Henrico County has appointed longtime staff member H. Bolman Bowles as building official for the Department of Building Inspections, effective Nov. 16.
Bowles, who currently serves as deputy building official, will succeed Gregory H. Revels, who is retiring after more than 26 years in the position.
As the county’s building official, Bowles will direct the efforts of a department with 58 employees and a budget of $6 million for the 2024-25 fiscal year. Building Inspections reviews and inspects structural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems of buildings and structures in the county to ensure compliance with the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code. The department is responsible for ensuring the structural stability and fire and electrical safety of newly constructed residential, commercial and industrial buildings and also is responsible for resolving violations of the building code for existing structures. The department issued building permits for new construction valued at $1.4 billion in the 2023-24 fiscal year.
Bowles has been a member of the Building Inspections staff since 1987, when he joined the department as a civil engineer. He also served as a senior plans review engineer before being named deputy building official in 1998. Bowles earned a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from Virginia Tech and a Master of Public Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University.
