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Local Requirements

To be considered prior to issuance of the VA Notice of Value

IMPORTANT:

  1. Each State is listed alphabetically, with the VA Regional Loan Center (RLC) of jurisdiction.
  2. A VA Regional Loan Center's local requirements pertain only to properties within the particular state in that RLC's jurisdiction. The primary source of information about VA nationwide requirements is the VA Lender's Handbook. local requirements supplement those in the Handbook.
  3. Unless otherwise noted, wood-destroying insect information is required per Section 13.06 of the Lender's Handbook. Regardless of the location of the property, an inspection is always required if the appraisal report indicates evidence of wood-destroying insect damage or an active insect infestation.
  4. VA offices may instruct fee appraisers to list, when applicable, other local requirements as conditions on appraisal reports. Contact the fee appraiser or VA home loan representaitve through the ServiceNow Portal if there is a question about an appraisal report condition.

 

Alphabetical State Listing: 
A C D F G H I K L M N O P R S T U V W 

 

ALABAMA - St. Petersburg Regional Loan Center

New and or proposed manufactured housing must be installed by a licensed installer.

ALASKA - Denver Regional Loan Center

  1. Upon transfer of an ownership interest, every Alaska property with an individual water sewage disposal system requires evidence from the local Health Authority (or other source authorized by VA) that the septic system is acceptable.
  2. The VA notice of value for every "Energy Rated Home" with a value adjustment for a "Five Star" or "Five Star+" rating must state, "Lender to provide evidence of Five Star or Five Star+ energy rating."
  3. Property located in either a Red or Blue avalanche zone is not eligible to be the security for a VA-guaranteed loan.
  4. Wood-destroying insect information is not generally required.

 

ARIZONA - Phoenix Regional Loan Center

For properties listed on a master appraisal, the combined value of the optional items selected by a veteran purchaser can not exceed 15 percent of the reasonable value assigned for the base plan type (exclusive of any lot premium).

ARKANSAS - Houston Regional Loan Center

Wood-destroying insect information is required for all properties in the following states: Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana.

CALIFORNIA - Phoenix Regional Loan Center

For properties listed on a master appraisal, the combined value of the optional items selected by a veteran purchaser can not exceed 15 percent of the reasonable value assigned for the base plan type (exclusive of any lot premium).

COLORADO - Denver Regional Loan Center

For Colorado properties to be covered by a ten-year insured protection plan, the warranty must also cover the basement slab for the first through the fourth year.

VA does not require Wood Destroying Insect Information on properties in the State of Colorado unless the VA appraisal indicates Wood Destroying Insect infestation or a condition conducive to infestation.

CONNECTICUT - Cleveland Regional Loan Center

In Connecticut, as of October 1, 2014, VA will no longer need shared maintenance agreements for shared private roads or driveways because, under Connecticut Public Act No. 14-67, Section 1(b), the owner of any residential real property that benefits from an easement or right-of-way, the purpose of which is to provide access to such residential real property, shall be responsible for the cost of maintaining such easement or right-of-way in good repair and the cost of repairing or restoring any damaged portion of such easement or right-of-way. Such maintenance shall include, but not be limited to, the removal of snow from such easement or right-of-way.

DELAWARE - Cleveland Regional Loan Center

No local requirements.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA - Roanoke Regional Loan Center

No local requirements.

FLORIDA - St. Petersburg Regional Loan Center

  1. A heating system is not required in the following south Florida counties: Broward, Charlotte, Collier, Dade, Glades, Hendry, Lee, Martin, Monroe and Palm Beach.
  2. New and or proposed manufactured housing must be installed by a licensed installer.

 

GEORGIA - Atlanta Regional Loan Center

No local requirements.

