[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Supervisors of Amelia County 8-11-1993; amended 3-17-2004. Subsequent amendments noted where applicable.]
A. 
This chapter shall be known as the "Building Ordinance of the County of Amelia, Virginia."
B. 
Consistent with the intent and purpose of Chapter 6 to Title 36, Housing, of the Code of Virginia, 1950, as amended, the County of Amelia Board of Supervisors has hereby created and continued a department of its organization known as the "Building Department" or the "County of Amelia Building Department."
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
C. 
This Department is charged with the administration, supervision and enforcement of all building codes and regulations, approval of plans, inspection of buildings, and issuance of permits, licenses, certificates or similar documents prescribed or required by state or local building regulations.
D. 
The Department shall be administered by a Building Official and such other designees, assistants or employees as authorized by the Board of Supervisors.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
A. 
There is hereby adopted and continued to the same extent as if set out herein at length by the County of Amelia Board of Supervisors the Uniform Statewide Building Code Part I, Virginia Construction Code, Part II, Virginia Existing Building Code, and Section 106, Unsafe structures or structures unfit for human occupancy, of Part III, Virginia Maintenance Code, and such other code provisions and regulations as adopted and promulgated from time to time by the Commonwealth of Virginia Board of Housing and Community Development. This code shall be enforced as provided in § 26-1 of this chapter.
B. 
Any building may be inspected at any time before completion and shall not be deemed in compliance until approved by the Building Official. Where the construction cost is less than $2,500, however, the building inspection may at the discretion of the Building Official be waived. Buildings and structures, permanent or temporary, which are used to store hazardous materials, or occupied or to be used by 20 or more persons who are employed, lodged, housed, assembled, served, entertained or instructed therein, or the common areas of residential structures containing four or more units, including buildings owned by the commonwealth or by any of its political subdivisions and the equipment therein, may be inspected periodically after completion to ensure that the Building Code regulations are properly maintained. The Building Official shall coordinate reports with inspections for compliance of the Building Code from fire and health officials who are delegated such authority, prior to issuance of a certificate of occupancy.
A. 
There is created and continued a Local Board of Building Code Appeals whose composition, duties, and responsibilities shall be prescribed in the Uniform Statewide Building Code.
B. 
Appeals from the Local Building Department concerning application of the Building Code or refusal to grant a modification to the provisions of the code covering the manner of construction or materials to be used in the erection, alteration or repair of a building or structure shall first lie to the Local Board of Building Code Appeals. No appeal to the State Building Code Technical Review Board shall lie prior to a final determination by the Local Board of Building Code Appeals.
A. 
When, in accordance with the Uniform Statewide Building Code, a permit is required, this permit shall be obtained from the County of Amelia Building Official.
B. 
Applications for a building permit shall be written and shall be on forms provided by the County of Amelia. Building permit applications shall contain a description of the proposed work, its location(s), the use of all parts of the building, and of all portions of the site not covered by the building, and such additional information as may be required by the Building Official.
C. 
Application for a building permit shall be accompanied by not less than two copies of specifications and plans. The Building Official may waive the requirement for filing plans and specifications when the work involved is of a minor nature.
D. 
If the Building Official is satisfied that the proposed work conforms to the requirement of the Uniform Statewide Building Code and all other applicable laws (including but not limited to compliance with Chapter 325, Zoning, and Chapter 300, Soil Erosion and Sediment Control, of the Code of Amelia County), a permit shall be issued as soon as practical. The Building Official may require review and permitting compliance with other laws and ordinances prior to final issuance of a building permit.
E. 
The Building Official may revoke a permit or approval issued under the provisions of the Uniform Statewide Building Code in case of any false statement or misinterpretation of fact in the application or in the plans on which a permit or approval was based.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
As adopted and prescribed in Section 106 of Part III of the Uniform Statewide Building Code, the Building Official may require the owners of property to remove, repair, or secure any building, wall, or other structure which might endanger the public health or safety of any residents of the County.
A. 
The Building Official or his/her representative(s) may inspect any building and/or structure for the purpose of enforcing the Uniform Statewide Building Code in accordance with the authority granted by § 36-105 of the Code of Virginia, 1950, as amended.
B. 
It shall be the duty of the permittee to notify the Building Department when any portion of his/her installation is installed in a building or any part thereof and such work is ready for inspection. The request for inspection shall be made before 9:30 a.m. on the day of the requested inspection. The permittee requesting the inspection shall state the time of day that his/her work will be ready for inspection, and the inspection shall be made as near the time stated as is practicable.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
When a building is entitled thereto, the Building Official shall issue a certificate of occupancy after written application. When the certificate is issued, the building shall be deemed to be in compliance with the Uniform Statewide Building Code.
It shall be unlawful for any owner or any other person, firm or corporation to violate any portion of this chapter or the Uniform Statewide Building Code. Any such violation shall be punishable as provided in § 36-106 of the Code of Virginia, 1950, as amended, and, if the violation remains uncorrected at the time of the conviction, the court shall order the violator to abate or remedy the violation within six months of the date of conviction.
A. 
The County of Amelia Board of Supervisors shall establish and from time to time adjust by resolution the fees for various types of building permits.
B. 
The Building Official shall enforce the current fee schedule. No permit for any construction shall be issued until the appropriate fees have been paid.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
Copies of the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, the Board of Supervisors' fee schedule, and this chapter are on file in the Building Official's office and the County Administrator's office where they are available for view between the time of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except authorized holidays.
Should any section or provision of this chapter be decided by a court of competent jurisdiction to be unconstitutional or invalid, such decision shall not affect the validity of the chapter as a whole or any part thereof other than the part so held to be unconstitutional or invalid.
This chapter was duly considered, following a required public hearing held on August 11, 1993, and was adopted by the County of Amelia Board of Supervisors at its regular meeting held on August 11, 1993. This chapter shall be effective upon adoption and subsequent amendments thereto as follows: March 17, 2004.