Campbell County

The Campbell County Community Development Department is the sole permitting authority for building permits, zoning permits, and Special Use Permits on parcels within the unincorporated county (i.e., parcels outside the corporate limits of the Town of Altavista and the Town of Brookneal). Campbell County comprises approximately 508 square miles of mixed rural, agricultural, and suburban territory in the Virginia Piedmont, south of the independent City of Lynchburg. The county's only incorporated places are the Town of Altavista and the Town of Brookneal; all other populated places (Rustburg the county seat, Concord, Evington, Gladys, Lynch Station, Naruna, Leesville, Hat Creek, Spring Hill, Timberlake, Yellow Branch, and numerous smaller unincorporated communities) are administered by the county. For an ADU-style project in the unincorporated county, the typical sequence is: (a) zoning determination by the zoning administrator (permitted by right under a narrow family/kinship reading, permitted via Special Use Permit, or prohibited); (b) if SUP required, application to the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors under Va. Code §§ 15.2-2204, 15.2-2285, 15.2-2286; (c) building permit application to the county building official; (d) inspections through construction; (e) certificate of occupancy. Applicants should expect a substantially longer timeline than a first-dwelling build when an SUP is required, because the SUP process is a public-hearing process with statutory notice requirements (two successive weeks' advertisement and five-day final-notice under Va. Code § 15.2-2204).

Process overview: Campbell County's ADU-style permitting process varies by project pathway: (1) Family dwelling / family subdivision — if the second dwelling is for an immediate family member of the primary-dwelling owner and qualifies under the county's family-dwelling or family-subdivision provisions, the zoning administrator may issue an administrative zoning approval followed by a standard building permit; this is the fastest path when eligible, typically 4-8 weeks end-to-end assuming no building-code complications. (2) Special Use Permit for a rental or non-family second dwelling — the applicant submits a completed SUP application with site plan, statement of use, and the required filing fee to the Community Development Department. Staff conducts a zoning analysis and prepares a staff report. The Planning Commission holds a public hearing (advertised per Va. Code § 15.2-2204: once a week for two successive weeks, with final notice not less than five days before the hearing) and makes a recommendation. The Board of Supervisors then holds its own public hearing and votes. The entire SUP process typically takes 60-120 days from complete submission to Board decision; complex applications or those requiring ordinance interpretation can take longer. (3) Minor subdivision — if the applicant prefers to create a separate buildable lot and construct a fully separate dwelling, the subdivision ordinance (separate chapter of the county code) applies. Subdivision review runs through the subdivision agent and the Planning Commission; timelines vary from approximately 30 days (simple minor subdivision) to 6+ months (major subdivision requiring road approval, stormwater, and VDOT entrance approval). Building permits for a second dwelling require compliance with the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code (USBC), which is the single statewide building code for Virginia localities; localities cannot adopt more stringent building-code amendments (Va. Code § 36-98). Well and septic approval (for unincorporated parcels not served by public utilities) is administered by the Virginia Department of Health Central Virginia Health District (local office serving Campbell County) and is required before a building permit can be issued for a dwelling not connected to public water/sewer. Entrance-permit approval by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) Lynchburg District may be required where the new dwelling uses a new or altered driveway onto a state-maintained road.

Impact fees: Virginia localities generally do not levy impact fees of the type used in California or Florida; Virginia Code does not broadly authorize impact fees for counties outside certain narrowly enumerated categories (road impact fees under Va. Code § 15.2-2317 through § 15.2-2327 are available only to counties meeting specific growth-rate and density criteria). Campbell County does not appear on the list of counties that have adopted a road-impact-fee ordinance under that authority as of 2026-04-21. Cash proffers tied to rezoning applications were formerly common but are now constrained by Va. Code § 15.2-2303.4 (2016) which limits residential proffers. For an ADU built on an existing parcel without rezoning, the applicant pays building-permit fees (set by the county by ordinance and keyed to project valuation), any SUP application fee if applicable, connection or tap fees for water/sewer (if served by a public utility — generally not applicable outside a limited service area), and state and local permit surcharges. Applicants should request a current fee schedule from the Community Development Department at application time. (schedule)

