The Fairfax County Typical Deck Details (PDF) and the American
Wood Council's Publication DCA6 (PDF) have been developed to
provide residents and customers with a consistent, structurally sound and
code compliant avenue for the construction of a residential deck.
Industry reports that 2.5 million decks are constructed in the United States annually, prompting experts to warn that with such large numbers comes the probability of an increase in deck failures. Most decks fail at the connection to the house or where the guard posts attach to the deck. If you're building a deck, it is essential that you carefully follow one of these guidelines to ensure strong connections and a safe deck.
Click on either of the images to the right to access the respective details. Please note, the documents are large and may take several minutes to access with dial-up Internet service. Either set of details are approved for use in Fairfax County. Information on the permit process and submittal requirements can be found in the Decks (PDF) publication. Other resources include Frequently Asked Questions and a list of approved deck and railing products composed of structural plastics, composite materials and foreign lumber.
The PDF format requires you to have Adobe Reader on your computer and provides you with clear and readable documents that are easy to print.