HAWAII - Honolulu Regional Office 

Wood Destroying Insects – Wood Destroying Insect Inspections are required on all existing residential properties, including condominium projects that are 5 stories or less in height, due to the high probability of termite infestation in the area. The State of Hawaii mandates that Wood Destroying Insect Inspections be reported on a State Prescribed PC-9 Form which is valid for 15 days. For the purposes of closing the loan, the VA considers the Wood Destroying Insect Inspection and the PC-9 Form to be valid for 90 days. This 90 validity period only applies to closing a loan for VA Lending Purposes; it does not extend the warranty that the property is free from wood destroying insects to 90 days.

Heating Systems - Hawaii is a tropical climate and heating and/or cooling systems are not required to meet VA minimum Property Requirements for VA Lending purposes.

Leasehold Estates - A copy of the lease must accompany the appraisal request. The terms of the lease must be approved by the VACO/NPG prior to commencement of the appraisal assignment. The total Lease Term must exceed the Mortgage Term by 14 years and the Mortgage Term must not exceed the Fixed Rent Period of the Lease.

Water Catchment Systems - Please refer to VBA Circular 26-14-4, dated 2/19/2014, and renewed by VBA Circular 26-14-4 Change 1, dated 1/8/2016, Clarification of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Acceptance of Water Catchment Systems in the State of Hawaii. The Circular may be found at:  http://benefits.va.gov/homeloans/documents/circulars/26_14_4.pdf

Cesspools – Existing cesspools may be acceptable for VA Lending Purposes if the following conditions are met:

  1. Lender must verify with the State of Hawaii, Department of Health, Wastewater Branch that the cesspool was properly permitted when installed. The Wastewater Branch keeps and can provide a copy of the Cesspool Registration Card. This Card must be kept in the Lender’s loan file.
  1. The cesspool must be tested/recertified in the following circumstances:
    1. There has been an enforcement action due to a failure of the system.
    2. The Appraiser notes obvious signs of failure of the cesspool during the inspection of the subject property.
    3. There has been significant building modification (additions to the home, not remodeling) that increases either the living area or number of fixtures disposing waste water into the cesspool.
    4. The cesspool is located in the groundwater table.
  1. If one or more of the conditions listed under Item #2 apply, Lenders are responsible to order cesspool testing by a specialist acceptable to the Department of Health.
    1. Should the cesspool require testing, the NOV must be conditioned in Block 5. WATER/SEWAGE SYSTEM ACCEPTABILITY: Evidence from the local health authority or other source authorized by VA that the individual ___ water supply, _X_ sewage disposal system(s) is/are acceptable.

Lava Zones – The VA will accept properties located within Lava Zone 1 and Lava Zone 2 for VA Lending purposes. A Lava Insurance Policy, with coverage for at least the amount of the loan, is required for all properties located within Lava Zone 1 and Lava Zone 2.

IDAHO - Denver Regional Loan Center

  1. All community water systems in Idaho must be currently approved by both the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality and the local health authority.
  2. Every Idaho property in the Spokane/Rathdrum Prairie Single Source Aquifer (essentially Kootenai County) with an individual sewage disposal system requires evidence from the local health authority that the system is acceptable.

 

ILLINOIS - St. Paul Regional Loan Center

No local requirements.

INDIANA - Cleveland Regional Loan Center

No local requirements.

IOWA - St. Paul Regional Loan Center

No local requirements.

KANSAS - St. Paul Regional Loan Center

No local requirements.

KENTUCKY - Roanoke Regional Loan Center

No local requirements.

LOUISIANA - Houston Regional Loan Center

Wood-destroying insect information is required for all properties in the following states: Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana.

MAINE - Cleveland Regional Loan Center

Wood-destroying insect information is not generally required.

MARYLAND - Roanoke Regional Loan Center

No local requirements.

MASSACHUSETTS - Cleveland Regional Loan Center

Every Massachusetts property with an individual sewage disposal system requires evidence from the local health authority (or other source authorized by VA) that the system meets the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Title 5 standards.

