Lightning Engineering

Structural Engineering in Virginia

Get the structural engineering scope and project records organized before requesting a proposal. Use the state and local resources below to confirm where your project documents should go.

Request a Quote Gather your project records

Engineering and design only; inspection and construction services are not offered.

A practical starting point

Planning your Virginia project

Locate the building official for the actual jurisdiction

Virginia’s Department of Housing and Community Development maintains an officials-directory service with building, fire and maintenance officials. Use the locality for the project address rather than assuming the surrounding county handles every city or town.

Confirm the responsible office and current submission instructions directly. Include the full application checklist, property records and any previous review response with your engineering inquiry; do not separate an individual comment from the drawings it refers to.

Virginia DHCD officials directories

Confirm the jurisdiction

Find your local project resources

Use the exact project address when choosing a city or county contact. The entries below link useful official resources or a more detailed local service guide. If an area is not listed, send the full address with your request.

Filter locations

32 locations shown

Alleghany County

View Alleghany County structural engineering guide

Match the proposed structural work to the authority’s application category. Share the available survey, existing drawings and the complete review comments with the engineering team.

Bath County

View Bath County structural engineering guide

Match the proposed structural work to the authority’s application category. Share the available survey, existing drawings and the complete review comments with the engineering team.

Brunswick County

View Brunswick County structural engineering guide

Match the proposed structural work to the authority’s application category. Share the available survey, existing drawings and the complete review comments with the engineering team.

Campbell County

View Campbell County structural engineering guide

Building Permits

Match the proposed structural work to the authority’s application category. Share the available survey, existing drawings and the complete review comments with the engineering team.

Carroll County

View Carroll County structural engineering guide

Construction Permit Applications & Fee Schedule

Match the proposed structural work to the authority’s application category. Share the available survey, existing drawings and the complete review comments with the engineering team.

Clarke County

View Clarke County structural engineering guide

Building Department

Match the proposed structural work to the authority’s application category. Share the available survey, existing drawings and the complete review comments with the engineering team.

Craig County

View Craig County structural engineering guide

Online Building Permits

Match the proposed structural work to the authority’s application category. Share the available survey, existing drawings and the complete review comments with the engineering team.

Cumberland County

Cumberland County government contact

Ask which department handles the proposed work at the property address. A government contact is not a verified submission procedure.

Essex County

Essex County government contact

Ask which department handles the proposed work at the property address. A government contact is not a verified submission procedure.

Franklin County

View Franklin County structural engineering guide

Match the proposed structural work to the authority’s application category. Share the available survey, existing drawings and the complete review comments with the engineering team.

Goochland County

Goochland County government contact

Ask which department handles the proposed work at the property address. A government contact is not a verified submission procedure.

Greene County

View Greene County structural engineering guide

Building Inspections

Match the proposed structural work to the authority’s application category. Share the available survey, existing drawings and the complete review comments with the engineering team.

Halifax County

Halifax County government contact

Ask which department handles the proposed work at the property address. A government contact is not a verified submission procedure.

Hanover County

View Hanover County structural engineering guide

Match the proposed structural work to the authority’s application category. Share the available survey, existing drawings and the complete review comments with the engineering team.

King George County

View King George County structural engineering guide

Match the proposed structural work to the authority’s application category. Share the available survey, existing drawings and the complete review comments with the engineering team.

King and Queen County

View King and Queen County structural engineering guide

Match the proposed structural work to the authority’s application category. Share the available survey, existing drawings and the complete review comments with the engineering team.

Lancaster County

Lancaster County government contact

Ask which department handles the proposed work at the property address. A government contact is not a verified submission procedure.

Lunenburg County

View Lunenburg County structural engineering guide

Match the proposed structural work to the authority’s application category. Share the available survey, existing drawings and the complete review comments with the engineering team.

Mecklenburg County

View Mecklenburg County structural engineering guide

Building Inspection

Match the proposed structural work to the authority’s application category. Share the available survey, existing drawings and the complete review comments with the engineering team.

Montgomery County

View Montgomery County structural engineering guide

Match the proposed structural work to the authority’s application category. Share the available survey, existing drawings and the complete review comments with the engineering team.

