In Loudoun County, every deck needs a building permit and a zoning permit. Finished basements, additions (including screened porches), and alterations need a building permit plus trade permits. The Department of Building and Development issues building permits countywide through LandMARC. If you live in one of the seven incorporated towns, get the town’s zoning approval first and submit it with the county application.
Who issues the permit depends on your address
Loudoun’s Department of Building and Development issues building permits for the whole county, including the towns, but it issues zoning permits only outside the towns. The seven incorporated towns are Hamilton, Hillsboro, Leesburg, Lovettsville, Middleburg, Purcellville, and Round Hill. Anywhere else in the county, Loudoun handles zoning as well as the building permit.
Loudoun County Department of Building and Development
Building, grading, and trade permits countywide, and zoning permits outside the incorporated towns. Applications, plan uploads, payments, and inspection requests run through LandMARC. Source: Loudoun County: Permitting, Loudoun County: LandMARC, Loudoun County: Residential and commercial construction.
Town zoning offices (Leesburg, Purcellville, Middleburg, and the other towns)
Inside a town, county zoning rules don’t apply. Contact the town zoning office first; the county application then needs the approved town zoning permit attached. Source: Loudoun County: Incorporated towns, Loudoun County: Zoning requirements, Loudoun County: Decks.
Do I need a permit? Job by job
Short answers for the remodel jobs homeowners ask us about most. Your exact scope decides the answer, so confirm with the permit office for your parcel.
Deck
Permit requiredEvery deck needs a building permit and a zoning permit. Simple single-level attached decks can use the county’s Typical Deck Detail; detached decks and decks with a roof, screen, hot tub, or gazebo need their own plans. Expect footing, framing, and final inspections. Source: Loudoun County: Decks.
Our decks workFinished basement
Permit requiredNeeds a building permit and a zoning permit, plus trade permits. The county’s Typical Finished Basement details can stand in for custom drawings unless the work changes a load-bearing wall, an exterior wall, a beam, or a column. A kitchen in the basement needs zoning approval. Source: Loudoun County: Finished basements.
Our basement finishing workBathroom or kitchen remodel
Depends on scopeLoudoun treats changes to an existing home as alterations that need a building permit and trade permits. Under the state exemption list, swapping plumbing fixtures without altering supply, drain, or vent lines, and replacing cabinets, flooring, or trim, don’t need a permit. Source: Loudoun County: Residential additions and alterations, Virginia USBC, 13VAC5-63-80 Section 108.2 (work exempt from permits).
Our bathroom remodeling workAddition, screened porch, or sunroom
Permit requiredRequired, with a plat and structural plans. Loudoun counts a screened porch as an addition. A new bedroom on a well and septic system needs Health Department approval too. Source: Loudoun County: Residential additions and alterations.
Our home additions workRoof, siding, windows, and doors
Check with the countyLoudoun’s pages don’t list these jobs. The Virginia USBC exempts roof covering and siding replacement on a house where the design wind speed is 100 mph or less, and window and door replacement with similar operation and opening size, no change to the framed opening, and no fire rating required, but a building official can still require a permit in a historic district. Call the county to confirm for your address. Source: Virginia USBC, 13VAC5-63-80 Section 108.2 (work exempt from permits), Loudoun County: Residential and commercial construction.
Our roofing workShed
Depends on scopeA shed up to the county’s size limit needs a zoning-only permit. A larger shed needs a building permit and zoning. Source: Loudoun County: Sheds and agricultural structures.
The typical permit steps in Loudoun County
- If you’re inside an incorporated town, get the town zoning permit first. Source: Loudoun County: Zoning requirements, Loudoun County: Decks.
- Apply in LandMARC (or on paper) with the owner-signed application, plat, and plans or the county’s Typical details. Source: Loudoun County: Finished basements, Loudoun County: Residential additions and alterations, Loudoun County: LandMARC.
- The county reviews the application and tells you when the permit is ready; fees are paid then. Don’t start work until it’s issued. Source: Loudoun County: Finished basements.
- Apply for the plumbing, electrical, gas, and mechanical trade permits separately in LandMARC. Source: Loudoun County: Residential and commercial construction.
- Request inspections in LandMARC ahead of time, and keep the approved plans on site for the inspector. Source: Loudoun County: Decks, Loudoun County: Finished basements.
HOA approval and historic districts are separate
Loudoun’s permitting page puts it on the applicant to contact the HOA or POA for any extra requirements or approval. A county permit doesn’t replace that approval, so run your HOA review alongside the permit. Source: Loudoun County: Permitting.
In a county historic district, you need a Certificate of Appropriateness before permits are issued. Town historic districts, such as Leesburg’s, have their own review. Source: Loudoun County: Zoning requirements.
How Real Elite handles permits
On a job we build, we confirm which office has jurisdiction over your parcel, pull the permits the scope needs, and schedule the inspections. Start with a free site visit: we walk the project with you, tell you what we expect the permit path to be, and put it in a written estimate. If something on this page doesn’t match what the county tells you, the county is right.
Quick questions
- Do I need a permit for a deck in Loudoun County?
- Yes. Every deck in Loudoun County needs both a building permit and a zoning permit. Inside a town, the zoning approval comes from the town.
- Do I need a permit to finish my basement in Ashburn?
- Yes. Ashburn is not one of the incorporated towns, so you apply to Loudoun County for both building and zoning permits, plus trade permits for electrical, plumbing, and mechanical work.
- Is a screened porch a deck or an addition in Loudoun?
- An addition. Loudoun’s Typical Deck Detail excludes roofed and screened decks, and the county lists screened porches under additions.
Official sources
Last checked October 11, 2026. Rules change, so confirm with the county before you file.
- Loudoun County: Permitting
- Loudoun County: Residential and commercial construction
- Loudoun County: LandMARC
- Loudoun County: Decks
- Loudoun County: Finished basements
- Loudoun County: Residential additions and alterations
- Loudoun County: Sheds and agricultural structures
- Loudoun County: Incorporated towns
- Loudoun County: Zoning requirements
- Virginia USBC, 13VAC5-63-80 Section 108.2 (work exempt from permits)
Where we work in Loudoun County
Related guides
Permit guides for other counties
- Fairfax County, VA permit guide
- Arlington County, VA permit guide
- Montgomery County, MD permit guide
- Howard County, MD permit guide
- Frederick County, MD permit guide
- Berkeley County, WV permit guide
- Jefferson County, WV permit guide
- Washington County, MD permit guide
- Franklin County, PA permit guide
- Fauquier County, VA permit guide
- Prince William County, VA permit guide
- Frederick County and Winchester, VA permit guide
- Clarke County, VA permit guide
- City of Alexandria, VA permit guide
- Falls Church and City of Fairfax, VA permit guide
- Anne Arundel County and Annapolis, MD permit guide
- Carroll County, MD permit guide
- Manassas and Manassas Park, VA permit guide