Job · Permits, by place
Plumbing permits: who issues one where
Plumbing permits come from the building office for your exact jurisdiction: DC's Department of Buildings, Arlington County, Alexandria's Permit Center, Fairfax County's Land Development Services, or the town; we could not confirm every town.
Revised November 3, 2026 · who makes this map
| Place | What happens there | Turn to |
|---|---|---|
| DC | The Department of Buildings issues the permit. The plumbing form wants the responsible master plumber or gas fitter named, with a signature and license number; the Permit Wizard cross-checks contractor details against DLCP records. | Sheet 1 |
| Arlington | Adding, removing or relocating fixtures, appliances or piping takes a plumbing/gas permit, with rough and final inspections. Same type, size and location replacement is exempt only if it is not gas-fueled. | Sheet 6 |
| Alexandria | The Permit Center issues trade permits after a building permit. In a historic district, Board of Architectural Review approval can be required before any permit. | Sheet 8 |
| Unincorporated Fairfax County | Land Development Services issues permits through PLUS. A like-for-like direct replacement is listed as needing no permit; new, repaired or changed work does. | Sheet 12 |
| Town of Vienna | Fairfax County acts as the building official. The Town separately issues a street-cut permit for work in its right of way. | Sheet 14 |
| City of Falls Church | A plumbing permit and Sanitary Sewer Service Application are on the City's list; a sewer repair plumbing permit is $91.50 from July 1, 2026. | Sheet 11 |
| Herndon and City of Fairfax | We could not confirm who issues plumbing permits. Ask the town or the city's permit staff before work begins. | Sheet 15 |
Why this page exists
Permit rules decide who may do the work, what inspectors check, and whether a mistake can be fixed later. The map cannot say what your project needs. It can tell you which office to call. A mailing address is not the jurisdiction, so confirm yours on the tax record first; the ownership page explains why.
DC
The Department of Buildings handles plumbing permits. DC Water says its backwater valve rebate requires a DC plumbing permit pulled by a DC-licensed master plumber for installing the valve. Cutting the floor to reach the lateral is still a contractor's job. The Wizard validates the plumber's license number you enter. If you are not using a contractor, the Wizard asks you to say so. Historic properties add another layer: the Historic Preservation Office reviews work affecting the exterior, interiors only if designated, and lists vents not visible from the street as minor, taking a few days. See historic district limits for the detail.
Arlington
Arlington takes plumbing and gas permit applications online through Permit Arlington. The county says an owner of a single-family home or townhouse can pull a permit for their own home. Inspections are rough-in and final. Replacing something of the same type, size and location is exempt from a permit unless it is gas-fueled. Whether Arlington has local historic districts that affect plumbing is something we could not confirm from the county's pages; ask the county.
Alexandria
Trade permits follow the building permit, under the Virginia Residential Code. Old and Historic Alexandria and Parker-Gray carry their own review: when the work is reviewable, Board of Architectural Review approval is required before any permit, and exterior items visible from a public right of way, including small ones such as vents, can count. Staff can approve some items administratively. Backflow preventers for sewer backups need permits and a final inspection to qualify for the city's reimbursement, covered on backwater valves.
Fairfax County
Land Development Services runs permits through PLUS. A residential plumbing permit applies when you install, replace or repair plumbing equipment or fixtures, and when you connect or disconnect from sewer or water. A separate household appliance permit covers direct replacement of items such as water heaters; the county lists a single final inspection, no review, and includes fuel-fired units. The county's list of work needing no permit includes direct replacement of residential plumbing, if it is like-for-like in the same location. An owner can apply in their own name, yet the county's page strongly urges a licensed contractor to apply, because that gives the county someone responsible if work turns out defective. Some plumbing permits need health or wastewater approval first. Work in a state road right of way needs a VDOT permit. Apartments and condominiums are treated as commercial.
The towns
Vienna's Town pages say Fairfax County acts as building official and the Town issues its own street-cut permit. Falls Church publishes a fee list that includes plumbing permits. We could not confirm the plumbing permit office for Herndon or the City of Fairfax from their own pages.
Digging
Permits are not locates. For any digging call 811 first, three days ahead in Virginia, and use Miss Utility in DC. The marks are approximate. Sewer and water trench work is for licensed contractors.
Check your own address
- Confirm your jurisdiction from your tax record, then pick the matching office from the table.
- Ask the office whether your specific job needs a permit, using the words on its own list: install, replace, repair, relocate.
- If you hire a contractor, ask which permit number goes with the job and check the name against the license lookup on check a license.
- Ask whether your block is in a historic district before you order any exterior-visible work.
- Keep the inspection sign-off with your house papers.
Survey notes: sources for this page
- DC Department of Buildings: permitting FAQs. Opened November 3, 2026; the plumbing permit form details are Known to us only from a search listing of the page.
- DC Water: backwater valve information and rebate. Opened November 3, 2026.
- DC Planning: building permits and historic property. Known to us only from a search listing of the page.
- Arlington County: plumbing and gas permits. Known to us only from a search listing of the page; the site would not open for us.
- Alexandria: new residential plan submittal requirements. Known to us only from a search listing of the page.
- Alexandria: historic district administrative policies. Known to us only from a search listing of the page.
- Fairfax County: when a permit is required. Opened November 3, 2026.
- Fairfax County: residential plumbing permit. Opened November 3, 2026.
- Fairfax County: household appliance permit. Opened November 3, 2026.
- Town of Vienna: residential projects. Known to us only from a search listing of the page.
- City of Falls Church: permit fees. Known to us only from a search listing of the page.; the site timed out.