Roanoke, Virginia - City Development Fees
City of Roanoke | Independent city | Roanoke Valley / Southwest Virginia (Blue Ridge, I-81 / US-220) | Roanoke, VA MSA | FIPS 51770
Roanoke is an independent city in the Roanoke Valley of Southwest Virginia, the largest city in the region and the core of the Roanoke, VA metropolitan area, bordered by Roanoke County, the independent city of Salem, and the town of Vinton. Its development-side application fees are published by the City of Roanoke Department of Planning, Building and Development in a single consolidated Fees page that covers zoning amendments and rezonings, special exceptions, variances, appeals, zoning verifications, subdivision plats, site plans, building permits, and certificates of occupancy. Water and sewer service - and therefore all utility connection and availability fees - is provided by the Western Virginia Water Authority (WVWA), a separate regional authority serving Roanoke City and Roanoke County, not by the City itself. All amounts on this page are taken from the City of Roanoke consolidated Fees page as published and verified on July 8, 2026; the page carries no printed adoption or effective date, so figures are presented as the current published amounts.
Current Schedule
City of Roanoke Planning, Building and Development consolidated Fees page, verified July 8, 2026. The City publishes its zoning, subdivision, site plan, building permit, and certificate-of-occupancy fees inline on a single department Fees page. The page carries no printed adoption or effective date, so the amounts below are presented as the current published figures as of the verification date. Verify current amounts with the City of Roanoke before relying on them for a project budget.
On this page
Fee Summary
| Fee Type | Status | Top-Line Figure | Effective Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zoning, Subdivision, Site Plan, Building Permit, and CO Fees | Confirmed | Rezoning $1,000 + $500 advertisement; Special Exception $100 + $250; Variance $190 + $250; Site Plan $500 + $50/acre; Building permit $50 + $6.57 per $1,000 | Current (no printed date) |
| Impact Fees (Va. Code 15.2-2317) | Not administered by this jurisdiction | No land-development impact fee; Virginia does not use TLGC Ch. 395 impact fees and Roanoke is not a designated high-growth road-impact locality | - |
| Utility Connection / Tap Fees | Not administered by this jurisdiction | Water and sewer provided by the Western Virginia Water Authority (WVWA), a separate regional authority; the City levies no tap or connection fee | - |
| Proffers (Conditional Rezoning) | Not a scheduled fee | Voluntary negotiated conditions under Va. Code 15.2-2303; no published per-unit dollar schedule | - |
| Special District Fees | Not administered by this jurisdiction | No City CDA or service-district developer-phase fee; downtown/service districts funded through a supplemental real-estate tax rate | - |
Zoning and Land-Use Application Fees
Source: City of Roanoke consolidated Planning, Building and Development Fees page. Administered by: City of Roanoke Department of Planning, Building and Development. Many zoning actions carry a separate legal advertisement fee in addition to the base application fee, as shown below.
| Application Type | Fee |
|---|---|
| Zoning Amendment / Rezoning | $1,000.00 + $500.00 legal advertisement fee |
| Special Exception | $100.00 + $250.00 legal advertisement fee |
| Zoning Variance | $190.00 + $250.00 legal advertisement fee |
| Zoning Appeal | $250.00 + $250.00 legal advertisement fee |
| Board of Zoning Appeals legal advertisement fee | $250.00 |
| Zoning Verification | $150.00 |
| Zoning Administrator Modification | $150.00 |
| Zoning Permit / Basic Development Plan | $25.00 |
| Business License Zoning Verification | $0.00 |
Subdivision and Site Plan Fees
Source: City of Roanoke consolidated Planning, Building and Development Fees page. Administered by: City of Roanoke Department of Planning, Building and Development. Subdivision and comprehensive development plan fees combine a base charge with a per-lot or per-acre component.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Subdivision plat - minor | $150.00 |
| Subdivision plat - major | $220.00 + $50.00 per lot |
| Subdivision Site Plan | $500.00 + $50.00 per disturbed acre |
| Subdivision plat vacation | $50.00 |
| Comprehensive development plan review | $100.00 + $50.00 per acre of disturbed area |
| Stormwater plan review | $100.00 + $3.00 per 100 sq. ft. of post-development impervious area |
Building Permit and Certificate of Occupancy Fees
Source: City of Roanoke consolidated Planning, Building and Development Fees page. Administered by: City of Roanoke Department of Planning, Building and Development. Building permit fees are valuation-based.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Building permit (base) | $50.00 |
| Building permit (valuation above $1,000.01) | $50.00 + $6.57 for each additional $1,000 of valuation |
| Zoning and Building Permit combined | Building permit fee + $25.00 |
| Certificate of Occupancy - permanent | $50.00 |
| Certificate of Occupancy - temporary | $150.00 |
Coverage Notes - What This Page Does Not Cover
Per ZoneFee's Partial-Verified Publication Standard, the items below were closed via documented searches rather than estimated or omitted silently.
