The Roofing Book

Permitting Authorities / City of Fairfax - Office of Code Administration

Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Fairfax, VA?

Adopted code

City of Fairfax - Office of Code Administration

The Office of Code Administration of the City of Fairfax, Virginia, an independent city separate from Fairfax County, issues the City's building, trade and fire protection permits and performs building inspections, through the City's online Permit Portal and its office at City Hall.

Roof code checklist: Fairfax, VA

ItemAnswerCode citeSourceVerified
Permit to replace a roofNot published
Repair permit thresholdPublished2021-virginia-construction-code.pdf2026-09-26
Layer limit / roof-overNot published
Deck & sheathingPublishedR803library.municode.com2026-09-26
Drip edgeNot published
Ice & water shieldYeslibrary.municode.com2026-09-26
Mid-roof inspectionNot published
Impact-resistant (Class 4) roofingNo2021-virginia-construction-code.pdf2026-09-26
Wind design criteriaPublishedlibrary.municode.com2026-09-26
Adopted codePublishedSec. 310.6.1library.municode.com2026-09-26
Contractor license / registrationYeslaw.lis.virginia.gov2026-09-26
Sales & use taxPublishedtax.virginia.gov2026-09-26

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
City of Fairfax, Virginia
Jurisdiction type
city
Address
10455 Armstrong Street, Suite 208, Fairfax, VA 22030
Contact
  • url: https://www.fairfaxva.gov/Property-Business/Permit-License-Hub/Contact-Us-Org-Charts
  • phone: 703-385-7830
Permit portal
Permit portal
Contractor registration required
Required
Registration details
  • state_level: Virginia licenses contractors through the Board for Contractors. Code of Virginia Section 54.1-1103: "No person shall engage in, or offer to engage in, contracting work in the Commonwealth unless he has been licensed under the provisions of this chapter." The smallest class, 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." Board regulation 18VAC50-22-30 defines the Roofing contracting (ROC) specialty as "the installation, repair, removal, or improvement of materials common to the industry that form a watertight, weather resistant surface for roofs and decks" and states that "The CBC and RBC classifications and the HIC and CIC specialties also provide for this function." Section 54.1-1101 A 7 states that the chapter does not apply to "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"; this record does not decide whether any reader falls within it. Section 54.1-1111 bars a building official from issuing a permit "unless the applicant has furnished his license or certificate number issued pursuant to this chapter or evidence of being exempt from the provisions of this chapter."
  • city_level: Article VII of Chapter 10 of the City of Fairfax City Code (Home Improvements) makes it "unlawful for any person to engage in the business of a home improvement contractor within the city or to act as a home improvement salesperson for a home improvement contractor without holding a valid license issued pursuant to this article" (Sec. 10-466). "Home improvement work" is defined as "the improvement, repair, restoration, alteration, enlargement, or replacement of any residential property of a value of more than $25.00", and expressly includes "the application of paint or spray material when applied to a roof". The licence is issued by the building official on application under oath, with application and examination fees set in the City's schedule of rates and levies (Sec. 10-468), and requires a $10,000 cash, property or performance bond in favor of the City (Sec. 10-470). Sec. 10-445 states that the article does not apply "to any person performing home improvement work on a building of which he is the bona fide owner or to contractors registered with the state in accordance with Code of Virginia, § 54.1-1100 et seq." The FY 2026 Schedule of Rates and Levies carries no line for these licence fees. Code Administration asks for an electronic copy of the contractor's Virginia licence with a building permit application; where an owner takes responsibility for the work instead, the City's Owner Exemption Statement, citing "Code of Virginia §§ 54.1-1101 and 54.1-1111", must be "signed and notarized". The City's permit guide also states that "Contractors doing work in the city that surpass an annual job cost threshold must have a valid City of Fairfax Business License, in accordance with Code of Virginia § 58.1-3715"; that is a general business licence, not a trade credential.
Permit process note
Confirm with the City before starting: whether a house reroof in the City of Fairfax needs a building permit is not settled by any published City statement. The statewide Virginia Construction Code 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)"; the City's climatic table (City Code Sec. 10-45) lists "Wind Speed 90 mph" without saying whether that figure is ultimate or nominal, and the Office of Code Administration's Permit FAQs only point to Section 108: "Repairs not exempted in Building Code Section 108" need a building permit, and "If you have any questions or are unsure whether a permit is needed, call Code Administration at 703-385-7830". Decking replacement is its own line: item 14.6 exempts only "Replacement of 256 square feet (23.78 m2) or less of roof decking in Group R-3, R-4 or R-5", unless the decking was required to be fire-retardant-treated. The building official may require a permit for roofing "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" (the Code's two Exceptions); the City has historic overlay districts and mapped special flood hazard areas. An owner or the owner's agent may ask for a permit anyway: "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." Separately, in the City's historic overlay districts, the Old Town Fairfax Transition Overlay District and the Architectural Control Overlay District, a zoning certificate of appropriateness is required for "any material change in the appearance of a building" visible from public places; the Zoning Ordinance exempts "Replacing previously approved broken windowpanes, missing roof shingles, or missing features with matching in-kind materials". Where a permit is needed, residential building permits are applied for in the City's Permit Portal ("Building permit for residential demolition, new construction, additions, alterations, and relocatable buildings"); a residential zoning permit is applied for at the same time. The application asks for the contractor's Virginia licence, a City of Fairfax business license where the contractor passes the City's annual threshold, an asbestos affidavit for existing buildings, and, where the owner does the work, a notarized Owner Exemption Statement. The City's FY 2026 fee schedule lists "Replace roof" at $93.60 per installation plus .5% of cost over $1,000. Office of Code Administration, 10455 Armstrong Street, Suite 208, Fairfax; 703-385-7830.
