16 published records
Business licenses and permits in Henrico County, Virginia
Henrico County, Virginia, contains no incorporated town — every named community inside it, including Glen Allen, Short Pump, Sandston, Highland Springs, Tuckahoe, and Lakeside, is a U.S. Census Bureau Census-Designated Place, which by definition is unincorporated — so every record listed here applies county-wide with no second municipal business-license or zoning layer on top of it. Virginia is the only state where incorporated cities are legally independent of counties: the City of Richmond borders Henrico on three sides but is a wholly separate government, and nothing listed here is sourced from or applies to Richmond. Henrico's administrative offices operate from the Eastern Government Center (3820 Nine Mile Rd) and the Western Government Center (4301 E Parham Rd), both in unincorporated Henrico. County-level licensing here runs through the Department of Finance (BPOL business license tax), the Henrico County Health Department (a Virginia Department of Health local health district, cost-shared 55% state and 45% county), the Department of Building Construction & Inspections, and the Division of Planning/Board of Zoning Appeals; alcohol licensing is handled exclusively by Virginia ABC under Va. Code §4.1-128(A), which gives the county no role.
What are you opening in Henrico County?
- RestaurantsFull-service restaurants carry the densest permit load of any small business: food, fire, occupancy, waste, and usually alcohol.See the full permit list
- Coffee shopsCafés are permitted as food service establishments even where no cooking happens, and the plan review step catches most operators by surprise.See the full permit list
- Retail storesRetail is the lightest common permit load, but the sales tax permit and the certificate of occupancy are non-negotiable in every jurisdiction.See the full permit list
- Salons and barbersPersonal care is licensed at state board level as well as locally, so the shop license and the practitioner licenses are separate obligations.See the full permit list
- Food trucksMobile food is the one category with no certificate of occupancy — but it gains a commissary agreement, and the unit itself is inspected rather than the premises.See the full permit list
- Fitness studiosPrepaid memberships trigger state registration and often a surety bond, which catches operators who budgeted only for the fit-out.See the full permit list
- Childcare centresThe heaviest permit load of any small business: state agency licensing, per-person background checks, and a stricter fire standard than ordinary commercial use.See the full permit list
- Contractors and tradesLicensed at state board level rather than locally, and the only common category with no premises permits at all — the bond is usually the long pole.See the full permit list
- Auto repair shopsOrdinary commercial permitting plus an environmental layer: waste oil, solvents and stormwater are each registered separately.See the full permit list
- Veterinary clinicsA state facility permit, controlled substances registration at both state and federal level, and a medical waste manifest — none of which a general business license covers.See the full permit list
Permits that apply to every type of business in Henrico County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Building Permit (Base Fee)only if it applies to you | Henrico County Department of Building Construction & Inspections | $100.00 plus $7.00 per $1,000.00 (or fraction thereof) of value over $5,000.00, based on the cost of labor and materials to the owner. | Per project. | 2026-10-02 |
| Plan Re-Review Feeonly if it applies to you | Henrico County Department of Building Construction & Inspections | $25 per plan re-review beyond the first two reviews included in the base permit fee | Per re-review. | 2026-10-02 |
| Provisional Use Permitonly if it applies to you | Henrico County Division of Planning / Board of Zoning Appeals | $750.00 per application for a new provisional use permit; $150.00 to transfer an existing provisional use permit to a new owner or operator. | Per application. | 2026-10-02 |
| BPOL Business License Application (All Industries) | Henrico County Department of Finance, Business License Section | A business license application is required before operating in unincorporated Henrico, regardless of revenue. No tax is due if gross receipts are $1,000,000.00 or less; above that threshold, the amount due is set by whichever BPOL category applies to the business — Retail Merchant, Professional/Business Services, Fee-Basis Contractor, or Contract-Basis Contractor, each listed separately for this jurisdiction. | Annual; due March 1. License year ends December 31. | 2026-10-02 |
| Temporary Certificate of Occupancy Feeonly if it applies to you | Henrico County Department of Building Construction & Inspections | $25 per temporary certificate of occupancy request or extension | Per request or extension. | 2026-10-02 |
| Variance / Board of Zoning Appeals Applicationonly if it applies to you | Henrico County Division of Planning / Board of Zoning Appeals | $300 per variance or Board of Zoning Appeals application | Per application. | 2026-10-02 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
What do these permits involve in Henrico County?
Commercial Building Permit (Base Fee)
Any new construction or alteration by one of the ten industries this site tracks in Henrico County is charged this base commercial building permit fee by the Department of Building Construction & Inspections: $100.00 plus $7.00 per $1,000.00 or fraction thereof of value over $5,000.00, based on the cost of labor and materials to the owner, as read directly from Henrico Code §6-3(g)(3). Subsections (g)(1) and (g)(2) of the same section set separate, lower rates that apply only to one- and two-family dwellings and their appurtenances, so §6-3(g)(3) is the rate that governs a commercial project in any of the industries this site tracks. This base fee is separate from the Temporary Certificate of Occupancy and Plan Re-Review fees listed separately for this jurisdiction.