In Massachusetts, as of January 13 , 2020, VA will no longer need shared maintenance agreements for shared private roads or driveways because, under Massachusetts General Laws (MGL Chapter 183 sec 58), all abutters on a private way own to the middle of the private way and have a legal right to use the full length of the way to travel back and forth to the main public road.

MICHIGAN - Cleveland Regional Loan Center

  1. Wood-destroying insect information is required for all properties in the following Michigan counties: Allegan, Barry, Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Hillsdale, Ionia, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Kent, Lenawee, Livingston, Macomb, Mason, Monroe, Muskegon, Oakland, Oceana, Ottawa, St. Clair, St. Joseph, VanBuren, Washtenaw and Wayne.
  2. A copy of the builder's license is required for all Michigan properties appraised as either proposed or under construction or new construction.
  3. Site condominiums in the state of Michigan will be processed in the same manner as a single family detached residence. Program participants do not need to obtain a VA condominium ID or submit condominium association documents to VA for review for these properties. With this being said, the property should still be identified as a condominium in item 3A of the appraisal request form 1805, and the appraisal report should still be placed on a fully completed condominium report form, Fannie Mae form 1073. When issuing the Notice of Value (NOV), Staff Appraisal Reviewers (SAR’s) and VA Staff Appraisers need to clearly identify the property as a “Site Condominium” project on item #16 of the NOV.


MINNESOTA - St. Paul Regional Loan Center

Wood-destroying insect information is not generally required.

MISSISSIPPI - St. Petersburg Regional Loan Center

New and or proposed manufactured housing must be installed by a licensed installer.



MISSOURI - St. Paul Regional Loan Center

No local requirements.

MONTANA - Denver Regional Loan Center

Wood-destroying insect information is not generally required.

NEBRASKA - St. Paul Regional Loan Center

  1. Wood-destroying insect information is required for all Nebraska properties.
  2. Notices of Value for properties in the Eastern Omaha, Nebraska area, identified by the fee appraiser under the comment section describing environmental conditions of the URAR stating: "The Home may be located in a superfund area. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will/has evaluate(d) this site for lead soil contamination. For more information call the EPA at (800) 223-0425" must be conditioned for written veteran acknowledgment that the property may be subject to lead contamination as determined by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).


NEVADA - Phoenix Regional Loan Center

For properties listed on a master appraisal, the combined value of the optional items selected by a veteran purchaser can not exceed 15 percent of the reasonable value assigned for the base plan type (exclusive of any lot premium).

NEW HAMPSHIRE Cleveland Regional Loan Center

In New Hampshire, as of August 2 , 2019, VA will no longer need shared maintenance agreements for shared private roads or driveways because, under New Hampshire Law, Section 231:81-a (I, II, III)) In the absence of an express agreement or requirement governing maintenance of a private road, when more than one residential owner enjoys a common benefit from a private road, each residential owner shall contribute equitably to the reasonable cost of maintaining the private road, and shall have the right to bring a civil action to enforce the requirement of this paragraph. This paragraph shall not apply to any highway defined in RSA 229:5.

Wood-destroying insect information is required only for the southern New Hampshire counties of Cheshire, Sullivan, Merrimack, Rockingham, Belknap, Hillsborough and Strafford.

NEW JERSEY - Cleveland Regional Loan Center

  1. For all properties appraised as either proposed or under construction or new construction, the builder must provide the purchaser with an approved Home Owners Warranty policy, available through the New Jersey home insurance program.
  2. Every New Jersey property with an individual sewage disposal system requires evidence from the local health authority (or other source authorized by VA) that the system is acceptable.
  3. All condominium projects must be registered with the State of New Jersey Real Estate Development Department, which will provide a case number and a written notice of project approval.


NEW MEXICO - Phoenix Regional Loan Center

No local requirements.

NEW YORK - Cleveland Regional Loan Center

Wood-destroying insect information is required for all properties in the following New York counties: Bronx, Broome, Columbia, Delaware, Dutchess, Greene, Kings, Nassau, New York, Orange, Putnam, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester.

