Annandale and Springfield: county rules

Who does what here

Water	Fairfax Water's ownership runs through the meter; past it, the pipe is the owner's. source
Sewer	The owner is responsible for the entire lateral. Fairfax County runs the main and the 24-hour line, 703-323-1211. source
Permits	Fairfax County Land Development Services, through PLUS. A direct replacement of a water heater uses the household appliance permit. source
Licensing	An owner can apply, but the county urges hiring a licensed contractor. source
Lead pipes	A lead-free page exists at Fairfax Water but would not open here. Ask the supplier about your line. source

One county, many street grids

Annandale and Springfield lie between the City of Fairfax and the area covered by the Mount Vernon sheet, though this map is schematic. We found no source that dates the houses in either community, so this sheet says nothing about their age. Nearly every rule here is the county's rule, written once for all of it.

Backups: whose problem is it?

The county gives a test. If a backup happens only when you use a fixture, a plumber is probably the right call. If sewage rises while nothing is running, the main may be at fault, and the county sends an inspector. The county says to ring before a plumber in that second case. If its crew finds the main flowing, the private lateral is the suspect. The county page notes that standard homeowners policies leave the lateral out. Stop using drains, keep people away from sewage, and read basement backups.

Permits for an apartment or a water heater

A house owner may pull a plumbing permit but the county advises hiring a licensed contractor. An apartment or condominium is treated as a commercial property by the permit rules, which changes the process for a building manager. Replacing a water heater directly uses the household appliance permit. Gas water heaters are a licensed professional's job; see gas water heaters.

Polybutylene: what the sources do and do not say

We found no county or utility record of where polybutylene pipe was used in Fairfax County, so no street or subdivision in Annandale or Springfield can be named. Trade and legal summaries date a large class-action settlement to pipe installed between 1978 and 1995, and the manufacturers denied it was faulty. That settlement is history, and we cannot confirm any live claim. The polybutylene page collects what is known and not known about it.

If a plumber quotes a repipe, this is one of the materials the quote may name, and the choice stays with the plumber: PEX pipe at PlumbingSupplyAndMore (that store has the same owners as this map).

What the map can't tell you

• Whether any pipe in your house is polybutylene. Only an in-person look by a licensed plumber can say, and no local list exists.
• Which county permit a given repair needs. The permit library describes it by project, not by street.
• Whether your lot sits near an old well or septic field. The county does not tie that to the community names.
• How a condominium association divides pipe duties among unit owners and itself.

Check your own address

1. Find your meter and note whether the line to the house is yours after it.
2. Call 703-323-1211 if sewage rises when nothing is running, before you hire anyone.
3. Ask a licensed plumber to identify any plastic supply pipe you can see without cutting or drilling it.
4. Search your parcel in the county's PLUS portal before you apply for a permit.
5. Check your homeowner policy for water backup and service line coverage.

More on checking an address

Survey notes: sources for this page

• Fairfax Water meter page. Known to us only from a search listing of the page; the site would not open for us.
• Fairfax Water lead-free page. Known to us only from a search listing of the page; the site would not open for us.
• Fairfax County wastewater FAQ. Opened November 3, 2026.
• Fairfax County when a permit is required. Opened November 3, 2026.
• Fairfax County household appliance permit. Opened November 3, 2026.
• Contractor magazine on the polybutylene settlement. Known to us only from a search listing of the page; the site would not open for us.
• Lieff Cabraser on polybutylene piping. Known to us only from a search listing of the page; the site would not open for us.