Permitting Authorities / Arlington County - Inspection Services Division
Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Arlington County, VA?
Adopted code
Arlington County - Inspection Services Division
No, Arlington County, VA does not require a permit for like-for-like roof replacement (Arlington County - Inspection Services Division). No permit for an ordinary shingle reroof of a house or townhouse with no change to the decking, on the County's own statement and the statewide rule, with limits a roofer must check first. Arlington County's "Residential Roof Covering Replacement" table answers "No" for "Replacement of roof covering and no change to existing decking (plywood or plank boards)" and for replacement with existing decking "less than 256 sq. ft."; "Yes" for decking "more than 256 sq. ft."; and "Call the Permit Arlington Center: 703-228-3800" for "New plywood over existing decking". It warns: "If fire-retardant-treated lumber was required at the time of original construction (ex: townhouse), a permit is required no matter the amount of decking being replaced." and "This does not apply if you're installing a new roof for the first time." The statewide rule behind it, Virginia Construction Code Section 108.2 item 14.5, exempts "Replacement of an unlimited amount of roof covering or siding in Group R-3, R-4 or R-5 provided the building or structure is not in an area where the nominal design wind speed is greater than 100 miles per hour (44.7 meters per second) and replacement of 100 square feet (9.29 m 2 ) or less of roof covering in all groups and all wind zones." Item 14.6 exempts only "Replacement of 256 square feet (23.78 m 2 ) or less of roof decking in Group R-3, R-4 or R-5 unless the decking to be replaced was required at the time or original construction to be fire-retardant-treated or protected in some other way to form a fire-rated wall termination." Two exceptions let the building official require a permit: "for the installation of replacement siding, roofing and windows in buildings within a historic district designated by a locality pursuant to Section 15.2-2306 of the Code of Virginia" and "for any items exempted in this section which are located in a special flood hazard area." An owner may always ask for one: "when an owner or an owner's agent requests that a permit be issued for any of the following, then a permit shall be issued and any related inspections shall be required." The work must meet the code with or without a permit. Where a permit is needed, residential applications are submitted online through Permit Arlington; apartment buildings with three or more units and other projects outside the residential standards need a commercial permit. The Permit Arlington Center answers permit questions at 703-228-3800. Working without a required permit adds a $359 charge per occurrence on top of the permit fees.
Roof code checklist: Arlington County, VA
Each row comes from the sourced record on this page; full wording is in the table below. "Not published" means no official source for that item was found when the record was last verified.
Jurisdiction
Arlington County, Virginia
Address
2100 Clarendon Blvd., Suite 1000, Arlington, VA 22201
Contact
- url: https://www.arlingtonva.us/Government/Programs/Building/Resources/Contact-Us
- phone: 703-228-3800
Roofing permit required
Not required
Contractor registration required
Required
Registration details
- state_level: Virginia licenses contractors through the Board for Contractors (DPOR). Code of Virginia Section 54.1-1100, as amended in 2025: "'Class C contractors' perform or manage construction, removal, repair, or improvements when (i) the total value referred to in a single contract or project is over $1,000 but less than $30,000, or (ii) the total value of all such construction, removal, repair, or improvements undertaken by such person within any 12-month period is less than $250,000." Larger jobs fall in the Class B and Class A tiers. Roofing work is licensed under the Board's classifications and specialties, including the "Roofing contracting" (ROC) specialty of 18VAC50-22-30. Section 54.1-1111 makes anyone applying for a building permit furnish "either (i) satisfactory proof to such official or authority that he is duly licensed or certified under the terms of this chapter to carry out or superintend the same, or (ii) file a written statement that he is not subject to licensure or certification as a contractor or subcontractor pursuant to this chapter." Section 54.1-1101 A says the chapter does not apply to "7. Any person who performs or supervises the construction, removal, repair, or improvement of no more than one primary residence owned by him and for his own use during any 24-month period". Some older pages give a $10,000 floor for Class C; that figure predates the 2025 amendment.
- county_level: Arlington County adds no contractor licence of its own. Chapter 11 (Licenses) of the County Code levies a business license tax on contractors (Sec. 11-64: "Every person engaging in any of the following contracting businesses shall pay an annual license tax of sixteen cents ($0.16) for each one hundred dollars ($100.00) of gross receipts") and requires that "All contractors are required to submit to the Commissioner of the Revenue a roster of all subcontractors within thirty (30) days from date of issuance of building permit, listing name, address, amount of contract, and type of work to be performed." A business license is a local tax registration, not a trade credential.
