Guide · Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County Permit Guide for Home Remodeling (2026)
A plain-English walkthrough of how residential building and trade permits work in Fairfax County — what needs one, who issues it, the steps involved, and where projects get stuck. Written by the team that files them every week.
Does your project need a permit?
Most common remodeling projects fall into one of three buckets. This is general guidance, not a substitute for the county’s official determination — when in doubt, confirm before you build:
Usually needs a permit
Finished basements, additions, decks, structural changes, new or relocated walls, and installing gas appliances all generally require a building permit under the Virginia Construction Code.
Trade permits
Electrical, plumbing, mechanical (HVAC), and gas work typically need their own trade permits — even when the room itself isn’t changing — unless it’s a true like-for-like replacement in the same location.
Often exempt
Direct like-for-like replacement of fixtures in the same spot, sheds under 256 sq ft, most fences, and low-voltage wiring are commonly exempt — though zoning setbacks can still apply.
In Fairfax County, Land Development Services (LDS) oversees permit review, issuance, and inspections. Applications run through PLUS, the county’s online system. A separate department, Code Compliance, handles reports of unpermitted work — which is why skipping a permit can mean a Notice of Violation, stop-work orders, and having to retroactively permit or even undo finished construction.
Who issues permits in Fairfax County
- Confirm whether a permit is required — the county’s “Does My Project Require a Permit?” page is the official reference
- Apply through PLUS, Fairfax County’s online Planning and Land Use System, where every application now begins
- Submit drawings and documents — building plan review checks code compliance, zoning setbacks, height limits, and more
- Respond to plan review comments — corrections and resubmissions are common and are where DIY applications stall
- Pay fees and download your permit card and approved plans once all reviews are approved
- Schedule inspections at each stage, then a final inspection — a Residential Use Permit (RUP) is issued once everything passes
The permit process, step by step
The process itself is consistent across project types: confirm the permit, apply in PLUS, pass plan review, pay, build, and pass inspections. Where owners and businesses lose weeks is in plan review comments and trade-permit coordination — a finished basement alone can pull building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, and gas permits, each with its own inspections.
How long does it take, and what does it cost?
Timelines vary widely with project complexity and how complete your application is — a clean deck permit moves far faster than an addition that triggers zoning, health (well/septic), or fire-marshal review. Fees are set by the county’s published fee schedule and depend on project type and valuation. Because both change, we don’t quote permit fees or review times as fixed numbers — we confirm the current figures with LDS for your specific project. For official details, see Fairfax County Land Development Services at fairfaxcounty.gov, or call 703-222-0801.
Let us handle the permits
We file and manage Fairfax County permits as part of every project — including the drawings, PLUS applications, plan-review responses, and inspection scheduling. Planning a project in the area? See our Fairfax and McLean service pages, or start below and a project manager will call you within one business day.
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