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NoVA & DC Plumbing Map

Sheet 12 of 18 · Fairfax County

McLean: a mailing name, not a government

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McLean is a mailing name, not a government, so a McLean address is served by Fairfax Water for water and Fairfax County for sewer and permits, unless the tax record says otherwise.

Sheet revised November 3, 2026 · who makes this map

Brick house among tall trees and lawn on Hardwood Lane in McLean
A house on Hardwood Lane in McLean.
Who does what here
WaterFairfax Water supplies most of the county; its pipe ends at the meter, and everything after that is the owner's. The county's own service-area map also shows a second supplier, the Town of Vienna, so confirm yours on a bill. source
SewerFairfax County runs the public sewer main. The owner is responsible for the whole private lateral, including the part under public easements and roads. source
PermitsFairfax County Land Development Services, through its online system called PLUS. A residential plumbing permit covers new or repaired piping and fixtures. source
LicensingVirginia's contractor board licenses plumbing work by project size, and the county prefers that a licensed contractor pulls the permit. source
Lead pipesFairfax Water publishes a lead-free page for customers. It blocked our access, so ask Fairfax Water directly about your service line. source

What "McLean" actually means

McLean is a postal and community name, and it carries no town government of its own. No mayor, council or public works yard sits behind the name. The county ordinances that apply are Fairfax County's, and the same county rules apply a few miles away on the Great Falls sheet and the Annandale and Springfield sheet.

Chain Bridge on tall piers above the Potomac under a blue sky
Chain Bridge, between Arlington County and DC, close to McLean.

Water: one supplier, with a neighbor's overlap

Fairfax Water is the supplier most McLean addresses will find on their bill. Its line stops at the meter, and what runs from the meter into the house is yours. The county's service-area map also shows the Town of Vienna as a water supplier, and the town says about a third of its customers live outside its limits. We could not confirm whether any McLean-mailing address is among them. Your bill names the supplier, so read the top of it. If it carries the town's name, the Town of Vienna sheet explains what that means for repairs.

Sewer: call the county first

The county's page says to call it before a plumber when sewage backs up and you suspect the main. Its 24-hour line is 703-323-1211. A backup that only happens when you use a fixture points toward your own pipes. Sewage coming up when nothing is running points toward the main, and the county sends a crew to check it. If the main is fine, the lateral is yours to fix.

The county does not locate private laterals. Standard homeowners policies, according to the county, do not cover the lateral. Read who owns which pipe before a plumber's quote arrives.

Permits

Replacing a water heater with the same kind falls under the county's household appliance permit, with one final inspection and no plan review, fuel-fired units included. Most other plumbing changes need the residential plumbing permit. The page states that apartments and condominiums are treated as commercial. Repairs that reach into a state road's right of way need a VDOT permit as well, per the county's sewer page. See permits by place for how this differs across the river.

Gas smell anywhere: leave first, use no switches or phones inside, then call 911 and Washington Gas at 844-927-4427 from outside.

What the map can't tell you

  • Which supplier serves your lot. The service-area map is county-wide, and the border between Fairfax Water and the Town of Vienna runs through streets this map does not draw.
  • Whether your service line contains lead. Neither the county nor this page has a McLean-specific inventory we could read.
  • Whether your lot has public sewer at all. Some Fairfax County properties are on septic, and a mailing address does not say.
  • Who installed or last altered your plumbing, and whether it was permitted.

Check your own address

  1. Find the supplier's name on your latest water bill, and look up the meter location before you assume where the line ends.
  2. Search your parcel in the county's PLUS portal to confirm the property record and the sewer connection.
  3. If sewage backs up, call 703-323-1211 before you call a plumber, and keep people and pets away from the spill.
  4. Before any dig on your lot, ask the 811 service, and leave trench work to a licensed contractor.

More on checking an address

Survey notes: sources for this page