Permit process note
No permit for an ordinary shingle reroof of a house or townhouse with no change to the decking, on the County's own statement and the statewide rule, with limits a roofer must check first. Arlington County's "Residential Roof Covering Replacement" table answers "No" for "Replacement of roof covering and no change to existing decking (plywood or plank boards)" and for replacement with existing decking "less than 256 sq. ft."; "Yes" for decking "more than 256 sq. ft."; and "Call the Permit Arlington Center: 703-228-3800" for "New plywood over existing decking". It warns: "If fire-retardant-treated lumber was required at the time of original construction (ex: townhouse), a permit is required no matter the amount of decking being replaced." and "This does not apply if you're installing a new roof for the first time." The statewide rule behind it, Virginia Construction Code Section 108.2 item 14.5, exempts "Replacement of an unlimited amount of roof covering or siding in Group R-3, R-4 or R-5 provided the building or structure is not in an area where the nominal design wind speed is greater than 100 miles per hour (44.7 meters per second) and replacement of 100 square feet (9.29 m 2 ) or less of roof covering in all groups and all wind zones." Item 14.6 exempts only "Replacement of 256 square feet (23.78 m 2 ) or less of roof decking in Group R-3, R-4 or R-5 unless the decking to be replaced was required at the time or original construction to be fire-retardant-treated or protected in some other way to form a fire-rated wall termination." Two exceptions let the building official require a permit: "for the installation of replacement siding, roofing and windows in buildings within a historic district designated by a locality pursuant to Section 15.2-2306 of the Code of Virginia" and "for any items exempted in this section which are located in a special flood hazard area." An owner may always ask for one: "when an owner or an owner's agent requests that a permit be issued for any of the following, then a permit shall be issued and any related inspections shall be required." The work must meet the code with or without a permit. Where a permit is needed, residential applications are submitted online through Permit Arlington; apartment buildings with three or more units and other projects outside the residential standards need a commercial permit. The Permit Arlington Center answers permit questions at 703-228-3800. Working without a required permit adds a $359 charge per occurrence on top of the permit fees.
Adopted code
The 2021 Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code (13VAC5-63), effective January 18, 2024. For detached one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses, Section 310.6.1 of the Virginia Construction Code applies "The provisions of the IRC ... as amended by VCC Section 310.8, also referred to as the Virginia Residential Code (VRC)"; work on existing buildings falls under Part II, the Virginia Existing Building Code, whose reroofing section reads "602.3.2.1 Reroofing. Materials and methods of application used for recovering or replacing an existing roof covering shall comply with Chapter 15 of the VCC, except as modified by Section 302.1 and this section." The statewide code supersedes local building codes (Code of Virginia Section 36-98: "Such building code shall supersede the building codes and regulations of the counties, municipalities and other political subdivisions and state agencies."). Arlington County's own Codes and Standards page lists "Virginia Residential Code / 2021" and "Virginia Existing Building Code / 2021", each with state amendments and an effective date of 1/18/2024, and notes that "Until January 17, 2025, the applicant for a permit is permitted to choose whether to comply with the provisions of the current 2021 code or the 2018 code." Chapter 3 (Building Code) of the Arlington County Code, read in full, makes the statewide code available for inspection (Sec. 3-2), sets the frost line depth at twenty-four inches (Sec. 3-9) and adds a fence rule and an unsafe-buildings procedure; it contains no roofing provision.
Impact-resistant roofing
Not required — Virginia's statewide building code (13VAC5-63), which a county may not amend, carries no UL 2218 or Class 4 impact requirement for roof coverings in its Virginia amendments to the International Residential Code (Virginia Construction Code Section 310.8) or its existing-building reroofing rules. Arlington County's Building Code chapter (Chapter 3 of the County Code), its residential construction design parameters and its residential permit page add none; no UL 2218 or Class 4 impact requirement appears in the code the County enforces. Insurers may still offer discounts for impact-rated shingles; that is not a code requirement.
