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Decks in Fairfax County

Building Permits

The construction of a deck and alteration of an existing deck in Fairfax County requires the following permits:

Building Permit.
Electrical and/or plumbing for hot tub, spa or similar installations.

To apply for a permit, go to the Permit Application Center at the Herrity Building in Fairfax. To learn more about the permit application process, please refer to our Decks publication.

Building Plans & Typical Details

You must submit the following during the permit application process.

Two copies of the house location plat.
Two sets of drawings, the Fairfax County Typical Deck Details or Publication DCA6 from the American Wood Council. These two publications offer residents and customers with a consistent, structurally sound and code compliant avenue for the construction of a residential deck. They can be used to supplement or substitute a plan submission to the county.
Evaluation report for approved deck and railing products composed of structural plastics, composite materials and foreign lumber.

Deck Safety and Deck Maintenance

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 the guidelines above to ensure strong connections and a safe deck. If you have an existing deck, you will need to perform regular inspections and maintenance; learn more about Deck Safety in Fairfax County.

Contact Us

If you have any questions, please refer to our FAQs page, e-mail us or call 703-222-0801, TTY 711 during our hours of operation. The permit, plan review and inspection processes can also be accessed through the Fairfax Inspections Database Online (FIDO).