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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, ~25.5% effective in the printed totals). Source schedule is the FY26 adopted version, effective July 1, 2025.

Loudoun County (Building and Development): A flat $395 fee for residential additions and alterations under 1,000 sq ft 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 use 1% plus $130. Virginia's 2% USBC levy is added on top. Source schedule is effective July 1, 2022 (most recent published).

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 FY26 2025 vs Loudoun 2022).

Key Takeaways
  • Both counties are in Virginia, so the mandatory 2% USBC state levy applies in both - Loudoun adds it explicitly; Prince William folds it into its ~25.5% printed surcharge stack.
  • $30,000 alteration: $107.24 (Prince William, flat) vs ~$438.60 (Loudoun, 1% of value + $130 + levy). Prince William is lower by about $331.
  • 300 sq ft deck: $266.31 (Prince William) vs $402.90 (Loudoun's bundled flat $395 + levy).
  • 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 FY26 schedule is effective July 1, 2025; 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 ~25.5% stack) 2% (added on top)
Minimum permit fee $107.24 all-in $65.00
New construction / addition $0.1536 / sq ft all-in, min $266.31 $395 flat (≤1,000 sq ft) or 1% + $335
Interior alteration $107.24 flat (any value) 1% of value + $130 + levy
Deck (300 sq ft) $266.31 all-in $402.90 (flat + levy)
Swimming pool $177.52 all-in (flat) 1% of value + fees
Fee schedule date FY26, effective July 1, 2025 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 $85.45 (flat alteration) $30,000 × 1% = $300.00
Plan review - $130.00
Surcharges / levy + ~25.5% (in total) 2% × $430 = $8.60
Total $107.24 $438.60

Result: Prince William County is lower by about $331.36 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 FY26 fee schedule (effective July 1, 2025); 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 $212.21 (deck > 250 sq ft min) $395.00 (flat bundle)
Plan review / zoning - (separate if required) Bundled in $395
Surcharges / levy + ~25.5% (in total) 2% × $395 = $7.90
Total $266.31 $402.90

Result: Prince William County is lower by $136.59 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 $266.31 is the building permit - a deck generally does not carry the separate new-construction plan review filing fee. Sources: PWC FY26 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 $107.24 permit regardless of value vs Loudoun's 1% of value + $130
A deck or small accessory structure Prince William County $107.24-$266.31 minimums vs Loudoun's flat $395 bundle
A pool or demolition Prince William County Flat $177.52 vs Loudoun's 1%-of-value calculation
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 $107.24 there versus about $438.60 in Loudoun County, and a 300 sq ft deck is $266.31 versus $402.90. 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.
Yes. Both are Virginia jurisdictions, so the mandatory 2% USBC state levy (USBC Section 107.2) applies in each. Loudoun County adds it as a visible line on top of the permit and plan review fees. Prince William County folds the 2% levy into its combined surcharge stack (2% levy + 14% technology + 10% indirect costs), which appears as an effective ~25.5% 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 flat $395 bundled fee (building permit + plan review + zoning), which comes to $402.90 with the 2% levy. Prince William prices a deck over 250 sq ft at its $212.21 standard minimum ($266.31 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 FY26 adopted Building Development Division fee schedule, effective July 1, 2025. Loudoun County's figures come from the schedule effective July 1, 2022, which is the most recent version published. 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
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 FY26 schedule (effective July 1, 2025); 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.