Plan Re-Review Fee
Henrico's base Commercial Building Permit fee, listed separately for this jurisdiction, includes two plan reviews. Henrico Code §6-3(k), read directly from the county's own codified ordinance text, charges $25.00 for each additional plan re-review beyond those first two, applicable to any of the ten industries this site tracks submitting construction or remodel plans to the Department of Building Construction & Inspections. This fee is distinct from, and billed in addition to, the base permit fee and the Temporary Certificate of Occupancy fee listed separately for this jurisdiction.
Provisional Use Permit
A business in any of the ten industries this site tracks that needs a provisional use permit for its zoning district in Henrico County pays $750.00 per application, or $150.00 to transfer an existing provisional use permit to a new owner or operator, as stated in the Division of Planning's own Planning Applications Fee Schedule, effective June 23, 2020. This fee is distinct from the Variance / Board of Zoning Appeals and Short-Term Rental / Accessory Structure conditional use permit fees listed separately for this jurisdiction, each drawn from the same fee schedule but covering a different type of application.
BPOL Business License Application (All Industries)
Every business operating a fixed or mobile location in unincorporated Henrico — all ten industries this site tracks, including a restaurant, coffee shop, food truck, or childcare facility that does not fit neatly into one of the four category-specific BPOL records listed for Henrico — must file a business license application with the Department of Finance before operating, regardless of revenue, per Henrico Code §§20-414(b), 20-475(b), 20-559(b), and 20-648(b), read directly from the county's own codified ordinance text. No tax is owed if gross receipts are $1,000,000 or less in a license year. Above that threshold, the tax amount due depends on which BPOL category applies to the specific business: Retail Merchant, Professional/Business Services, Fee-Basis Contractor, or Contract-Basis Contractor, each listed as its own requirement for Henrico with its own rate.
Temporary Certificate of Occupancy Fee
A business in any of the ten industries this site tracks that requests a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy — occupying a building before final inspection and sign-off are complete — pays Henrico's Department of Building Construction & Inspections $25.00 per request or extension, as set directly in Henrico Code §6-3(l). This fee is charged separately from, and in addition to, the base Commercial Building Permit fee and the Plan Re-Review fee, each listed separately for this jurisdiction under the same Chapter 6 authority.
Variance / Board of Zoning Appeals Application
A business in any of the ten industries this site tracks seeking a zoning variance or a Board of Zoning Appeals ruling in Henrico County pays a $300.00 fee per application, as set in the Division of Planning's own Planning Applications Fee Schedule, effective June 23, 2020, which states this amount on its face. This fee is distinct from the Provisional Use Permit and Short-Term Rental / Accessory Structure conditional use permit fees listed separately for this jurisdiction, each drawn from the same fee schedule but covering a different type of application.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Henrico County Code, Chapter 6, BuildingsHenrico County Attorney's Office · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
- Henrico County Division of Planning, Planning Applications Fee Schedule, effective June 23, 2020Henrico County Division of Planning · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
- Henrico County Code, Chapter 20, Taxation (BPOL license tax, Article XI, §§20-350–20-821)Henrico County Attorney's Office · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
- Henrico County Department of Finance — Business License pageHenrico County Department of Finance · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
Who issues business permits in Henrico County?
Permitting in Henrico County is split across 5 agencies we hold records for, with tax registration handled at state level. No single office issues everything, which is why an opening usually means filing in several places rather than one.
Henrico County issuing agencies
- Henrico County Department of Finance, Business License SectionAdministers the county's BPOL business license tax under Henrico Code §§20-350–20-821 (Chapter 20, Taxation, Article XI, License Tax)5 permits
- Henrico County Health DepartmentA local health district of the Virginia Department of Health, cost-shared 55.0% state funds and 45.0% county funds per Henrico's own FY26 Approved Budget; issues food establishment, mobile food unit, and temporary food establishment permits4 permits
- Henrico County Department of Building Construction & InspectionsIssues building permits and certificates of occupancy under Henrico Code Chapter 6, Buildings3 permits
- Henrico County Division of Planning / Board of Zoning AppealsReviews variances, provisional use permits, and conditional use permits under the Planning Applications Fee Schedule, effective June 23, 20203 permits
- Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control AuthoritySole alcohol-licensing authority statewide under Va. Code §4.1-128(A), which bars any county, city, or town from regulating alcoholic-beverage manufacture, sale, or handling1 permit
Other Virginia jurisdictions we cover
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.