Campbell County real property is assessed by the Campbell County Real Estate Assessor's Office; tax administration and personal-property taxation are handled by the Campbell County Commissioner of the Revenue, and tax bills are collected by the Campbell County Treasurer. Virginia law requires general reassessment of real property at least once every four years for most counties (Va. Code § 58.1-3252), with more frequent cycles permitted; Campbell County historically conducts a general reassessment on a multi-year cycle set by the Board of Supervisors. Unlike California's Proposition 13 acquisition-value system, Virginia uses a fair-market-value assessment system: a parcel is assessed at 100% of fair market value as of the effective date of the reassessment, and that value stands until the next general reassessment (subject to supplemental assessment for new construction). When an ADU / accessory dwelling is added to an existing parcel, the new structure is added to the assessment roll at its contributory fair market value; the primary dwelling's assessed value is not automatically re-triggered by the ADU construction itself, but the parcel's overall assessed value rises by the ADU's contributory value. At the next general reassessment, both structures are re-valued at current fair market value together. The property-tax bill equals assessed value times the Board of Supervisors' adopted real-estate tax rate (set annually in the county budget process); Campbell County's recent real-estate tax rate has been in the low-to-mid $0.50-per-$100 range, subject to annual adjustment in the budget.

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 or certificate of occupancy) through the balance of the tax year. The primary dwelling's prior assessed value is not automatically reset by the addition of the ADU, but the parcel's total assessed value increases by the ADU's contributory value. At the next general reassessment (Campbell County operates on a multi-year reassessment cycle set by the Board of Supervisors), both the primary dwelling and the ADU are re-valued at current fair market value. Owners electing to convert existing interior space (e.g., a basement apartment) to a permitted ADU should expect the contributory value to reflect the creation of a second kitchen and second entry and the resulting increase in market-rent potential of the parcel; an owner adding a detached ADU typically sees a larger incremental assessment increase than one converting existing interior space. Property-tax rates are set annually by the Campbell County Board of Supervisors in the county budget process; owners should confirm the current year's rate from the county's adopted budget because rates change annually.

Campbell County administers or is subject to several overlay regimes that affect ADU siting on unincorporated parcels: (1) FEMA Special Flood Hazard Areas along the Staunton River (which forms the county's long southern boundary with Halifax, Charlotte, and Pittsylvania Counties and includes the backwaters of Leesville Lake), the James River (short northern-boundary stretch near Lynchburg), Otter River, Falling River, Beaver Creek, Big Otter River, and various smaller tributaries, administered through the county's floodplain ordinance satisfying NFIP minimums; (2) Leesville Lake shoreline management overlay — the lower pool of Appalachian Power Company's Smith Mountain Pumped Storage Project (FERC Project No. 2210) extends into Campbell County on the county's western edge, and shoreline development on Leesville Lake frontage parcels is subject to Appalachian Power's Shoreline Management Plan in addition to county zoning; (3) Agricultural and Forestal Districts established under Va. Code § 15.2-4300 et seq., providing participating landowners use-value taxation and subdivision-deferral protections in exchange for a commitment to keep land in agricultural or forestal use; (4) the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act does NOT apply — Campbell County is not in the Tidewater area covered by Va. Code § 62.1-44.15:67 et seq., so Resource Protection Areas (RPAs) and Resource Management Areas (RMAs) do not apply; (5) wildfire risk is tracked by the Virginia Department of Forestry, but Virginia does not have a California-style Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone regulatory overlay mandating ignition-resistant construction — the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code does not statewide-adopt the International Wildland-Urban Interface Code; (6) the Staunton River State Park and Staunton River Battlefield State Park (the latter partly in Campbell County / partly in Charlotte County) are state-owned parklands; state park boundaries do not regulate adjacent private parcels, but scenic or conservation easements may apply to individual nearby parcels. Campbell County does not have a county-wide historic-district overlay; individual properties may be listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register or National Register but this listing does not itself impose regulatory constraints on private rehabilitation absent a separate local ordinance or federal-tax-credit election.