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 for detached one-family and two-family dwellings and townhouses 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."). City of Fairfax City Code Sec. 10-31(a) adopts it: "The Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, as adopted by Virginia Board of Housing and Community Development and currently in effect or hereafter amended, is hereby adopted by the city and incorporated herein as if set out in its entirety." The City's own Typical Deck Details (Version 2021.0, 1/5/2024) are "Based on the 2021 Virginia Residential Code". Chapter 10 of the City Code (Buildings and Building Regulations), read in full, adds no technical roofing provision of its own; its Sec. 10-45 fills in the climatic design values of Table R301.2(1).
Ice & water shield
Required — City of Fairfax City Code Sec. 10-45 inserts the City's values into Table R301.2(1) of the Virginia Residential Code and lists "Ice Barrier Underlayment Required" as "YES" for the City (Ord. No. 2012-20, adopted November 27, 2012). About ice & water barrier
Impact-resistant roofing
Not required — Neither the Virginia amendments to the IRC in the 2021 Uniform Statewide Building Code (13VAC5-63, VCC Section 310.8) nor Chapter 10 of the City of Fairfax City Code (Buildings and Building Regulations), read in full, including the City's climatic design table in Sec. 10-45, contains a UL 2218 or Class 4 impact requirement for roof coverings; a Virginia locality cannot add one to the statewide code.
Repair permit threshold
Statewide rule, Virginia Construction Code 108.2: "application for a permit and any related inspections shall not be required for the following; however, this section shall not be construed to exempt such activities from other applicable requirements of this code. In addition, 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." Item 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 m2) or less of roof covering in all groups and all wind zones." Item 14.6: "Replacement of 256 square feet (23.78 m2) 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." 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." Whether a full reroof of a house in the City falls inside item 14.5 turns on the City's nominal design wind speed. The City's own climatic table (City Code Sec. 10-45) gives a single "Wind Speed 90 mph" for the whole City but does not say whether that is an ultimate or a nominal speed, and the Office of Code Administration has published nothing that applies item 14.5 to reroofing either way. Its Permit FAQs list among work requiring a building permit "Repairs not exempted in Building Code Section 108" and state "Building Code Section 108 identifies the full list of items that are exempt from the requirement to obtain a building permit. Very generally, this includes ordinary repairs, low voltage equipment, small single-story structures, fences, and short walls." The City's FY 2026 Schedule of Rates and Levies prices "Replace roof" at $93.60 per installation plus .5% of cost over $1,000; the fee line does not say which roof jobs need a permit. The City has three historic overlay districts (Old Town Fairfax, Fairfax Public School and Blenheim) and FEMA-mapped special flood hazard areas, where the building official may require a permit under the two Exceptions. Call Code Administration at 703-385-7830 before starting any reroof in the City.
Wind design criteria
City of Fairfax City Code Sec. 10-45, Climatic and geographic design criteria (Ord. No. 2012-20, adopted November 27, 2012): "Table R301.2(1) of the Virginia Residential Code as adopted by the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code shall have the following values inserted." The values are: Ground Snow Load 30 pounds; Wind Speed 90 mph; Topographic Effects NO; Seismic Design Category B; Weathering Severe; Frost Line Depth 24 Inches; Termite Moderate to heavy; Winter Design Temp. 18° F; Ice Barrier Underlayment Required YES; Air Freezing Index 480° F or less; Mean Annual Temp. 55° F; Flood Hazards "Ordinance adoption February 11, 2003", "Flood Insurance Study June 2, 2006". The section gives one wind speed for the whole City and does not say whether the 90 mph figure is an ultimate or a nominal (allowable stress) design wind speed. Its only history note is Ord. No. 2012-20.
Deck & sheathing requirements
The City of Fairfax adds no roof-sheathing rule of its own: Chapter 10 of the City Code (Buildings and Building Regulations), read in full, adopts the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code and contains no provision on roof decking or sheathing, and the statewide Virginia amendments to the IRC (VCC Section 310.8) do not amend the IRC's roof-sheathing section, R803. Replacement decking follows the statewide code's provisions unmodified. How much decking can be replaced without a permit is covered under the permit threshold.
Sales & use tax
6% general sales and use tax in the City of Fairfax (Virginia Tax, "Sales Tax Rates by Locality" workbook, "January 1, 2026 - Present" block, Fairfax City, locality code 51600, General Sales 0.06). It is the Northern Virginia rate, which Virginia Tax lists for "Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax City, Fairfax County, Falls Church, Loudoun, Manassas, Manassas Park, and Prince William"; the City's FY 2026 Schedule of Rates and Levies shows the 1.00% local sales and use tax within it. A roofer pays it on materials rather than charging it to the homeowner: under 23VAC10-210-410, "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", and a contractor "does not pass the sales or use tax on to anyone else as a tax." Where a supplier does not collect Virginia tax, "the contractor will be liable for the use tax on the contractor's purchases from the supplier." Repair and replacement work are treated alike.

