspected before backfill (county hold point).
  5. Pulaski SSI schedule category "EARTH RETAINING STRUCTURES >10 FT. UNBALANCED FILL."
  6. Montgomery Co Retaining Wall Guidelines: <3 ft exempt; 3 ft+ permit; 4–6 ft engineered design (manufacturer standards OK to 6 ft ht/4 ft fill); >6 ft height or >4 ft unbalanced fill = VA RDP stamp; >10 ft = "the requirements of the Special Inspections Program"; itemized minimum plan content.
  7. Franklin Co VA Retaining Wall Guidelines (rev. 12/2014): <3 ft unbalanced fill exempt (unless surcharge/liquid); 3–4 ft permit no design; manufacturer designs to 6 ft; >6 ft VA RDP stamp; >10 ft = Special Inspections Program (program doc itself not published — request).
  8. Lynchburg Building Plans Submittal Procedure: moderate/high shrink-swell soils → engineered foundation plans + "A third-party inspection may be required in these circumstances, in which case a letter of acceptance may be submitted in lieu of a footing or foundation inspection."
  9. Lynchburg: retaining walls over 4 ft measured from bottom of footing require RDP-prepared and sealed plans.
  10. Staunton SSI form (2021 USBC, read in full): "DEEP FOUNDATION/HELICAL PILE FOUNDATION ELEMENTS" — materials review, test piles, installation ("monitor drilling, placement, plumbness, driving of piles, including recording installation torque, pressure, blows per foot, cut off, and tip elevation"), load tests — VCC 112.3, 1705.7–1705.10. SSI submitted as a condition of permit issuance; SI qualifications subject to BO approval; Final Report + BO approval before final/CO. (Residential R-5 enters this machinery only if the BO invokes it — INFERRED.)
  11. Staunton SSI form, Special Cases: "Retaining walls — Field review of installation of pre-manufactured structural components, drainage, and compaction" (VCC 113.4, 1705.1.1).

Per-jurisdiction dossiers (sources + contacts)

Roanoke City

Roanoke County

Botetourt County

Craig County

Covington City (+ Alleghany County note)

Montgomery County VA (unincorporated)

Radford City

Pulaski County

Giles County

Floyd County

Lynchburg City

Bedford County (+ Town of Bedford)

Campbell County

Amherst County

Danville City

Pittsylvania County

Franklin County VA

Henry County

Martinsville City

Wythe County (+ Town of Wytheville)

Bland County

Smyth County

Tazewell County (+ Town of Bluefield)

Washington County VA (+ Town of Abingdon)

Buchanan County

Russell County

McDowell County WV (+ City of Welch)

Harrisonburg City

Staunton City

Waynesboro City

Augusta County

Highland County


Strategy read (opinion, labeled as such)

  1. This is not Hampton Roads. No published regional SI template, no roster programs, and only 8 of 32 jurisdictions publish any third-party policy at all. The published policies that DO exist are mostly capacity-relief valves (2-day trigger, per-inspection pre-approval), not standing acceptance channels. The ROAN playbook is therefore phone-first: request the legally-mandatory §113.7.1 written policy from each named BO, and pre-qualify Valerio once per office.
  2. Anchor jurisdictions: Staunton (published SSI naming helical piles + retaining walls, HR-template DNA), Pulaski County (published deep-foundation SI schedule = our pier logs are literally their form rows), Botetourt (helical piles named + 75% fee waiver on 3P commercial), Waynesboro (cleanest PE fit — RDP license qualifies outright, 2-day reports), Danville + Roanoke City (real published policies with PE prong covering the two biggest cities), Lynchburg (published letter-of-acceptance-in-lieu-of-inspection precedent to cite everywhere else).
  3. The citable precedents for BO conversations: Lynchburg's "letter of acceptance in lieu of a footing or foundation inspection," Staunton's + Botetourt's helical-pile SSI rows, Pulaski's pile-driving-records SI rows, and Russell County's published tiny-house 3P-report acceptance. Together they show SW VA offices already accept exactly what UP produces. Staunton's HRRSIGP citation is the bridge argument: the Hampton Roads program UP already works under has been adopted as a model this far west.
  4. Watch the town carve-outs: a job's street address decides the jurisdiction — Blacksburg, Christiansburg, Town of Pulaski, Town of Bedford, Wytheville, Bluefield, Abingdon all run their own offices inside counties UP might assume cover them.
  5. Region-2000 trio (Bedford/Campbell/Amherst) share template policies — one qualification package + cover letter works for all three (mind Campbell's commercial-only category list and no-3P-finals rule, and Bedford's 2-week lead time).
  6. McDowell WV: no code regime — deliver engineer letters as the product; screen every address for floodplain (Judy Heath's permit is the only trigger).
  7. Soils flag: Roanoke County (Expansive Soils Policy) and Lynchburg (shrink-swell provisions) both regulate expansive-soil foundation work specially — pull those docs before quoting FND work there.

Phone-call worklist

Priority calls (policy requests + pre-qualification), all citing §113.7.1: