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Building Permits

Permit Counter Hours
8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Monday - Friday

When is a Permit Required?
If you are contemplating any work on your house, you need to know if you should obtain a building permit. While a full, detailed breakdown of when a permit is needed can be quite involved, here are a few guidelines. If you have any questions, please call 703-248-5080 (TTY 711), or email permits@fallschurchva.gov. 

What Can I Do Without a Permit?
On a single family house, most routine work does not require a permit.
You can:

• Paint, add or replace carpet, tile or hardwood floors, replace cabinets, and even replace paneling and drywall without a permit.
• Replace your windows and doors, as long as you don't change the size of the opening in the wall.
• Replace your roof, as long as you are not replacing rafters or a major portion of the decking.
• Replace plumbing fixtures, such as a sink, disposal or toilet, as long as the new fixture remains in the same place so you do not need to run any pipe.
• Replace electrical fixtures, such as an outlet, switch or ceiling light fixture.

When Do I Need A Permit?

• Any time you change a wall, you need a permit. It does not matter if the wall is load-bearing or not. If you add walls, remove walls or even change the height of a wall, you need a permit. The same is true if you want to add an opening, or change the size of an existing opening, such as to put in a larger window. Anything involving the framing or other structure of a wall requires a permit. This also goes for floors, ceilings and rafters.
• If you plan to move any plumbing fixture, or add one, you need a permit.
• If you plan to add electrical fixtures, you need a permit.
• Any work involving gas, even just replacing a stove or fireplace insert, requires a permit.
• Replacing mechanical units, such as a furnace or air conditioner, requires a permit.

Please note that the permit requirements for multifamily and commercial construction differ from the above. Contact the Building Safety Division if you have any questions.