Arlington County building department

Arlington County’s Inspection Services Division (ISD), part of the Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development, reviews plans and issues building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing/gas, elevator, and sign permits for Arlington County. Permit intake, payment, and inspections all run through the Permit Arlington customer portal, which is built on Accela Citizen Access. Zoning review (Zoning Division) and site, stormwater, and right-of-way review (Department of Environmental Services) happen alongside the building review.

What needs a permit in Arlington

The county’s residential permit pages say permits are required for new houses, additions and exterior alterations, most interior alterations, decks, fences and retaining walls that fall under the building code, accessory dwellings, residential pools, and basement waterproofing. The county calls out a few things you can do without a permit:

• Roof covering replacement when the existing decking is not changed, or when less than 256 sq. ft. of decking is replaced.
• Kitchen and bath updates that only swap cabinets, appliances not fueled by gas or oil, or fixtures in the exact same spot, with no pipes or drywall relocated.

For everything else, ISD points applicants to the exemption list in Section 108.2 of the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code (USBC). The 2021 USBC took effect statewide on January 18, 2024 (Virginia DHCD). Arlington’s zoning ordinance controls fence height separately from the building code, so check the zoning rules for your lot before you build a fence. See also our guide to deck permits.

Applying through Permit Arlington

Plans go in digitally through the portal. Sheets must be at least 11 x 17 inches and drawn at 1/8 inch = 1 foot or larger (site plans excepted). Supporting documents can be 8.5 x 11. Every set has to show the project address, the designer’s name, address, and occupation, and the code year used for the design. Work by Virginia-registered design professionals must carry an original signature, seal, and date. A Permit Authorization Affidavit is required unless the applicant is the property owner or the Virginia-licensed contractor doing the work.

Project-specific items the county lists:

• New houses and additions: a certified house location plat showing limits of disturbance, decks, patios, floodplain, and any Resource Protection Area (RPA); floor and framing plans for each level; a building height worksheet; and a lot coverage calculation. A wall check survey is required once the foundation is in (before framing inspection), and new single-family homes need a final survey before the certificate of occupancy.
• Decks: a scaled plat showing all structures and easements, a framing plan with post, joist, and beam sizes and spans, and footing details with a minimum footing depth of 24 inches. Decks more than 4 feet high also need elevation drawings and lot coverage documentation.
• Site and environmental: a floodplain permit if the lot is in the 100-year floodplain or the county flood buffer zone, an RPA Water Quality Impact Assessment where it applies, and a development plan if land disturbance exceeds 2,500 sq. ft. Disturbance between 2,000 and 2,500 sq. ft. must be staked out in the field with silt fence, tree protection fencing, or similar.
• Mechanical plans are required for additions over 500 sq. ft. or new HVAC systems. Projects in a historic district need a Certificate of Appropriateness.

Residential review steps and timelines

ISD’s residential process runs from online application to a completeness check (about 2 business days), then review by the involved divisions, final processing (contractor verification and fee calculation, within 2 business days), and payment, after which the digital permit and placard are released. Trade permits are applied for separately. Published review targets:

Residential permit track	Review target
New construction (RNEW)	10 business days
Addition/alteration, route-through	10/5 business days
Express track (RADD/RALT)	2 business days

These targets don’t include the roughly 2 business days for processing in and out. Express projects must be under 750 sq. ft., single story, and under 2,500 sq. ft. of land disturbance, can’t remove load-bearing walls in nonconforming buildings, and the house has to stay habitable during construction. For general timing, see how long a building permit takes.

FY27 fee highlights

The ISD fee schedule took effect July 1, 2026. A 2% Code Academy levy and a 10% automation surcharge are added to each permit. A filing fee of 50% of the total permit fee is due when you apply. It counts toward the total and is not refunded if no permit is issued.

Item (one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses up to 3 stories)	FY27 fee
Minimum building permit fee	$202
New construction or additions	$1.70 per gross sq. ft.
Alterations, repairs, re-roofing, permitted fences/walls	$0.63 per sq. ft. or linear ft.
New in-ground pool	$0.49 per sq. ft. of water surface
Demolition	$679
Certificate of occupancy	$129
Minimum electrical / mechanical / plumbing permit	$186 / $149 / $149
Re-inspection after a disapproval	$217
Work without a permit	$359 per occurrence, plus other fees

Separate Planning and Zoning and DES fee schedules also apply. Card and digital-wallet payments carry a 2.35% fee, and eChecks are free.

Inspections

Schedule inspections in Permit Arlington: open the record, choose Record Info > Inspections > Schedule or Request an Inspection, then pick the type and date. Requests made before 5 p.m. are completed within 24 hours, and requests made after 5 p.m. within 48 hours. For fire and energy inspections you can’t pick a date. The inspector calls to set the time. Canceling or rescheduling on the day of the inspection triggers a re-inspection fee. Virtual inspections are offered for many building and trade inspections.

A typical house moves through footing, groundwork, slab, foundation wall, backfill, rough trades, framing, wall bracing, insulation, gas pressure test, and final inspections before the CO. The permit holder must supply ladders, scaffolds, and test equipment, and the approved plans must be on site in paper or digital form. Call Miss Utility at 1-800-257-7777 at least 48 hours before digging.

Owners and contractors

ISD may issue electrical and other trade permits to the bona fide owner of a single-family dwelling or townhouse used only as a residence, or to the owner’s agent, whether or not that person is a registered contractor. Commercial, high-rise, and multifamily electrical work needs approved plans first. Apartment buildings with three or more units go through the commercial process.

Contacts and hours

The Permit Arlington Center is in the Ellen M. Bozman Government Center, 2100 Clarendon Blvd., Suite 1000. Phone hours are Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with modified hours (8:30 a.m. to noon) on the third Wednesday. The walk-in permit center is open Monday to Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Need	Phone
Building permits	(703) 228-3800
Zoning (general)	(703) 228-3883
Zoning enforcement	(703) 228-3792
DES permitting and inspections	(703) 228-3629
Code enforcement	(703) 228-3232
Health (food, pools, hotels)	(703) 228-7400