Wood Deck Construction Guide

2021 Virginia Residential Code (VRC)

Permit Required

A building permit is required for construction of all residential wood and/or composite decks.
Permits may be obtained online or at one of The Permit Centers if you require assistance:

• Henrico County Administration Building at 4301 E. Parham Road, 2nd Floor
• Eastern Government Center at 3820 Nine Mile Road

Permit Application

The Permit Application shall include the following:

• Application – Apply online at http:/Henrico.us/build. If applying as the contractor, you must fill in your contractor’s number and information in the “Contractors” section. If applying as the homeowner, a completed and signed Owner’s Statement of Responsibility is required and should be attached to the “Application Documents” section.
• Agreement in Lieu of Erosion and Sediment Control Plan – Must be filled out in detail, signed and attached to the “Application Documents” section.
• Plot Plan – Must show all lot dimensions, building dimensions, and setbacks from all lot lines and other buildings on the same lot. Attach to the “Application Documents” section. Permit Center staff can assist with a basic GIS map that may serve as a plot plan.

Deck Plans Required

• Foundation / Floor Plan
  • Provide Plan view of deck with dimensions showing the location of the existing house, existing windows and doors in vicinity of deck.
    • Safety glazing, the process used to make glass less susceptible to breakage, and less dangerous when broken, is required in locations specified as “hazardous” in section R-308.4 of the Virginia Residential Code.
  • Indicate if the deck is to be attached to the existing dwelling or freestanding and supply applicable details.
  • Show location of footings and piers with depth and size.
  • Show girder beam location, size and spacing.
  • Provide joist sizes, spans and the span directions.
• Deck Cross Section(s)
  • Show section detail on how the deck is to be built.
• Exterior Elevation Drawings
  • Provide elevation drawings showing front, rear and sides of the finished structure as applicable.
  • Provide photograph(s) of the house where the deck will be located showing all windows and/or doors.
  • Please provide photos of the project area (rear or side of house).
• Click below for sample plans:
  • Flush Deck Plan
  • Freestanding Deck Plan
  • Ledger Deck Plan

Building Inspections is requesting that all drawings be saved as one file and attached as one file to the “Application Documents” section of the online application. Please scan all drawings in the format in which they were drawn i.e. drawn as landscape – scan as landscape, drawn as portrait – scan as portrait. Please make sure the top of the drawing shows at the top of the screen. Photos of drawings are not accepted.

Contact Miss Utility prior to digging to mark all utility lines.

Note that decks are required to be designed for a 40 pound per square foot live load and a 10 pound per square foot dead load. Please also note that stair stringers are required to be attached to wood decks as noted in “Residential Wood Deck Stair Stringer Attachment Details.”
Residential Wood Deck Stair Stringer Attachment Details. 

The American Wood Council in their “Prescriptive Residential Wood Deck Construction Guide” provides information that may assist in preparing the plans, and in building the deck. It includes maximum span information for joists and girders; details for connection of the deck to the house; connections of the girder to posts; and guardrail and handrail details, as well as many other recommended details. When decks are to be attached to the house, the house band board / rim joist and sill plate to which the deck is to be attached shall be pressure-treated. Alternately, the deck shall be built freestanding with appropriate lateral bracing to provide stability. Attached decks shall be flashed with an approved material, such as 20-mil vinyl flashing. Aluminum flashing is not allowed, due to deterioration from contact with the treated wood.

Permit Fees

Permit fees for decks are calculated based on the estimated cost of the deck.  Permit Fee Calculator

Deck Footings

• Soils Investigation Report:
  Some soils have the capability of significant volume change when the moisture content of the soil changes, such as in a drought condition. This volume change, or “shrink/swell“ activity may cause damage to residences and their attached structures. Henrico County, as part of its Geographical Information System, has mapped the locations of soils types throughout the county that are identified as having moderate or high shrink/swell potential. When permit applications are submitted for locations within these designated areas, a soils investigation report will be required, with some exceptions, such as those noted below. A soils investigation report is the report of an investigation performed by a geotechnical engineering service that identifies the characteristics of the soil to expand and/or contract with changes in its moisture content and specifies the bearing capacity of the soil and an appropriate footing size and depth. Such geotechnical services are available from private engineering firms. Associated costs are the responsibility of the applicant.
  • A Soils Investigation Report is required:
    • If a deck is to be built by attachment to the house band / sill plate of a residence located in a moderate or high shrink/swell potential area.
  • A Soils Investigation Report is not required:
    • If a deck is to be built “freestanding”, with no attachment to the house where the residence is also located in a moderate or high shrink/swell potential area
    • For a deck to be built in an area not designated as having moderate or high shrink/swell potential soils.

A soils investigation report previously obtained for construction at the same lot is acceptable for submittal with the deck permit application.

To determine whether a soils report will be required at a specific location, please contact a staff member of The Permit Center at (804) 501-7280, or e-mail the Permit Center at [email protected]. Please have the complete address of the property available.

Footing Design:
Size: Footings shall be designed to support the required live and dead loads using the soil bearing capacity determined by the soils investigation report, or as noted for the soils type in Table R401.4.1 of the VRC, as follows:

For soils that are sand or sand mixtures, the presumptive load bearing value of 2000 pounds per square foot is appropriate.

For clay or clay mixture soils, the presumptive load bearing value of 1500 pounds per square foot is appropriate.

The footings shall be solid concrete of appropriate size for the tributary design load, or a solid 12″x12″x8″ masonry block spaced to limit the total tributary design load on the block to either 1500 or 2000 pounds as noted above.

Depth: For frost protection, the minimum footing depth in Henrico County is 18 inches. However, VRC section R403. 1.4. 1, Exception 3 allows decks that are not supported by a dwelling, i.e. ”freestanding” decks, to be constructed with a minimum footing depth of 12 inches, assuming that the soil at this level possesses the minimum soil bearing capacity noted previously.

Note: Before you begin excavation of any footings, please contact Miss Utility to verify locations of all utility lines in the area of construction by dialing 811 or 1- 800-552-7001. It’s the LAW and may save you a lot of trouble and/or danger.

Inspections

• Requesting Inspections:
  Inspections are requested online through the Build Henrico portal and may be scheduled as soon as the following business day.
• Footing Inspection:
  Decks require a footing inspection after all excavations are completed, and before the footings, whether concrete or block, are installed.
• Framing Inspection:
  If the deck floor framing is within 12″ of grade, a framing inspection should be requested before the deck boards are installed. This enables the Building Inspector to verify framing, appropriate connections and flashing.
• Final Inspection:
  A final inspection is required when the deck is complete, with all handrails and guardrails installed, and before use. Note that any glazing that is required to be safety-glazed, as noted previously, is required to be installed for the Final Inspection.