• FEMA National Flood Insurance Program — Special Flood Hazard Areas — Campbell County participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and administers a county floodplain ordinance meeting NFIP minimums. The principal Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) extents in the county are along the Staunton River (the long southern county boundary and the backwaters of Leesville Lake impounded by the Leesville Dam), the James River along the short northern boundary near Lynchburg, the Otter River and Falling River systems, and their larger tributaries. An ADU sited in an SFHA must comply with NFIP elevation requirements (lowest finished floor at or above Base Flood Elevation plus any county freeboard), flood vent requirements on enclosed areas below BFE, anchoring requirements, and post-construction Elevation Certificate filing. Owners should confirm current-effective FIRM panel at the FEMA Map Service Center before design; FEMA has periodically updated Virginia county panels.
• Leesville Lake Shoreline Management Plan (Appalachian Power / FERC Project No. 2210) — Leesville Lake is the lower reservoir of Appalachian Power Company's Smith Mountain Pumped Storage Project, impounded by the Leesville Dam on the Staunton River; the upper reservoir is Smith Mountain Lake. Leesville Lake is operated under the same FERC license (Project No. 2210) as Smith Mountain Lake and is subject to the same Shoreline Management Plan framework administered by Appalachian Power. Campbell County shares Leesville Lake frontage with Pittsylvania County and Bedford County. For lake-frontage parcels in Campbell County, the Appalachian Power SMP is the controlling additional permit beyond county zoning: accessory structures within the FERC project boundary (approximately the licensed project elevation contour) require an SMP permit, and structures above the project boundary but on lake-frontage parcels remain subject to county zoning and any subdivision covenants. Owners of Leesville Lake frontage parcels (primarily in the Leesville and Lynch Station areas in western Campbell County) should contact Appalachian Power Shoreline Management as well as Campbell County Community Development at the earliest planning stage.
• Virginia Agricultural and Forestal Districts (local option under state law) — Campbell County has established Agricultural and Forestal Districts under the state AFD Act. Enrollment is voluntary; participating landowners commit to keeping land in agricultural or forestal use for a period (typically 4-10 years) in exchange for use-value assessment (Va. Code § 58.1-3230 et seq.) and limited protection from certain governmental actions that would disrupt agricultural use. An ADU on an AFD-enrolled parcel is generally permitted if it is an accessory use to continued agricultural operation (e.g., a farm-labor dwelling or family dwelling), but non-agricultural commercial-rental ADUs may conflict with AFD purposes and trigger AFD committee review. Owners should consult the Campbell County AFD Advisory Committee and the zoning administrator before assuming ADU compatibility.
• Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code and VDOF wildfire risk (no WUI regulatory overlay) — Campbell County's western edge abuts the Blue Ridge foothills and includes moderate wildfire exposure tracked by the Virginia Department of Forestry, but Virginia does not have a statewide Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone regulatory overlay that mandates WUI-rated construction materials on a per-parcel basis. Under Va. Code § 36-98 the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code is the single statewide building code; localities cannot impose more stringent local building-code amendments. Virginia has not statewide-adopted the International Wildland-Urban Interface Code. Owners in wildfire-exposed locations should follow defensible-space best practices but face no locality-imposed WUI construction overlay analogous to California Chapter 7A or Oregon WUI code.
• Staunton River State Park and Staunton River Battlefield State Park adjacency — Staunton River State Park (in Halifax County at the Campbell County border) and Staunton River Battlefield State Park (partly in Campbell County at Clover and partly in Charlotte County) are state-owned parklands managed by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. State park boundaries do not impose regulatory constraints on adjacent private parcels, but the parks are a culturally and ecologically significant presence on the Staunton River corridor. Individual parcels along the river corridor may carry recorded scenic or conservation easements held by the Virginia Outdoors Foundation or other conservation trusts; owners should check title and any recorded easements before designing an ADU on river-adjacent land.