Charlottesville building & ADU permits
Recent permit activity, updated continuously.
Charlottesville is home to the University of Virginia and rewrote its zoning in 2023 to allow more units on residential lots. Its permit system uses distinct residential and commercial building codes, plus a dedicated accessory-unit sub-type, so ADU applications are identifiable directly from the permit record.
Igni is tracking 271 residential and building permits in Charlottesville, VA. The most active ZIP is 22903. The most recent filing Igni tracked was Sep 30, 2026. All records come from City of Charlottesville GIS (ArcGIS), an official government open-data feed, and are refreshed continuously.
271
Permits tracked
0
ADU permits
4
Distinct ZIP codes
Sep 30, 2026
Newest permit
Recent permits
A sample of the freshest permits in this jurisdiction — ZIP and city only (no street addresses).
| ZIP | Permit type | ADU type | Valuation | Applied |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22903 | Residential | — | $0 | Sep 29, 2026 |
| 22903 | Residential | — | $0 | Sep 30, 2026 |
| 22903 | Residential | — | $0 | Sep 28, 2026 |
| 22903 | Residential | — | $0 | Sep 28, 2026 |
| 22902 | Commercial | — | $0 | Sep 28, 2026 |
| 22902 | Residential | — | $0 | Sep 29, 2026 |
| 22902 | Commercial | — | $0 | Sep 29, 2026 |
| 22902 | Residential | — | $0 | Sep 25, 2026 |
| 22902 | Commercial | — | $0 | Sep 25, 2026 |
| 22903 | Residential | — | $0 | Sep 23, 2026 |
| 22903 | Residential | — | $0 | Sep 23, 2026 |
| 22903 | Residential | — | $0 | Sep 23, 2026 |
| 22903 | Commercial | — | $0 | Sep 24, 2026 |
| 22902 | Residential | — | $0 | Sep 24, 2026 |
| 22902 | Commercial | — | $0 | Sep 24, 2026 |
| 22902 | Residential | — | $0 | Sep 21, 2026 |
| 22903 | Residential | — | $0 | Sep 21, 2026 |
| 22902 | Residential | — | $0 | Sep 22, 2026 |
| 22903 | Commercial | — | $0 | Sep 18, 2026 |
| 22902 | Commercial | — | $0 | Sep 18, 2026 |
Top ZIP codes by recent activity
Permit activity in Charlottesville
Igni counted 7 permits issued in Charlottesville over the last 12 months (Apr 2025 – Mar 2026).
Not enough history for a seasonal forecast yet. How we forecast
| Permit type | Last 12 months | Year over year |
|---|---|---|
| All permits | 7 | — |
| Residential building | 2 | — |
| Commercial building | 5 | — |
| Trade (electrical, plumbing, mechanical) | 0 | — |
| ADU | 0 | — |
Monthly figures
| Month | Permits | 10th–90th percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Apr 2023 | 11 | — |
| May 2023 | 20 | — |
| Jun 2023 | 16 | — |
| Jul 2023 | 35 | — |
| Aug 2023 | 33 | — |
| Sep 2023 | 40 | — |
| Oct 2023 | 29 | — |
| Nov 2023 | 39 | — |
| Dec 2023 | 37 | — |
| Jan 2024 | 38 | — |
| Feb 2024 | 37 | — |
| Mar 2024 | 44 | — |
| Apr 2024 | 52 | — |
| May 2024 | 32 | — |
| Jun 2024 | 31 | — |
| Jul 2024 | 36 | — |
| Aug 2024 | 57 | — |
| Sep 2024 | 61 | — |
| Oct 2024 | 76 | — |
| Nov 2024 | 68 | — |
| Dec 2024 | 70 | — |
| Jan 2025 | 12 | — |
| Feb 2025 | 3 | — |
| Mar 2025 | 19 | — |
| Apr 2025 | 2 | — |
| May 2025 | 1 | — |
| Jun 2025 | 1 | — |
| Jul 2025 | 1 | — |
| Aug 2025 | 0 | — |
| Sep 2025 | 0 | — |
| Oct 2025 | 0 | — |
| Nov 2025 | 0 | — |
| Dec 2025 | 1 | — |
| Jan 2026 | 1 | — |
| Feb 2026 | 0 | — |
| Mar 2026 | 0 | — |
Counts are permits issued per calendar month as Charlottesville publishes them to its open-data feed — not a complete census; a change in what the city publishes moves them too. The current month is left out, and the most recent months are provisional. A forecast is a statistical estimate with a range, not a prediction for any project. Informational only.
How long do permits take in Charlottesville?
Based on 1,099 Charlottesville permits applied for between Sep 2023 and Jun 2026, the typical (median) permit was issued 190 days after application.
| Permit type | Median | Typical range | Permits |
|---|---|---|---|
| All permits | 190 days | — | 1,099 |
| Residential building | 123 days | — | 711 |
| Commercial building | 382 days | — | 381 |
Typical, not guaranteed: individual permits vary with project scope, application completeness and plan-review workload. Days are calendar days from application to issuance; applications still pending are counted as not-yet-issued rather than dropped. Informational only, not legal advice. How we calculate approval times.
Housing law — Virginia
Accessory dwelling units in Virginia are handled locally; without a statewide ADU mandate, rules differ by city and county.
Virginia has no statewide upzoning law; residential density is set by local zoning, with several Northern Virginia jurisdictions pursuing reform.
Data source
Sourced from City of Charlottesville GIS (ArcGIS). Public records (VA FOIA).
Nearby cities — Virginia
Learn more about ADUs & building permits
Background reading on accessory dwelling units, building permits, and how Igni turns Charlottesville permit records into leads.
Charlottesville permit data — FAQ
Where does Igni get Charlottesville permit data?
How fresh is Charlottesville permit data?
How long does it take to get a building permit in Charlottesville?
Does Charlottesville allow accessory dwelling units (ADUs)?
Get permit leads — Charlottesville
Fresh, filterable residential and ADU permit leads from Charlottesville — delivered before your competitors even know.
Informational only, not legal advice. Headline counts reflect all permits Igni has tracked for this jurisdiction; the table shows recent activity. Housing law changes — verify current statutes before relying on this.