Fees & Payments

Miscellaneous Fees
Note: A $50.00 return check fee will be imposed for all returned checks to the Smyth County Building & Zoning Department.
Item Price
Zoning Ordinance: $3.00
Zoning Map: 8.5 X 11 $1.00
Zoning Map: 11 X 17 $2.00
Zoning Map: 17 X 22 or 22 X 34 $5.00
Zoning Map: 34X34 $10.00
Subdivision Ordinance: $2.00
Manufactured Home Ordinance: $2.00
Building Permit Listing: $5.00
Contractor Listing: $5.00
Manufactured Home Park Plat Review Fee: $50.00
Local Board of Building Code Appeals Fee: $150.00
Planning Commission Called Meeting Reimbursement (plus mileage): $350.00

Zoning Fees Effective October 1, 2024:
Zoning Permit: $50.00
Text Amendment: $500.00
Map Amendment: $500.00
Special Use Permit: $500.00
Zoning Variance: $500.00
Zoning Appeal: $500.00
Agricultural: No Fee
Permit Fees:
Effective immediately:  Building permit fees for projects related to Hurricane Helene are waived until November 1, 2025.
Click here for the current permit fees:  Amended Fees adopted 6-26-25.pdf
 
General Information for permit fees for Smyth County:
 
State Tax: A state tax levy, established by the Commonwealth of Virginia, is applied to all building permits. Permit fees are rounded to the nearest whole dollar before calculating the levy. The current levy rate is 2.00% (0.02).
 
Refund Policy: 

A refund of the building permit fee may be issued upon request by the property owner if the permit remains unused. Requests for refunds must be submitted within 12 months of the permit’s issuance date. A non-refundable administrative fee of $25.00 will be retained to cover processing costs.

For discontinued projects, a refund may also be requested; however, the Building Inspection Department reserves the right to withhold a portion of the fee to cover the cost of any inspections performed, in addition to the $25.00 administrative fee.

Renewing Permit: If no inspection is requested within six months, the property owner may apply for a six-month extension of the building permit. After twelve months of inactivity, the owner must pay the minimum permit fee to renew the original permit for an additional twelve months. Permits that have been inactive for more than thirty-six months are not eligible for renewal; in such cases, the applicant must obtain a new permit for any portion of the work that remains incomplete.
 
Partial Permits:  If a property owner or contractor requests approval to obtain a permit for a portion of a project, the full permit fee shall be paid at the time the initial partial permit is issued. Subsequent permits for the remaining portions of the project will be issued at no additional charge. Similarly, if separate permits are requested for the general contractor and subcontractors, the full building permit fee must be paid with the general contractor’s permit.

Pay Your Bill Online

We accept Visa, Mastercard, and Discover. Please note that service fees may apply.
For your convenience, credit and debit card payments are accepted in our office.
welcome-shape