Digital permit application gateway
Start with the issuing authority’s own submission lane. A complete application package, accurate valuation, and accessible inspection path are the fastest route through statutory plan review.
Recommended first click
Use the official digital gateway to submit plans, monitor review comments, pay required charges, and request inspections when the permit is issued. If the link is unavailable, use the agency website or phone number on the administrative profile to confirm the current lane.
Typical review lane
Residential application completeness check approximately 2 business days; published plan-review targets are approximately 10 business days for new construction and route-through additions, 5 business days for route-through alterations, and 2 business days for express additions. Final contractor verification and fee calculation take about 2 business days, and the approved plan set is generally available about 2 business days after permit issuance/payment. Revisions or incomplete submissions add time.
Treat this as a planning signal, not a guaranteed approval date. Completeness, corrections, resubmittals, and agency workload control the actual clock.
Verify the parcel is inside this agency’s service area and note whether a city, state, fire marshal, septic authority, or utility district also has approval authority.
Prepare legible plans, site information, project valuation, ownership authorization, contractor information, and any energy, floodplain, zoning, or utility documentation the issuing office requires.
Keep the permit number, approved plan set, correction comments, fee receipts, and inspection results together. Those records establish the compliance trail for the next trade.
Application documents
Before submission, call 703-228-3800 if the project involves a change of occupancy, structural alteration, accessory structure, demolition, or work near a regulated environmental feature.
Source trail
Use these direct agency or licensing links to confirm current instructions before you file, pay, or schedule work. External pages control if their information differs from this directory.
Project questions
Arlington County Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development - Inspection Services Division is the identified county-level authority for this profile. Confirm that the property is in its service area before filing.
Begin with the online permit gateway listed in the application guide. If the portal does not recognize the address or project type, contact 703-228-3800.
Residential application completeness check approximately 2 business days; published plan-review targets are approximately 10 business days for new construction and route-through additions, 5 business days for route-through alterations, and 2 business days for express additions. Final contractor verification and fee calculation take about 2 business days, and the approved plan set is generally available about 2 business days after permit issuance/payment. Revisions or incomplete submissions add time.
Schedule each building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, fence, sign, demolition, and applicable fire-protection inspection separately through Permit Arlington while logged in; the permit number is required. Keep the approved permit, certified plat, and plans available onsite. On the inspection morning, assigned-inspector information appears in the portal and is emailed between 7:00 and 8:00 a.m.; the onsite representative must contact the inspector or the inspection can be cancelled. Results and comments are posted in the portal. Virtual inspection may be available for eligible work. For help call 703-228-3800.
Arlington County enforces the mandatory 2021 Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code cycle in 2026: the 2021 Virginia Construction Code based principally on the 2021 International Building Code with Virginia amendments, the 2021 Virginia Residential Code, the 2021 Virginia Existing Building Code, applicable 2021 plumbing, mechanical, fuel-gas, energy-conservation, swimming-pool and spa, and fire-code provisions, and the referenced 2020 National Electrical Code with Virginia amendments. The County also enforces its local Building Code chapter and the 2021 Virginia Statewide Fire Prevention Code with Arlington amendments where applicable. Virginia USBC §108.2 exemptions include qualifying one-story detached sheds, playhouses, and similar structures not exceeding 256 square feet; fences other than required pedestrian-safety or swimming-pool barriers; qualifying tents of 900 square feet or less with an occupant load of 50 or fewer; certain low-voltage wiring; limited roof-decking replacement on specified residential occupancies; and minor ordinary repairs such as painting, wall covering, cabinetry, and floor covering. Arlington's zoning, floodplain, Resource Protection Area, land-disturbance, historic-preservation, and other approvals may still apply even when a building permit is exempt.
What makes an application complete
Before you click submit, make sure the drawings agree with the site plan, project description, valuation, ownership authorization, and contractor information. If the work changes structure, occupancy, drainage, fire protection, energy performance, or utility demand, describe that scope plainly. Ambiguous narratives create correction cycles and delay the field schedule.
Save the confirmation number, payment receipt, uploaded plan set, and every correction comment. Those records are the backbone of a defensible compliance file when multiple trades or agencies share responsibility.
Submission quality check
Site: address, parcel, access, setbacks, and existing conditions are consistent.
Scope: structural, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, fire, and energy work is identified.
Closeout: inspection contacts and the final approval path are understood before work begins.