13 permits · verified 2026-10-02
What permits do you need to open a retail store in Henrico County?
In short
A retail store in Henrico County, VA has 3 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 10 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Henrico County Department of Building Construction & Inspections charges $25 per plan re-review beyond the first two reviews included in the base permit fee for the plan re-review fee. 7 of the 13 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-10-02 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a retail store in Henrico County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BPOL Business License — Retail Merchant | Henrico County Department of Finance, Business License Section | No tax due if gross receipts are $1,000,000.00 or less. Above that threshold, the tax is the greater of $30.00 flat or 0.20% of the amount by which gross receipts exceed $1,000,000.00. | Annual; due March 1. License year ends December 31. | 2026-10-02 |
| Short-Term Rental / Accessory Structure Conditional Use Permitonly if it applies to you | Henrico County Division of Planning / Board of Zoning Appeals | $300 per application; covers both a short-term-rental-of-a-dwelling conditional use permit and a front/side-yard accessory-structure conditional use permit, each billed separately at this rate | 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.
Local 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 | Varies — formula on the Henrico County page | 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 | Varies — formula on the Henrico County page | Per application. | 2026-10-02 |
| BPOL Business License Application (All Industries) | Henrico County Department of Finance, Business License Section | Varies — formula on the Henrico County page | 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.
VA registrations that apply to every type of business
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to you | Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk | $100 one-time filing | no expiry, but a $50 annual registration fee is due every year | 2026-09-03 |
| Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk | Varies — formula on the VA page | no expiry, but an annual registration fee and a free annual report are due | 2026-09-03 |
| Annual Registration Feeonly if it applies to you | Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk | Varies — formula on the VA page | annual — the last day of the twelfth month after the month of formation | 2026-09-03 |
| Dealer's Certificate of Registration | Virginia Department of Taxation | No fee | indefinite — valid until the business closes or the certificate is revoked | 2026-09-03 |
| General Business License — Local BPOL License (Virginia)only if it applies to you | Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk | Varies — formula on the VA page | annual — usually due 1 March | 2026-09-03 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
How much does it actually cost to permit a retail store in Henrico County?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 13 records listed for a retail store in Henrico County, VA, 3 apply to every business of this type and 10 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.
7 of the 13 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 1 has no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:
BPOL Business License — Retail Merchant: No tax due if gross receipts are $1,000,000.00 or less. Above that threshold, the tax is the greater of $30.00 flat or 0.20% of the amount by which gross receipts exceed $1,000,000.00.
The other 6 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Henrico County permits page and the VA state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Henrico County?
Permits for a retail store in Henrico County, VA come from 5 separate offices: Henrico County Department of Building Construction & Inspections, Henrico County Division of Planning / Board of Zoning Appeals, Henrico County Department of Finance, Business License Section, Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk, Virginia Department of Taxation. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- Henrico County Department of Building Construction & InspectionsIssues 3 permits on this page: Commercial Building Permit (Base Fee), Plan Re-Review Fee, Temporary Certificate of Occupancy Feehenrico.gov/services/building-permit-commercial
- Henrico County Division of Planning / Board of Zoning AppealsIssues 3 permits on this page: Provisional Use Permit, Variance / Board of Zoning Appeals Application, Short-Term Rental / Accessory Structure Conditional Use Permithenrico.gov/pdfs/planning/apps/fees.pdf
- Henrico County Department of Finance, Business License SectionIssues 2 permits on this page: BPOL Business License — Retail Merchant, BPOL Business License Application (All Industries)henrico.gov/finance/business-license
- Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the ClerkIssues 4 permits on this page: Articles of Organization (LLC), Articles of Incorporation, Annual Registration Fee, General Business License — Local BPOL License (Virginia)1300 East Main Street, Richmond, VA 23219 · (804) 371-9733www.scc.virginia.gov
- Virginia Department of TaxationIssues 1 permit on this page: Dealer's Certificate of RegistrationPO Box 1115, Richmond, VA 23218-1115 · (804) 367-8037www.tax.virginia.gov/register-business-virginia
What does a retail store need in Henrico County that other businesses do not?
Short-Term Rental / Accessory Structure Conditional Use Permit
A retail-store business operating a short-term rental of a dwelling, or a contractor placing an accessory structure in a front or side yard, in Henrico County pays $300.00 per application for the applicable conditional use permit, as stated in the Division of Planning's own Planning Applications Fee Schedule, effective June 23, 2020. The schedule lists these as two separate conditional-use-permit lines at the same $300.00 rate; an applicant needing both pays the fee separately for each. This fee is distinct from the Variance / Board of Zoning Appeals and Provisional Use Permit fees listed separately for this jurisdiction.
Shared with other businesses in Henrico County
- BPOL Business License — Retail Merchant — Henrico County Department of Finance, Business License Section, No tax due if gross receipts are $1,000,000.00 or less. Above that threshold, the tax is the greater of $30.00 flat or 0.20% of the amount by which gross receipts exceed $1,000,000.00., Annual; due March 1. License year ends December 31.. Also required for salons and barbers, fitness studios and auto repair shops; what it involves is set out on the salons and barbers page.
The other 6 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Henrico County, VA; what each one involves is set out on the Henrico County permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across VA and are covered on the VA state page.
How does a retail store compare with other businesses in Henrico County?
The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 1 of these permits. A retail store also needs Short-Term Rental / Accessory Structure Conditional Use Permit. A auto repair shop needs Automotive Repair Licensing — Commonwealth of Virginia position, which a retail store does not.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a retail store | Only a retail store needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auto repair shops | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Fitness studios | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Salons and barbers | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Contractors and trades | 5 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Childcare centres | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Coffee shops | 6 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| Food trucks | 5 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| Restaurants | 6 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| Veterinary clinics | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Sources
Every figure for the permits explained on this page was read from one of these government pages on the date shown. Sources for the permits shared with other businesses are listed with their explanations on the salons and barbers page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Henrico County permits page and the VA state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Henrico County Division of Planning, Planning Applications Fee Schedule, effective June 23, 2020Henrico County Division of Planning · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
Related
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.