Impact Fees (Va. Code 15.2-2317)
The City of Roanoke has not adopted a land-development or transportation impact fee. Virginia does not use Texas-style TLGC Chapter 395 impact fees, and the Virginia road impact fee statute (Virginia Code Section 15.2-2317 et seq.) applies only to localities designated as high-growth by the Commonwealth Transportation Board. Roanoke, a fully developed independent city, is not a designated high-growth impact-fee locality, and its consolidated Fees page lists zero impact-fee line items. Closed-search outcome: not administered by this jurisdiction.
Utility Connection and Tap Fees
Water and sewer service for the City of Roanoke is provided by the Western Virginia Water Authority (WVWA), a separate regional authority formed in 2004 that serves Roanoke City and Roanoke County. Utility connection and availability fees are administered by WVWA, not by the City, and the City's consolidated Fees page carries no water or sewer tap, connection, or availability line item. WVWA connection and availability fees are a separate authority-record work-line and are out of scope for this City jurisdiction page. Closed-search outcome: not administered by the City of Roanoke.
Proffers (Conditional Rezoning)
Virginia conditional-zoning proffers (Virginia Code Section 15.2-2303) are voluntary conditions an applicant may offer during a rezoning; they are not a published fee with a dollar schedule, and the small-area cash-proffer restrictions of Virginia Code Section 15.2-2303.4 apply to residential rezonings. The City of Roanoke publishes no proffer fee schedule; proffers, when offered, are negotiated case by case. Closed-search outcome: no dollar-denominated proffer fee family applies.
Special District Fees
No City-administered community development authority (CDA), special-assessment district, or service-district developer-phase application fee was identified for the City of Roanoke. Any downtown or business-improvement service district is funded through a supplemental real-estate tax rate on the assessment roll rather than a one-time developer fee. Closed-search outcome: not administered by this jurisdiction.
Fee Authorities
| Authority | Fee Types | Official Website |
|---|---|---|
| City of Roanoke Department of Planning, Building and Development | Zoning amendment/rezoning, special exception, variance, appeal, zoning verification, subdivision plat, site plan, building permit, and certificate of occupancy fees | roanokeva.gov/2073/Fees |
| Western Virginia Water Authority (WVWA) | Water and sewer connection and availability fees for Roanoke City and Roanoke County (separate regional authority; not a City fee) | westernvawater.org |
Sources
| Document | Agency | Accessed |
|---|---|---|
| City of Roanoke - Planning, Building and Development Fees (SHA-256 46e7e93c...) | City of Roanoke, VA - Planning, Building and Development | 2026-07-08 |
Last verified by ZoneFee: 2026-07-08. Fee schedules are subject to change. Verify current rates directly with the City of Roanoke Department of Planning, Building and Development before relying on this data for any financial decision.
This page reflects fee data sourced from the City of Roanoke consolidated Planning, Building and Development Fees page (roanokeva.gov/2073/Fees; SHA-256 46e7e93c...), verified July 8, 2026. The City fee page carries no printed adoption or effective date, so amounts are presented as the current published figures as of the verification date. ZoneFee does not guarantee that fee amounts are current at the time you read this page; fee schedules change. Roanoke has not adopted a Va. Code 15.2-2317 land-development impact fee, uses voluntary conditional-rezoning proffers under Va. Code 15.2-2303 with no mandatory per-unit cash-proffer schedule, and levies no City special-district developer fee. Water and sewer connection and availability fees for the City of Roanoke are administered by the Western Virginia Water Authority, a separate regional authority, and are out of ZoneFee scope for this City page. Verify all current rates directly with the City of Roanoke before relying on this data for land acquisition, project budgeting, or any financial decision. This page is for research and due-diligence reference only - it is not legal or financial advice.