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Roofing in Fairfax, VirginiaCity hub

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Hail reports near Fairfax, VA

Reports, last 24 months
2
Largest, last 24 months
1.25 in May 16, 2025
Most recent
Apr 1, 2026 1.00 in
Reports, last 5 years
14
5 most recent reports, last 5 years
DateHail sizeDistance
Apr 1, 20261.00 in7 mi SW
May 16, 20251.25 in9 mi E
Aug 29, 20241.00 in9 mi NNW
Apr 15, 20241.50 in8 mi E
Apr 15, 20241.25 in8 mi ENE

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 Fairfax, VA (Census point). Data through Sep 30, 2026. A report is an observation, not a damage record.

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Sources

Roofing questions: Fairfax, VA

When does a roof repair need a permit in Fairfax, VA?

Statewide rule, Virginia Construction Code 108.2: "application for a permit and any related inspections shall not be required for the following; however, this section shall not be construed to exempt such activities from other applicable requirements of this code. In addition, 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." Item 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 m2) or less of roof covering in all groups and all wind zones." Item 14.6: "Replacement of 256 square feet (23.78 m2) 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." 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." Whether a full reroof of a house in the City falls inside item 14.5 turns on the City's nominal design wind speed. The City's own climatic table (City Code Sec. 10-45) gives a single "Wind Speed 90 mph" for the whole City but does not say whether that is an ultimate or a nominal speed, and the Office of Code Administration has published nothing that applies item 14.5 to reroofing either way. Its Permit FAQs list among work requiring a building permit "Repairs not exempted in Building Code Section 108" and state "Building Code Section 108 identifies the full list of items that are exempt from the requirement to obtain a building permit. Very generally, this includes ordinary repairs, low voltage equipment, small single-story structures, fences, and short walls." The City's FY 2026 Schedule of Rates and Levies prices "Replace roof" at $93.60 per installation plus .5% of cost over $1,000; the fee line does not say which roof jobs need a permit. The City has three historic overlay districts (Old Town Fairfax, Fairfax Public School and Blenheim) and FEMA-mapped special flood hazard areas, where the building official may require a permit under the two Exceptions. Call Code Administration at 703-385-7830 before starting any reroof in the City.

Is ice & water shield required in Fairfax, VA?

Yes. City of Fairfax City Code Sec. 10-45 inserts the City's values into Table R301.2(1) of the Virginia Residential Code and lists "Ice Barrier Underlayment Required" as "YES" for the City (Ord. No. 2012-20, adopted November 27, 2012).

Do roofing contractors need a license or registration in Fairfax, VA?

Yes.

What building code does Fairfax, VA use?

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 for detached one-family and two-family dwellings and townhouses 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."). City of Fairfax City Code Sec. 10-31(a) adopts it: "The Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, as adopted by Virginia Board of Housing and Community Development and currently in effect or hereafter amended, is hereby adopted by the city and incorporated herein as if set out in its entirety." The City's own Typical Deck Details (Version 2021.0, 1/5/2024) are "Based on the 2021 Virginia Residential Code". Chapter 10 of the City Code (Buildings and Building Regulations), read in full, adds no technical roofing provision of its own; its Sec. 10-45 fills in the climatic design values of Table R301.2(1).