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Prince William County vs Loudoun County, VA Permit Fees (2026)

A side-by-side comparison of residential building permit fees in two large Northern Virginia counties. Both verified against official county fee schedules. Prince William County prices construction per square foot with flat minimums; Loudoun County bundles the building permit, plan review, and zoning into a single flat fee for small projects and switches to 1% of value for larger work.

Read This First - The Two Schedules Are Not Structured the Same Way

Prince William County (Building Development Division): Per-square-foot pricing for new construction and additions, flat fees for repairs/alterations, pools, and demolition, all subject to a minimum fee. The all-in totals include the county's combined surcharge stack (2% Virginia USBC levy + 14% technology + 10% indirect costs, ~25.1% effective in the printed totals). Source schedule is the FY27 adopted version, effective July 1, 2026.

Loudoun County (Building and Development): A flat $395 fee for residential additions of 1,000 sq ft or less that bundles the building permit, plan review, and county zoning permit. Larger additions use 1% of construction value plus a $335 plan review fee; alterations of any size use 1% of construction cost (minimum $65) plus a $130 plan review fee. Virginia requires a 2% state levy on building-code permit fees (USBC Section 107.2), but Loudoun's published fees do not say whether that levy is already included or whether it is charged on plan review, so PermitPrice shows each Loudoun total as a range: the published amount up to 2% more on the building permit and plan review portion (the levy never applies to the zoning permit). Source schedule is effective July 1, 2022 (still the most recent published, re-verified November 4, 2026).

Both figures are building-permit only. Trade permits (electrical, plumbing, mechanical), impact/proffer fees, and - for Loudoun's larger projects - the separately listed county zoning permit are excluded. Comparisons below use shared assumptions. Note the source dates differ (PWC FY27 2026 vs Loudoun 2022).

Key Takeaways
  • Both counties are in Virginia, where USBC Section 107.2 (13VAC5-63-70) requires a 2% state levy on building-code permit fees. Prince William folds it into its ~25.1% printed surcharge stack. Virginia requires a 2% state levy on building-code permit fees (USBC Section 107.2), but Loudoun's published fees do not say whether that levy is already included or whether it is charged on plan review, so PermitPrice shows each Loudoun total as a range: the published amount up to 2% more on the building permit and plan review portion (the levy never applies to the zoning permit).
  • $30,000 alteration: $110.65 (Prince William, flat) vs $430.00 to $438.60 (Loudoun, 1% of value + $130, plus the 2% levy, if not already included). Prince William is lower by $319.35 to $327.95.
  • 300 sq ft deck: $274.80 (Prince William) vs $395.00 to $399.60 (Loudoun's $395 bundle, plus the 2% levy, if not already included, on its $230 building permit and plan review portion).
  • Loudoun's $395 flat fee bundles building permit + plan review + zoning; Prince William charges the building permit and bills new-construction plan review separately.
  • Source dates differ: Prince William's FY27 schedule is effective July 1, 2026; Loudoun's most recent published schedule is effective July 1, 2022. Verify current rates with each county.
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Fee Structure Side by Side

Feature Prince William County Loudoun County
Core method Per square foot (construction) + flat minimums Flat $395 bundle (≤1,000 sq ft) or 1% of value
State levy 2% (inside ~25.1% stack) 2% if not already included (Loudoun does not say)
Minimum permit fee $110.65 all-in $65.00
New construction / addition $0.1584 / sq ft all-in, min $274.80 $395 flat (≤1,000 sq ft) or 1% + $335
Interior alteration $110.65 flat (any value) 1% of value + $130 (+ the 2% levy, if not already included)
Deck (300 sq ft) $274.80 all-in $395.00 to $399.60 (bundle + the 2% levy, if not already included)
Swimming pool $183.20 all-in (flat) $260.00 to $261.90 outside incorporated towns (county building + zoning); $95.00 to $96.90 inside a town, plus town zoning and fees
Fee schedule date FY27, effective July 1, 2026 Effective July 1, 2022 (most recent)

Worked Example 1: $30,000 Interior Alteration

Same project, both counties: a $30,000 residential interior remodel (no added square footage). Building permit only - trade permits excluded.

Fee Component Prince William County Loudoun County
Base permit fee $88.44 (flat alteration) $30,000 × 1% = $300.00
Plan review - $130.00
Surcharges / levy + ~25.1% (in total) 2% × ($300 + $130) if not already included = $0 to $8.60
Total $110.65 $430.00 to $438.60

Result: Prince William County is lower by $319.35 to $327.95 on a $30,000 alteration, because its residential alteration permit is a flat minimum fee regardless of value while Loudoun charges 1% of construction value plus a $130 plan review fee. Sources: PWC FY27 fee schedule (effective July 1, 2026); Loudoun County fee schedule (effective July 1, 2022).

Worked Example 2: 300 sq ft Deck

Same assumption: a 300-square-foot residential deck. Building permit only.

