Electronic Submissions

All applications and plans submitted to the City should be submitted in PDF format.

Applications

Applications and supporting forms can be downloaded here on the City's website.

After downloading the application either: 

  • Use Acrobat or another program to complete the form by typing over the form. For the signature, either an image of the signature or a digital signature is acceptable. 
  • Print the form and fill it out on paper. Scan the paper back to a PDF. Please scan the form to a PDF. Do not submit a photograph of the form. 

Submissions

Applications and plans can be submitted several ways. Some methods, especially email, will limit the size of the file which can be submitted.

  • Email everything to permits@fallschurchva.gov. This is almost always the easiest method. The e-mail system can accept files up to around 24 Mb in size. 
  • Bring in a USB Flash Drive. This is good for plans too large for e-mail. Everything can be copied to our network and the drive returned immediately.
  • Submit a CD or DVD. This is also good when the plans are very large. This is useful if you are mailing or couriering the plans to us and don’t want to retrieve a USB stick.
  • Email a link to a download site to permits@fallschurchva.gov. We can download the PDF from Dropbox, OneDrive or an equivalent site. Please note the site must allow downloads without a login, or the email must include the necessary login information.

How to Create PDFs

For those used to doing everything on paper, here are a few tips on moving to PDF permitting:

  • There is software available to fill out PDF forms on Windows, Mac, IOS (iPhone/iPad), and Android. You can download the form and fill it out on whatever device you have, then e-mail it back.
  • Printers with built-in scanning capability are relatively inexpensive. They can scan to Widows or Mac computers. Many can also scan directly to phones.
  • Office-supply stores can often scan things to PDF.
  • There are apps which allow scanning with a phone’s camera. These produce much better results than just taking a picture of a piece of paper.

Please do not to just photograph a form or plan page and e-mail it. These often arrive illegibly small or in formats we cannot read.