The following occupancy classification examples are provided to assist with designating occupancy types on building permit applications being created on the Build Henrico Customer Portal. The examples do not modify, replace or amend the provisions of the Virginia Construction Code (VCC) or its referenced standards. Please consult the VCC or call (804) 501-4360 to speak with one of our plan review engineers if you have any questions about the proper occupancy classification that applies to the proposed building permit application.
Assembly Occupancy
Occupancy for the gathering of persons for civic, social ore religious functions; recreation, food or drink consumption or awaiting transportation.
- A-1: Theaters for motion pictures or live performances, concert halls, TV studios with audience seating.
- A-2: Restaurants, Cafeterias, Nightclubs, Taverns, Bars, Banquet Halls, Casinos.
- A-3: Churches, Synagogues, Mosques, Libraries, Museums, Funeral Parlors, Art Galleries,
Courtrooms, Amusement Arcades, Indoor Swimming Pools, without Spectator Seating, Indoor Tennis Courts, Billiard Parlors, Airport Terminals, Bus Terminals. - A-4: Indoor Arenas, Skating Rinks, Tennis Courts and Swimming Pools with Spectator Seating Areas.
- A-5: Stadiums, Grandstands, Bleachers, Outdoor Swimming Pools, Amusement Parks.
Business Occupancy
Office, professional, or service-type occupancies including the storage of related records or accounts.
- B: Banks, Office Buildings, Doctor and Dentist Offices, Motor Vehicle Showrooms,
Dry Cleaners and Laundry Pick-up, Barber Shops, Beauty Salons, Animal Hospitals, Kennels,
Car Washes, College and University Classrooms, Tutoring Centers, Laboratories.
Educational Occupancy
Elementary schools, Middle schools, High schools, and other educational occupancies through the 12th grade.
- E: Public Schools through the 12th Grade, Child Daycare for more than 5 children over2-1/2 years of age.
Factory Occupancy
Assembling, fabricating, finishing, manufacturing, packaging and processing operations that are not classified as Hazardous or Storage uses.
- F-1: Moderate Hazard Uses: Bakeries, Clothing, Furniture, Leather Products, Shoes, Electronics, Beverages over 16% alcohol content, Food Processing over 2500 square feet, Bicycles, Athletic Equipment, Metals, Printing or Publishing, Millwork, Upholstering, Woodworking.
- F-2: Low Hazard Uses: Beverages up to 16% alcohol content, Brick and Masonry, Ceramics, Foundries, Glass Products, Ice, Metal Fabrication and Assembly.
High Hazard Occupancy
Manufacturing, processing, generation or storage of materials that constitute a physical or health hazard.
- H-1: Explosives and Detonation materials.
- H-2: Flammable and combustible liquids and gases.
- H-3: Combustible fibers, flammable solids, consumer fireworks.
- H-4: Corrosives and highly toxic materials that are health hazards.
- H-5: Semiconductor fabrication facilities.
Institutional Occupancy
Occupancies for the care or supervision of persons who are or are not capable of self-preservation without physical assistance or in which persons are detained for penal or correctional purposes or in which the liberty of the occupants is restricted.
- I-1: Custodial care for more than 16 persons on a 24-hour basis and assisted living facilities licensed by the Virginia Department of Social Services.
- I-2: 24-hour medical care facilities (e.g. hospitals, nursing homes, etc.).
- I-3: Jails, prisons, correctional centers.
- I-4: Adult and Child Day Care facilities occupied by more than 5 persons receiving care for less than 24 hours per day.
Mercantile Occupancy
Occupancies for the display and sale of merchandise and goods.
- M: Department stores, drug stores, grocery stores, greenhouses that include public access for the sale of plants, retail or wholesale stores.
Residential Occupancy
Occupancies that provide sleeping accommodations other than as classified by Institutional occupancies.
- R-1: Sleeping units with more than 10 occupants that are primarily transient – Hotels, motels.
- R-2: Sleeping units or more than 2 dwelling units where occupants are not primarily transient.
- R-3: No more than 2 dwelling units and not classified as Institutional or any other Residential occupancy.
- R-4: Residential custodial care for 24-hour basis of more than 5 but no more than 16 occupants.
- R-5: Dwelling units constructed in accordance with the Virginia Residential Code, manufactured homes, detached one and two-family dwellings and townhouses.
Storage Occupancy
Storage of materials not classified as hazardous occupancies.
- S-1: Moderate hazard storage: Aerosols, aircraft hangars, baskets, books clothing, cardboard,
dry boat storage, furniture, grains, leather, motor vehicle repair garages, lumber, tires, tobacco, etc. - S-2: Low hazard storge: Beverages (Up to and including 16% alcohol in metal, glass or ceramic containers), Cement in bags, dairy products, dry cell batteries, electrical coils and motors, empty cans, food products, glass, metal cabinets and desks, transformers, porcelain and pottery, stoves, washers, dryers, etc.
Utility & Miscellaneous Occupancy
Carports, fences over 6 feet in height, billboards, retaining walls, tanks, towers, and similar accessory and miscellaneous structures not classified in any specific occupancy.
- U: Carports, fences over 6 feet in height, billboards, retaining walls, tanks, towers, and similar accessory and miscellaneous structures.