Fee Component Prince William County Loudoun County
Base permit fee $219.64 (deck > 250 sq ft min) $395.00 (flat bundle)
Plan review / zoning - (separate if required) Bundled in $395
Surcharges / levy + ~25.1% (in total) 2% × ($100 + $130) if not already included = $0 to $4.60 (none on the $165 zoning permit)
Total $274.80 $395.00 to $399.60

Result: Prince William County is lower by $120.20 to $124.80 on a 300 sq ft deck. Note the scope difference: Loudoun's $395 bundles plan review and the county zoning permit into one fee, while Prince William's $274.80 is the building permit - a deck generally does not carry the separate new-construction plan review filing fee. Sources: PWC FY27 fee schedule; Loudoun County fee schedule (July 2022).

Which County Is Cheaper?

If your project is... Generally cheaper Why
A value-driven interior alteration / remodel Prince William County Flat $110.65 permit regardless of value vs Loudoun's 1% of value + $130
A deck or small accessory structure Prince William County $110.65-$274.80 minimums vs Loudoun's flat $395 bundle
A pool or demolition Demolition: Loudoun County. Pool: depends on location Loudoun demolition is $70.00 to $71.40 vs Prince William's flat $183.20. For a pool, Loudoun's official pool page lists $260 outside incorporated towns (county building and zoning permits; $260.00 to $261.90 with the levy range), which is more than Prince William's $183.20. Inside an incorporated town (Leesburg, Purcellville, Middleburg, Hamilton, Hillsboro, Lovettsville, Round Hill) Loudoun charges $95 ($95.00 to $96.90) for the county building permit only, plus the town's own zoning permit and fees, which are not published here - so whether Loudoun is cheaper depends on the town fee. Trade and grading permits are separate in Loudoun.
A project needing extensive zoning review Compare carefully Loudoun bundles the zoning permit into its flat fee; Prince William may bill zoning/Land Development separately

Frequently Asked Questions

For common residential building permits, Prince William County is generally cheaper. A $30,000 interior alteration is a flat $110.65 there versus $430.00 to $438.60 in Loudoun County, and a 300 sq ft deck is $274.80 versus $395.00 to $399.60. Prince William's flat and per-square-foot minimums beat Loudoun's 1%-of-value formula for value-driven work, though Loudoun's flat $395 bundles plan review and zoning into one fee.
Both are Virginia jurisdictions, where USBC Section 107.2 (13VAC5-63-70) requires a 2% state levy on building-code permit fees (enabling statute Va. Code 36-137(7)). Virginia requires a 2% state levy on building-code permit fees (USBC Section 107.2), but Loudoun's published fees do not say whether that levy is already included or whether it is charged on plan review, so PermitPrice shows each Loudoun total as a range: the published amount up to 2% more on the building permit and plan review portion (the levy never applies to the zoning permit). Prince William County folds the 2% levy into its combined surcharge stack (2% levy + 14% technology + 10% indirect costs), which appears as an effective ~25.1% in the schedule's printed totals.
Loudoun's $65 minimum applies only to the smallest jobs. A deck is treated as a residential addition, so it lands on the $395 bundle ($100 building permit + $130 plan review + $165 county zoning permit), which comes to $395.00 to $399.60 depending on whether the 2% levy is added to the $230 building permit and plan review portion. Prince William prices a deck over 250 sq ft at its $219.64 standard minimum ($274.80 all-in) - lower because it is the building permit alone, with plan review billed separately only on new construction.
Prince William County's figures come from the FY27 adopted Building Development Division fee schedule, effective July 1, 2026. Loudoun County's figures come from the schedule effective July 1, 2022, which is still the most recent version published (re-verified November 4, 2026), and from Loudoun's official pool page (loudoun.gov/5382) for pool fees. Because the source dates differ, re-confirm both with the county before relying on any figure. See the Prince William County and Loudoun County pages for full detail.

Sources

Official .gov Sources
  • Prince William County Building Development Division Fee Schedule (FY27, ADOPTED) Effective July 1, 2026 - Prince William County, VA - Source for all Prince William figures - verify current rates
  • Loudoun County - Building and Development Fee Schedules Effective July 1, 2022 - Loudoun County, VA - Source for all Loudoun figures, including the $100 building permit, Residential Pools $95 and Demolition $70 (page 9), the $130 plan review fee (page 10) and the $165 residential zoning permit (page 13) - most recent version published
  • Loudoun County - Pools Verified November 4, 2026 - Loudoun County, VA - Source for pool fees: $260 outside incorporated towns (includes county building and zoning permit fees); $95 inside an incorporated town (county building permit fee only; town zoning permit and fees separate); trade and grading permits separate
Disclaimer: All fee information on PermitPrice is for informational purposes only and is not an official permit quotation. Actual permit fees are determined by each county at the time of application. Fee schedules and surcharges change without notice. Prince William County figures use the FY27 schedule (effective July 1, 2026); Loudoun County figures use the schedule effective July 1, 2022; confirm current rates with each county. Trade permits, impact/proffer fees, and Loudoun's separately listed zoning permit on larger projects are excluded from the building-permit figures compared here.

Written by: Munib Ur Rehman

Data verified against official fee schedule documents.