Repair permit threshold
Statewide permit exemption, Virginia Construction Code Section 108.2 (2021 edition): "application for a permit and any related inspections shall not be required for the following ... 14. Ordinary repairs that include the following: ... 14.5. Replacement of an unlimited amount of roof covering or siding in Group R-3, R-4 or R-5 provided the building or structure is not in an area where the nominal design wind speed is greater than 100 miles per hour (44.7 meters per second) and replacement of 100 square feet (9.29 m 2 ) or less of roof covering in all groups and all wind zones. 14.6. Replacement of 256 square feet (23.78 m 2 ) or less of roof decking in Group R-3, R-4 or R-5 unless the decking to be replaced was required at the time or original construction to be fire-retardant-treated or protected in some other way to form a fire-rated wall termination." The same section's two Exceptions: "1. Application for a permit may be required by the building official for the installation of replacement siding, roofing and windows in buildings within a historic district designated by a locality pursuant to Section 15.2-2306 of the Code of Virginia." and "2. Application for a permit may be required by the building official for any items exempted in this section which are located in a special flood hazard area." The owner keeps the right to a permit: "when an owner or an owner's agent requests that a permit be issued for any of the following, then a permit shall be issued and any related inspections shall be required." The exemption does not relax the code itself ("this section shall not be construed to exempt such activities from other applicable requirements of this code"). Arlington County applies it in its own words under "Residential Roof Covering Replacement": "When replacing a roof covering (ex: shingles), a building permit may be required depending on the scenarios below. This does not apply if you're installing a new roof for the first time." Its table answers "Building Permit Required?" with "No" for "Replacement of roof covering and no change to existing decking (plywood or plank boards)" and for "Replacement of roof covering and existing decking (plywood or plank boards) less than 256 sq. ft.", "Yes" for "Replacement of roof covering and existing decking (plywood or plank boards) more than 256 sq. ft.", and for "New plywood over existing decking (plywood or plank boards)" says "Call the Permit Arlington Center: 703-228-3800". It adds: "Note: If fire-retardant-treated lumber was required at the time of original construction (ex: townhouse), a permit is required no matter the amount of decking being replaced." The County's residential design parameters list 89 under "Wind Speed (Vasd)", the nominal speed, and 115 under "Wind Speed (Vult)", the ultimate speed, so the County sits under the 100 mph nominal line in item 14.5. Neither the County's page nor its Building Code chapter names a historic district or flood-area permit rule for roofing; the two state Exceptions above still let the building official require one there. The County's Inspection Services fee schedule (effective July 1, 2026) carries a "Re-Roofing" line for one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses of "$0.63 per sq. ft. or linear foot", and a "Work Without a Permit" charge of "$359 in addition to other fees" per occurrence where a permit was required.
Deck & sheathing requirements
No county-specific rule. Virginia's amendments to the International Residential Code (Virginia Construction Code Section 310.8, 13VAC5-63-210) do not amend the roof sheathing section (R803), and Arlington County's Building Code chapter (Chapter 3 of the County Code), read in full, adds no sheathing or decking provision, so the base 2021 IRC roof-sheathing provisions apply unmodified to work under the Virginia Residential Code. For reroofing an existing house, the Virginia Existing Building Code sends materials and methods to Chapter 15 of the Virginia Construction Code (602.3.2.1) and adds "602.3.2.2 Structural and construction loads. Structural roof components shall be capable of supporting the roof covering system and the material and equipment loads that will be encountered during installation of the systems." Permit line: replacing more than 256 square feet of roof decking on a house needs a permit (Virginia Construction Code 108.2 item 14.6, and the County's own table), as does any decking replacement where fire-retardant-treated lumber was required at original construction; for new plywood laid over existing decking the County says to call the Permit Arlington Center at 703-228-3800.
Sales & use tax
6.0% general sales and use tax in Arlington County (Virginia Tax, "Sales Tax Rates by Locality" workbook, "January 1, 2026 - Present" sheet: Arlington, code 51013, General Sales 0.06). That is the 4.3% state tax (Code of Virginia Section 58.1-603), the 1% local option tax (Section 58.1-605) and the 0.70% regional tax of Section 58.1-603.1. Food and personal hygiene items are taxed at 1% statewide. Virginia treats the roofing contractor as the consumer of the materials: "Unless otherwise noted, the law treats every contractor as the user or consumer of all tangible personal property furnished to the contractor or by the contractor in connection with real property construction, reconstruction, installation, repair, and similar contracts" (23VAC10-210-410). So the roofer pays the tax on shingles and other materials when buying them and "does not pass the sales or use tax on to anyone else as a tax"; "If a supplier of a contractor doing work in Virginia does not collect the Virginia tax from the contractor, the contractor will be liable for the use tax on the contractor's purchases from the supplier." Repair and full replacement are treated alike.
More roof permit pages in Virginia
Related guides
The Inspection Services Division of Arlington County's Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development enforces the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code and issues residential and commercial building permits and inspections countywide, through the Permit Arlington Center and its Permit Arlington online portal.
Hail reports near the center of Arlington County, VA
- Reports, last 24 months
- 1
- Largest, last 24 months
- 1.25 in May 16, 2025
- Most recent
- May 16, 2025 1.25 in
- Reports, last 5 years
- 14
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database and daily storm reports (reports since the start of the current year are preliminary), within 10 miles of the center of Arlington County, VA. Data through Sep 30, 2026. A report is an observation, not a damage record.
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