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NoVA & DC Plumbing Map

Sheet 6 of 18 · Arlington County

North Arlington plumbing: where the county stops

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In North Arlington the county owns the water line from the main to the meter and you own everything after it, including the cost of water that leaks; the sewer lateral is yours too.

Sheet revised November 3, 2026 · who makes this map

American Foursquare house with a white front porch in Cherrydale
An American Foursquare house in Cherrydale, North Arlington.
Who does what here
WaterCounty to the meter; owner from the meter to the building source
SewerCounty main, cleared free; lateral belongs to the premises owner source
PermitsArlington County plumbing and gas permit, online source
LicensingVirginia DPOR source
Lead pipesCounty found none in its own segment source

One county, one set of rules

Arlington County runs a single water and sewer system, so this sheet and the one for South Arlington mostly agree. We sorted them by what each one lets you check. The county's pages would not open for us, so the details below come from search listings of them. Treat them as the county's words and confirm.

Low bungalow with a wide porch behind a garden in Cherrydale
A bungalow in Cherrydale, North Arlington.

The Willston exception

The county's water page says the Willston area is different: Arlington buys the water there from Fairfax Water. We have no street list and could not confirm where its edge falls, or whether the meter split below applies the same way there, so a mailing address cannot answer it. Read the supplier's name on your water bill and ask the county.

The meter is the line

County crews are responsible from the water main to the meter. From the meter to the building, and all the piping inside, the owner pays, and that includes water lost to a leak. A leak after the meter shows up on your bill, so a bill that jumps is a reason to look at the private side. See who owns which pipe.

Red brick garden apartment buildings and lawn at Buckingham, Arlington
Buckingham, a garden apartment community in Arlington.

Sewer and the first phone call

By county code, laterals are owned and maintained by the owner of the premises. The county clears its main at no charge, and it suggests you call 703-228-6555 first if a drain stops. A plumber who cannot clear your line may find the problem is in the main, and the county can then act. Roots, grease and failing joints sit on your side.

Lead

The county says its 2024 inventory turned up no lead in the pipes it owns, and that it has never used lead for its segment. The private side is another matter: houses from before August 1, 1978 may have lead there. Replacing it is the owner's choice. Do not try to test or disturb a pipe; ask a licensed plumber. See lead in Virginia.

Permits

Adding, removing or relocating fixtures, appliances or piping needs a plumbing and gas permit through Permit Arlington. Replacing like with like in the same size and place is exempt unless the appliance burns gas. An owner may pull a permit for their own house or townhouse, and rough and final inspections follow.

What the map can't tell you

  • Whether your lot is in the Willston area, and who supplies it.
  • Which neighborhood sits in a local historic district; we could not confirm this from the county's pages, so ask the county.
  • Whether your lateral has failed; only a camera inspection by a licensed plumber shows it.
  • Whether an Arlington postal address puts you in the county; check the tax record or water bill, since postal names cross borders.
  • Where your meter sits relative to the building line.

Check your own address

  1. Find your meter and note whether the shutoff lies before or after it; read main shutoff first.
  2. Look up your plumber on the DPOR license lookup.
  3. Call 703-228-6555 before hiring anyone to clear a main-line stoppage.
  4. Look at your permit on Permit Arlington before the final inspection, then file it.
  5. Ask the county whether your lot is in a local historic district.

More on checking an address

Survey notes: sources for this page