Virginia Beach, VA
Virginia Beach Electrical Permit Cost
An electrical permit in Virginia Beach is priced by what the job touches.
A new single-phase service is $50.00 plus $20.00 per 50 amps — $130.00 at the 200-amp service most homes carry — while additions or repairs are $50.00 plus $5.00 per circuit. Named scopes (generator circuits, sub-fed panels, panel swaps, meter relocations, pool bonding, trailer services) are $50.00 each. Every permit adds the 2% state levy and the $10.00 technology fee.
How this fee is calculated
These are the components the schedule defines for this permit, as they applied on 2026-09-28. A component only applies to your project if its conditions match — read that column before assuming a figure. Want a figure for your own project? Estimate this fee with the permit fee calculator.
| Component | Formula | Applies when | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical additions or repairs ($50.00 + $5.00 per circuit)Permit fee | $50.00 plus $5.00 per circuit | circuits is provided and amperage is not provided | — |
| New electrical service, single phase ($50.00 + $20.00 per 50 amps)Permit fee | 4000% of service amperage (per 50 A or fraction thereof) | amperage is provided | — |
| New electrical service base fee ($50.00)Permit fee | $50.00 flat fee | amperage is provided | — |
| Virginia 2% state levy on permit feesState surcharge | 2% of fees charged | Every permit of this type | — |
| Technology fee ($10.00 per permit)Technology fee | $10.00 flat fee | Every permit of this type | — |
A real permit fee is these components added together. The department’s final calculation is the one that applies — this is the schedule it will be based on.
A worked example
Follow the arithmetic by hand. Every line is produced by the engine from the rules above, so the total cannot drift away from the schedule behind it.
Worked example
A 200-amp single-phase residential service upgrade in Virginia Beach.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Project valuation | $5,500 |
| Service amperage | 200 A |
Example total
$142.60
An estimate, not an official fee. It is calculated from the published fee schedule as it applied on 2026-09-28. The permit office’s own calculation is the one that applies, and your project may fall under rules this schedule does not describe.
Fee schedule as of 2026-09-28Rules applied 4Rules considered 5
| Component | How it is calculated | Amount |
|---|---|---|
New electrical service, single phase ($50.00 + $20.00 per 50 amps)Permit feeTrades Permits page: 'New Service Single Phase: $50.00 plus $20.00 per 50 amps' — 50 A $70; 100 A $90; 150 A $110; 200 A $130; 300 A $170; 400 A $210.Show the working
| 4000% of service amperage, or fraction thereof, rounded up in 50 A steps | $80.00 |
New electrical service base fee ($50.00)Permit feeTrades Permits page: 'New Service Single Phase: $50.00 plus $20.00 per 50 amps' — the amperage rate rides a $50.00 base.Show the working
| $50.00 flat fee | $50.00 |
Virginia 2% state levy on permit feesState surchargeBoth Virginia Beach fee sheets state: 'A 2% State Levy will be assessed on the permit fees listed above.'Show the working
| 2% of fees charged | $2.60 |
Technology fee ($10.00 per permit)Technology feeBoth Virginia Beach fee sheets state: 'A $10.00 Technology Fee is assessed on all permits.'Show the working
| $10.00 flat fee | $10.00 |
| Total | $142.60 |
Fees that do not apply here
Listed so you can see what was considered and left out, rather than wondering whether something is missing. A rule can also be left out because it is not published for this permit at all, and that is stated where it matters.
- Electrical additions or repairs ($50.00 + $5.00 per circuit) — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
Assumptions
- Calculated from 4 fee rules in effect on 2026-09-28.
- Amounts are rounded to the nearest cent, once, at the end of each component.
The service fee is $50.00 + $20.00 × (200 ÷ 50) = $50.00 + $80.00 = $130.00. The 2% state levy on the base adds $2.60, and the technology fee $10.00. Total: $130.00 + $2.60 + $10.00 = $142.60.
What is different in Virginia Beach
Electrical permits file through the City's Accela portal with the contractor's Class A/B/C registration and master tradesman signature; an owner may pull the permit with their own signature. Services over 800 amps require an electrical inspector's approval before issuance. Rough wiring is inspected before concealment and a final follows; failed re-inspections are $75, and the administrative fee for beginning work without a permit is $250.
What this figure does not include
Impact fees, utility connections and other departments’ permits are the usual omissions, and in some jurisdictions they are larger than the permit fee itself.
Not included in these figures
Dominion Energy's meter and service connection charges, utility reconnection fees, and low-voltage work under a separate registration are outside the permit fee. Change-of-service permits pay half the new-service fee for the same amperage.
What you need before applying
- Virginia Class A/B/C Contractor RegistrationRequired
Electrical permits are filed with the electrical contractor's Class A, B or C state registration number and a registered master tradesman's signature; owners may pull a permit with their own signature.
Common questions
What does a 200-amp service permit cost in Virginia Beach?
$50.00 plus $20.00 per 50 amps: four 50-amp steps at 200 A make the fee $130.00, plus the 2% state levy ($2.60) and the $10.00 technology fee — $142.60 in total.
Virginia Beach Trades Permits page
How are electrical additions and repairs priced?
$50.00 plus $5.00 per circuit, feeder or piece of equipment connected. A three-circuit kitchen addition files at $65.00 before the levy and technology fee.
Virginia Beach Trades Permits page
What is the fee for a change of electrical service?
Half of the new-service fee for the same amperage — a 200-amp change of service is $65.00 against the $130.00 new-service figure. Circuits added, repaired or extended during the change are charged separately.
Virginia Beach Trades Permits page
Which electrical scopes pay a flat $50.00?
Generator circuits, temporary service poles, sub-fed panels, panel replacement or relocation, meter/meterbase replacement or relocation, pool bonding, trailer services and overhead-to-underground conversions are each $50.00, plus the levy and technology fee.
Virginia Beach Trades Permits page
Source and verification
The documents behind every figure on this page, with the dates that make them checkable.
- City websiteCityPrimary source
Trades Permits — Electrical, Plumbing, Mechanical (City web page)
Electrical: new service single phase $50.00 + $20.00 per 50 amps; change of service half the new-service fee; additions/repairs $50.00 + $5.00 per circuit; $50.00 each for named scopes; 2% state levy + $10.00 technology fee. Plumbing: $50.00 + $6.00 per fixture/drain.
Verification
Last verified against the official source in Sep 2026.