Permit Cost Stack Visualizer (2026)
An itemized cost-stack view of building permit fees for one verified jurisdiction-project pair. v0 covers Fairfax County, VA residential additions: enter a stated construction value and see the base permit fee, plan review fee, and Virginia USBC state levy as proportional bars with a verified total. Default scenario: an $80,000 addition stacks to $3,672 ($2,400 + $1,200 + $72) under FY2025 Appendix Q. Trade permits, site development fees, and ICC BVD valuation overrides are out of scope and listed in the methodology block. Estimate only.
Stated construction value: $80,000.00
- Calculating... If this message stays here, your browser may have blocked the verified data file.
Bars are scaled to the largest line item in the current stack so each component's relative weight is visible. The dollar amounts are computed by the same engine that powers the permit fee calculator from verified .gov fee schedule data.
How the cost stack is computed
The visualizer reads the same verified files used elsewhere on the site. No fee numbers are hard-coded into this page or the visualizer JS.
| Step | Component | Formula (Fairfax County addition) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Building Permit Fee | max(value × 3%, $72 min) | Appendix Q, Chapter 61 (FY2025) |
| 2 | Plan Review Fee | Step 1 × 50% | Appendix Q, Chapter 61 (FY2025) |
| 3 | Virginia USBC State Levy | (Step 1 + Step 2) × 2% | Code of Virginia §36-139 |
| 4 | Total visualized | Step 1 + Step 2 + Step 3 | - |
What this v0 does NOT visualize
- Trade permits. Electrical, plumbing, and mechanical (HVAC) permits are issued and priced separately by Fairfax County. They are not included in this cost stack.
- Site development fees. Land disturbance, grading, and stormwater fees apply when the project triggers site development thresholds. Not included.
- ICC BVD valuation overrides. If the building official disputes a stated value, the actual base fee can be higher than what this visualizer shows.
- After-hours, reinspection, and revision fees. These appear after permit issuance and are not part of the at-issuance cost stack.
- Other jurisdictions or projects. v0 supports only Fairfax County residential additions. Other configurations route to the permit fee calculator.
- Timeline visualization. Explicitly deferred until cost-stack v0 passes QA. See
project-docs/core/PAGE_CREATION_GATE.mdVisualizer Guardrails.
Next step
For the complete Fairfax County permit fee table, surcharge breakdown, permit office contact, and all 20 project types - including trade permits not visualized here - use the jurisdiction page or the calculator.