NORTH CAROLINA -Atlanta Regional Loan Center

No local requirements.

NORTH DAKOTA - St. Paul Regional Loan Center

Wood-destroying insect information is not generally required.

OHIO - Cleveland Regional Loan Center

No local requirements.

OKLAHOMA - Houston Regional Loan Center

Wood-destroying insect information is required for all properties in the following states: Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana.

OREGON - Denver Regional Loan Center

No local requirements.

PENNSYLVANIA - Cleveland Regional Loan Center

  1. Springs or cisterns are not an acceptable water supply. A dug well is acceptable only in Erie County along the Lake Erie coast.
  2. Mine subsidence insurance is required in active mining areas and in areas with known subsidence problems from previous mining.


PUERTO RICO - St. Petersburg Regional Loan Center

Wood-destroying insect information is required if any part of the property (including carport, terraces, etc.) is (or will be) constructed of wood not pressure treated in conformance with American Wood Preservers Institute (A.W.P.I) standards.

Solar Water Heaters - The back-up requirement for Solar Water Heaters is no longer required to meet VA Minimum Property Requirements for VA lending purposes. Puerto Rico is a tropical climate, and removing the back-up requirement changes the VA Local requirements to be more in line with the local Puerto Rico building requirements.

RHODE ISLAND - Cleveland Regional Loan Center

No local requirements.

SOUTH CAROLINA - Atlanta Regional Loan Center

No local requirements.

SOUTH DAKOTA - St. Paul Regional Loan Center

No local requirements.

TENNESSEE - Atlanta Regional Loan Center

No local requirements.

TEXAS - Houston Regional Loan Center

Every property having an individual sewage disposal system in the Houston RLC jurisdiction which has a Loan Identification Number or VA Case Number containing the digits: "62-62-6" requires evidence from the local health authority that the system is acceptable. If the local authority will not provide that evidence, then any qualified party of the lender's choice may inspect the system.

Wood-destroying insect information is required for all properties in the following states: Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana.

UTAH - Denver Regional Loan Center

Wood-destroying insect information is required for all Utah properties.

VERMONT - Cleveland Regional Loan Center

Under Title 19, V.S.A. Chapter 27 §§ 2701 and 2702, in the absence of an express agreement or requirement governing maintenance of a private road, when more than one person enjoys a common benefit from a private road, each person shall contribute rateably to the cost of maintaining the private road, and shall have the right to bring a civil action to enforce the requirement of this section.

As a result, in Vermont, VA does not have to obtain private agreements for maintenance of private roads because as indicated above, each person who benefit from private roads must rateably contribute to the maintenance of the road.

Wood-destroying insect information is required only in the southern Vermont counties of Bennington and Windham.

VIRGINIA - Roanoke Regional Loan Center

No local requirements.

WASHINGTON - Denver Regional Loan Center

  1. For manufactured homes in the State to be considered real property, title as a Manufactured/Mobile home must be eliminated.
  2. All additions, modifications or attachments to a manufactured home, including roof replacement, must be inspected and approved by the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries.
  3. Although wood-destroying insect information is not generally required, when an inspection is necessary the State requires that it identify rot and conditions conducive to rot. For that reason, either the Washington State Pest Association form must be used or an appropriate attachment made to the NPMA - 33 form.


WEST VIRGINIA - Roanoke Regional Loan Center

No local requirements.

WISCONSIN - St. Paul Regional Loan Center

Wood-destroying insect information is required in the following counties:

  • Columbia
  • Crawford
  • Dane
  • Dodge
  • Grant
  • Green
  • Iowa
  • Jefferson
  • Kenosha
  • Lafayette
  • Milwaukee
  • Ozaukee
  • Racine
  • Richland
  • Rock
  • Sauk
  • Vernon
  • Walworth
  • Washington
  • Waukesha


WYOMING - Denver Regional Loan Center

No local requirements.

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