Bland County

Bland County's permitting authority is administered through the county government — Planning and Zoning is integrated with the County Administrator's office given the small size of the county. Bland County has no incorporated towns or cities; every parcel in the county is unincorporated and subject solely to county jurisdiction. Bland County comprises approximately 359 square miles of mountainous and forested terrain in southwestern Virginia. The county is bisected east-west by Interstate 77 (Big Walker Mountain Tunnel) and US Route 52, with the population concentrated in the Bland Valley between East River Mountain on the north (the West Virginia border ridge) and Walker Mountain on the south. Substantial portions of the county lie within or adjacent to the Jefferson National Forest. The county is part of the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area's broader region and of the Appalachian Trail corridor (the AT crosses Bland County). For an ADU-style project, the typical sequence is: (a) zoning determination from county planning/zoning staff; (b) if a Special Use Permit is required, application to Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors; (c) building permit application to the county building official under the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code; (d) inspections through construction; (e) certificate of occupancy. Essentially all parcels are not served by public utilities and require well and septic approval through the Virginia Department of Health.

Process overview: Bland County's ADU-style permitting process varies by project pathway: (1) Family/kinship dwelling — if the second dwelling is occupied by a family member of the primary-dwelling occupant, the zoning administrator may issue an administrative zoning approval, followed by a standard building permit; this is the fastest path, typically 4-8 weeks end-to-end. (2) Special Use Permit for a rental or non-kin second dwelling — application submitted with site plan, statement of use, and filing fee. Staff prepares a staff report. The Planning Commission holds a public hearing (advertised per Va. Code § 15.2-2204) and makes a recommendation. The Board of Supervisors holds its own public hearing and votes. The entire SUP process typically takes 60-120 days, possibly longer in Bland given smaller meeting cadence. (3) Minor subdivision — the subdivision ordinance applies. Building permits require compliance with the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code (USBC). Well and septic approval is administered by the Virginia Department of Health and is required before a building permit can be issued for a dwelling not connected to public water/sewer. The Town of Bland (the unincorporated county seat) and Rocky Gap have very limited public water service through small public service authorities; the rest of the county relies entirely on wells and septic.

Impact fees: Virginia localities generally do not levy impact fees of the type used in California or Florida. Va. Code § 15.2-2317 et seq. road impact fees are restricted to specific high-growth counties and Bland County is not on the eligible list. Cash proffers are constrained by Va. Code § 15.2-2303.4 (2016). For an ADU built on an existing parcel without rezoning, the applicant pays building-permit fees, any SUP application fee if applicable, and state and local permit surcharges. Fees are generally low. (schedule)

Bland County real property is assessed under the supervision of the Bland County Commissioner of the Revenue, with periodic general reassessments conducted by county staff or by a contracted mass-appraisal firm. Tax administration is handled by the Commissioner of the Revenue's office; collection is handled by the Bland County Treasurer. Virginia law requires general reassessment of real property at least once every four years for most counties (Va. Code § 58.1-3252). Virginia uses a fair-market-value assessment system. When an ADU is added to an existing parcel, the new structure is added to the assessment roll at its contributory fair market value as a supplemental assessment.

Assessment policy: Virginia is a fair-market-value assessment state; a new ADU is added to the assessment roll at its contributory fair market value as a supplemental assessment effective from completion (building permit final inspection) through the balance of the tax year. The primary dwelling's prior assessed value is not automatically reset by the addition of the ADU. At the next general reassessment, both structures are re-valued at current fair market value. Property-tax rates are set annually by the Bland County Board of Supervisors.

Bland County administers or is subject to several overlay regimes that materially affect ADU siting on parcels: (1) Jefferson National Forest adjacency — substantial portions of the county lie within or adjacent to the Jefferson National Forest, including the Big Walker Mountain area; (2) Appalachian Trail corridor — the AT crosses Bland County and a National Park Service-administered AT corridor easement applies to a strip of land along the Trail; ADU projects within or near the AT corridor require coordination with the National Park Service and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy; (3) FEMA Special Flood Hazard Areas along Wolf Creek (the principal stream draining the Bland Valley northward to the New River), Walker Creek, and tributaries; (4) Karst topography in portions of the limestone valleys; (5) Steep-slope considerations — the county is mountainous (elevations from approximately 2,000 feet at valley floor to over 4,400 feet on East River Mountain ridge); (6) Wildfire risk in heavily forested mountain areas; (7) Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act applicability — Bland County is NOT in the Tidewater area, so RPAs and RMAs do not apply; (8) New River drainage — Bland County drains north to the New River, an ancient and unusually-protected river system that flows north through Virginia and West Virginia; environmental considerations apply to certain tributary streams.

• Jefferson National Forest adjacency — Substantial portions of Bland County lie within or adjacent to the Jefferson National Forest. Federal regulation applies to activities within the federal boundary, not to private parcels outside it. However, parcels adjacent to or surrounded by Forest Service land face access easement, scenic-corridor, and federal-cooperation considerations. Inholdings and forest-adjacent parcels are common in Bland.
• Appalachian Trail corridor — The Appalachian National Scenic Trail crosses Bland County, traversing Walker Mountain and other ridges. The National Park Service administers a corridor easement along the AT to preserve trail integrity and the trail viewshed. Private parcels within or immediately adjacent to the AT corridor face restrictions on visibility-impacting structures and may be subject to scenic easements held by the NPS or Appalachian Trail Conservancy. ADU projects on parcels visible from the AT or near AT crossings should include early consultation with the NPS Appalachian Trail Park Office.
• FEMA National Flood Insurance Program — Special Flood Hazard Areas — Bland County participates in the National Flood Insurance Program. Principal Special Flood Hazard Area extents in the county are along Wolf Creek, Walker Creek, and various tributary streams. An ADU in an SFHA must comply with NFIP elevation requirements and post-construction Elevation Certificate filing.
• Karst topography — well and septic siting constraints — Portions of Bland County lie in limestone valley terrain with karst features (sinkholes, sinking creeks, springs). Karst hydrology poses elevated cross-contamination risk between septic drainfields and groundwater wells. The Virginia Department of Health (Mount Rogers Health District) requires more rigorous evaluation of septic siting in karst areas.
• Virginia Department of Forestry wildfire risk — Bland County's mountainous, heavily forested terrain — particularly along the East River Mountain ridge and the Walker Mountain corridor — has elevated wildfire exposure. Virginia does not have a California-style WUI overlay; the Virginia Department of Forestry promotes defensible-space practices on an advisory basis.
• Virginia Agricultural and Forestal Districts (local option under state law) — Bland County may have established Agricultural and Forestal Districts under the state AFD Act. Enrollment is voluntary; participating landowners commit to keeping land in agricultural or forestal use in exchange for use-value assessment and limited protection from certain governmental actions.