Northampton County

View Northampton County structural engineering guide

Match the proposed structural work to the authority’s application category. Share the available survey, existing drawings and the complete review comments with the engineering team.

Patrick County

View Patrick County structural engineering guide

Building Inspections

Match the proposed structural work to the authority’s application category. Share the available survey, existing drawings and the complete review comments with the engineering team.

Pittsylvania County

View Pittsylvania County structural engineering guide

Match the proposed structural work to the authority’s application category. Share the available survey, existing drawings and the complete review comments with the engineering team.

Rockingham County

View Rockingham County structural engineering guide

Match the proposed structural work to the authority’s application category. Share the available survey, existing drawings and the complete review comments with the engineering team.

Russell County

Russell County government contact

Ask which department handles the proposed work at the property address. A government contact is not a verified submission procedure.

Scott County

Building Permits

Match the proposed structural work to the authority’s application category. Share the available survey, existing drawings and the complete review comments with the engineering team.

Smyth County

View Smyth County structural engineering guide

Match the proposed structural work to the authority’s application category. Share the available survey, existing drawings and the complete review comments with the engineering team.

Southampton County

Southampton County government contact

Ask which department handles the proposed work at the property address. A government contact is not a verified submission procedure.

Sussex County

• Building Inspections

Match the proposed structural work to the authority’s application category. Share the available survey, existing drawings and the complete review comments with the engineering team.

Tazewell County

View Tazewell County structural engineering guide

Building Inspections – Tazewell County, Virginia

Match the proposed structural work to the authority’s application category. Share the available survey, existing drawings and the complete review comments with the engineering team.

Warren County

View Warren County structural engineering guide

Building Inspections / Permits

Match the proposed structural work to the authority’s application category. Share the available survey, existing drawings and the complete review comments with the engineering team.

Wise County

View Wise County structural engineering guide

Apply for Building Permits

Match the proposed structural work to the authority’s application category. Share the available survey, existing drawings and the complete review comments with the engineering team.

Define the work

Engineering that starts with your structure.

Work with Lightning Engineering on the structural requirements behind your building. Our team supports owners, architects, drafters and contractors with engineering tailored to the project’s intended use, existing conditions and location.

Structural plans & design

Engineering for residential buildings, commercial spaces, industrial facilities and tenant buildouts. Plans address the structural systems and material requirements within the agreed scope.

Foundation plans

Foundation engineering for new buildings and a range of home types. Share the proposed building plans and available site information so our team can identify the information needed for design.

Renovations & additions

Engineering for changes to an existing building, including additions and structural modifications. Existing drawings, photographs and a clear description of the proposed work help establish the scope.

Make the request easier to review

What to send for structural engineering

Share the available documents together, and identify anything still being prepared by another member of the project team.

Project address and intended building use
Architectural drawings or a description of the proposed changes
Existing plans, photographs and available site information
Permit comments and the schedule you are working toward

Choose the right starting point

New plans, an existing structure, or review comments?

Planning new work

Send the intended use, available survey, preliminary layout and scope requested by the owner or designer. Identify documents being developed by the manufacturer, architect or other consultants.

Changing existing work

Include existing plans, photographs and available permit records. Describe what is changing and what will remain. Note any information about the existing structure that has not yet been confirmed.

Responding to comments

Send the complete comment letter and the exact plan version reviewed. Identify previous responses and changes requested since that review so the disciplines can be coordinated.

Before you begin

Common project questions

Use the project’s actual records and agency requests to establish the engineering scope.

What is a structural redline review?

A redline review marks structural issues or changes on the supplied drawings. The design team uses those comments to revise and coordinate the plans.

Can you review plans prepared by another design team?

Peer reviews and structural plan reviews are available. Send the drawings and explain the purpose of the review so the team can confirm the appropriate scope.

Can you help with an existing building?

Yes. Our structural services include engineering for renovations, additions and modifications. The available records and existing conditions will determine what additional information is needed.

Useful next steps

Structural Engineering service overview About the team and licenses

County and city guides

Find local project information in Virginia

Browse structural engineering guides by project location.

Browse 75 local guides →

Ready to move forward?

Send the project details.

Share the location, proposed work and available records so we can review your engineering request.

Request a Proposal