703-324-1780
TTY 711
Bill Hicks,
Director
For residential construction projects try our residential permitting wizard. It will walk you through the permitting process and provide written instructions you can print out and follow.
This information is the most common for how to obtain the necessary permits for your project and is not representative of all the conditions you may encounter.
You will be required to obtain a residential addition building permit, mechanical permit (for new heating and air conditioning system), electrical permit and plumbing permit (if new plumbing fixtures are installed). If using as an Accessory Dwelling Unit/Accessory Living Unit, please fill out this form.
Fees vary depending on the scope of your project; use the online fee estimator to help determine your costs.
Homeowners may obtain permits in their own name. However, it is strongly recommended a properly licensed contractor pull the permits as the responsible party so the county can better assist in gaining compliance for defective work.
Follow the steps below to obtain the necessary approvals and permits for your project. Vienna and Clifton residents require additional approval from their respective towns. You may obtain the status of your permit application or obtain the status of your plan review, if applicable, at any time online.
Obtain permits online using FIDO. If you are a first-time user, you must first follow the prompts to create an account. Once you are logged into FIDO, apply for a residential addition building permit. Additional steps are required for your ePlan upload process. Once the application is complete, you will be invited by email to upload your required documents to ProjectDox for submission to the county.
County staff from the Permit Application Center, Health Department (if on well or septic), Building Plan Review and Zoning will review your package for completeness and compliance with the building code and county ordinances. You will be notified of any deficiencies. Plan corrections, resubmission fees and additional supporting documents may be required.
Residential Fast Track allows customers with small, non-complex home improvement projects to receive expedited reviews by dedicated staff on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Once all county reviews are approved and outstanding fees have been paid, you can access your approved plans in ProjectDox and permit in FIDO. The permit must be printed and posted at the job site, and the approved plans must be also printed in full-size and available to the inspector.
Electrical and plumbing permits can be obtained online after the building permit has been issued. Plans are not required. Input the building permit number issued in Step 3) when prompted for the “associated building permit number” in FIDO. If you are installing a new HVAC system, you must upload a Residential HVAC Certification for review prior to issuance of the mechanical permit.
You are required to obtain inspections from the county for your project. The county must be notified when the stages of construction are reached that require an inspection; see the table below. Ladders, scaffolds and other equipment necessary to access construction must be provided to the inspector. Schedule, cancel or modify an inspection online or with the Fairfax County smartphone app.
Inspection |
Permit |
Requirements |
---|---|---|
Footing |
Residential Addition |
|
Residential wall (masonry or concrete foundation wall) |
Residential Addition |
|
Plumbing groundwork |
Plumbing |
|
Waterproofing |
Residential Addition |
|
Slab |
Residential Addition |
|
Combined inspection:
|
All |
|
Insulation |
Residential Addition |
|
Combined inspection:
|
All |
|
Before you begin excavating for your project, you must first call Miss Utility at 811. Miss Utility is a free service that marks underground utilities.
When applying for a permit, the plans must meet or show the following, if applicable:
Roof or floor truss shop drawings are required to be reviewed by the county and can be submitted after the permit has been issued but before erection. Submit online.
You must reference its evaluation report from a nationally recognized listing agency, such as ICC-ES, certifying it meets the requirements of the building code. This is required for products such as pre-made sunrooms, EIFS, adjustable columns and plastic composites.
To determine your project’s impact on your property, one of the site-related plan types listed below must be submitted. To learn more, see our Site-Related Plans publication or contact the Permit Application Center.
Soils with behavioral issues are considered problem soils. If your project is to be constructed on a problem soil, your foundation may need to be designed by an engineer and inspected by a county-approved licensed professional. Learn more. To determine if you have problem soils on your property, contact the Site Application Center. Contact Building Inspections or call 703-631-5105, TTY 711 for more information on problem soil inspections.