Drakes Branch

Charlotte County does NOT have a standalone accessory-dwelling-unit (ADU) ordinance. The Master Zoning Ordinance regulates dwelling uses through the per-district use tables and accompanying definitions; 'accessory dwelling unit' is not identified as a separate named use category in the county's publicly-listed ordinance resources, and county application materials do not publish an ADU-specific permit pathway. The operative framework is one principal dwelling per lot, with any second dwelling on an existing parcel routing through either (a) a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) — $400 fee plus third-party review costs — requiring Planning Commission recommendation and Board of Supervisors approval, (b) subdivision of the parcel into two conforming lots (Major Subdivision $300, Minor Subdivision no fee) followed by a standard zoning/building permit for a second principal dwelling on the new lot, or (c) a family-member / farm-labor path in agricultural contexts via the discretionary CUP route. Virginia has not enacted a statewide ADU preemption as of 2026-04-21 (per the adupass Virginia state-adu-research file: Virginia is a Dillon Rule state; the General Assembly has not passed an ADU bill through the 2026 regular session; Va. Code § 15.2-2280 et seq. leaves ADU regulation to localities). Charlotte County's silence on ADUs is therefore the binding local rule. Development proposed within a mapped dam-break inundation zone also triggers a CUP requirement per the Zoning Ordinance, a specific hazard carve-out that adds an additional review layer on certain parcels.

Charlotte County administers or is subject to four principal overlay regimes that bear on second-dwelling and accessory-structure projects: (1) Floodplain regulation within the Master Zoning Ordinance, tied to the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map — updated FIRM went through a 90-day public appeal period beginning 2024-07-17 and was integrated into the 2026-03-11 Master Zoning Ordinance amendment cycle; the overlay reaches the Staunton River corridor along the county's southwestern boundary (the Roanoke River, locally called the Staunton), Roanoke Creek, Little Roanoke Creek, Cub Creek, and Tibbs Creek plus their tributaries. (2) Dam-break inundation zone review, which under the Master Zoning Ordinance automatically triggers a Conditional Use Permit for any proposed development within a mapped inundation zone, regardless of the underlying use — a hazard overlay specific to this ordinance that often surprises applicants near Lake Charlotte, Briery Creek Lake (edge; mostly in Prince Edward), and other impoundment-affected parcels. (3) the Virginia Land Use (use-value) assessment program administered by the Commissioner of the Revenue under Va. Code § 58.1-3230 et seq., which does not restrict construction but can be breached by a second dwelling, removing the deferred-assessment benefit and triggering up to six years of rollback taxes under § 58.1-3237 — high exposure in Charlotte given the county's 100%-rural census classification and heavy agricultural/forest land base. (4) Federal and state conservation interests including Red Hill Patrick Henry National Memorial (the 1,183-acre property near Brookneal, with portions in southwestern Charlotte County, where Patrick Henry's grave and memorial are sited — administered by the Patrick Henry Memorial Foundation) and Staunton River Battlefield State Park (which straddles the Staunton River in Halifax and Charlotte counties with a Roanoke visitor center in Randolph, Virginia) — both are state/federal-held and are not locations where private ADU construction is possible, but they constrain regional land-use character. Charlotte has NO coastal-commission jurisdiction (inland Piedmont; no tidal waters; well outside the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act Tidewater boundary), NO statewide WUI regulatory overlay (Virginia has none), NO seismic-retrofit overlay, and NO Part 150 airport-noise overlay (no commercial airport inside the county; nearest general-aviation airport is Crewe Municipal or William M. Tuck Airport in South Boston). The county does not operate a county-administered local Architectural Review Board for historic districts.

• Floodplain regulation within the Master Zoning Ordinance (FEMA FIRM updated 2024)
• Dam-Break Inundation Zone CUP trigger
• Land Use (use-value) assessment program
• Red Hill Patrick Henry National Memorial / Staunton River Battlefield State Park adjacency

An accessory-dwelling or second-dwelling project on an unincorporated Charlotte County parcel routes through two county departments sharing the 250 LeGrande Avenue, Suite A, Charlotte Court House office. Planning & Zoning handles the zoning-permit approval (required before any building permit can issue), any Conditional Use Permit (the likely path for a second dwelling given the absence of a by-right ADU category), Subdivision Plat Review (if the subdivision path is chosen), and BZA Variance review. Building Inspection handles the building permit under the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code (13 VAC 5-63) and issues trade permits (electrical, plumbing, mechanical, generator). Because most rural Charlotte County parcels lack public water and sewer, the Piedmont Health District (Virginia Department of Health local office covering Amelia, Buckingham, Charlotte, Cumberland, Lunenburg, Nottoway, and Prince Edward; Farmville office at 111 South Street, Farmville, VA 23901) issues the well-and-septic construction permit for such parcels; the VDH permit must be in hand before the county will issue the building permit. Zoning applications can be submitted by email to rnapier@charlottecountyva.gov (Permit Technician) or in person at the County Administration Office. Building-permit applications go to the Building Inspection Department at the same address.