The usual plumbing permit in Arlington, VA, the biggest trade with a completion date, takes 75 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (6,454 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). Solar is quickest at 47 days; new home the slowest at 291 days. This is the turnaround to finish the work and close the permit, not the wait for approval.
“How long does a permit take?” can mean two waits. This page measures the second one.
Getting the permit (not measured): application → issue, the wait for the county to approve it. Arlington, VA's file we read does not carry a usable application date, so we don't guess at it. Ask the permit office for its current review times.
Finishing the work (measured here): issue → completion. The day the county issued the permit to the day it recorded a final inspection or closeout. That is the contractor's part: doing the work and getting it signed off.
What “finished” means in Arlington, VA: For contractors with at least 5 permits a year or more old, the share that were finaled.
Speed: How long their permits take from issue to completion, using the county's dates, compared with other Arlington contractors in the trade. Shown for firms with 10+ permits.
Usual is the middle permit: half finish sooner, half later. Finished is the share of permits a year or more old that the county closed out. A dash means the Arlington, VA record has no completion date for that trade (demolition), so there is nothing to count days from; it does not mean those permits are slow.
| Trade | Permits | Usual days to finish | Finished | Firms with 10+ permits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plumbing | 6,454 | 75 | 82.8% | 111 |
| Electrical | 4,143 | 99 | 86.5% | 110 |
| HVAC | 2,807 | 148 | 86.9% | 61 |
| Remodel & Renovation | 777 | 112 | 88.1% | 12 |
| Addition | 750 | 235 | 88.9% | 8 |
| Solar | 608 | 47 | 97.7% | 11 |
| New Home | 512 | 291 | 94.9% | 13 |
| Demolition | 404 | — | 91.8% | 8 |
| Deck & Porch | 402 | 61 | 96.4% | 5 |
| Foundation & Waterproofing | 202 | 106 | 71.2% | 5 |
Each trade on its own, from issue to the county's sign-off. The spread between the quickest and slowest quarter of firms is the part you can choose.
The usual plumbing permit in Arlington, VA takes 75 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (6,454 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 82.8% of plumbing permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 0.9 months, the slowest quarter in 3.8 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Arlington, VA's file.
107 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Arlington, VA plumbing contractors →
The usual electrical permit in Arlington, VA takes 99 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (4,143 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 86.5% of electrical permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 1.7 months, the slowest quarter in 4.5 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Arlington, VA's file.
109 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Arlington, VA electrical contractors →
The usual HVAC permit in Arlington, VA takes 148 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (2,807 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 86.9% of HVAC permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 3.5 months, the slowest quarter in 5.5 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Arlington, VA's file.
60 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Arlington, VA HVAC contractors →
The usual remodel & renovation permit in Arlington, VA takes 112 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (777 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 88.1% of remodel & renovation permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 3.3 months, the slowest quarter in 4.2 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Arlington, VA's file.
12 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Arlington, VA remodel & renovation contractors →
The usual addition permit in Arlington, VA takes 235 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (750 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 88.9% of addition permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 5.5 months, the slowest quarter in 9.8 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Arlington, VA's file.
7 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Arlington, VA addition contractors →
The usual solar permit in Arlington, VA takes 47 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (608 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 97.7% of solar permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 1.3 months, the slowest quarter in 2 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Arlington, VA's file.
11 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Arlington, VA solar contractors →
The usual new home permit in Arlington, VA takes 291 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (512 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 94.9% of new home permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 8.4 months, the slowest quarter in 9.1 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Arlington, VA's file.
13 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Arlington, VA new home contractors →
The Arlington, VA record carries no completion date for demolition permits, so we can't count days. 91.8% of demolition permits a year or more old have been closed out. That is from 404 permits, October 2023 through September 2026. The wait for approval before issue is not in Arlington, VA's file.
The usual deck & porch permit in Arlington, VA takes 61 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (402 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 96.4% of deck & porch permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 1.5 months, the slowest quarter in 1.6 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Arlington, VA's file.
5 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Arlington, VA deck & porch contractors →
The usual foundation & waterproofing permit in Arlington, VA takes 106 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (202 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 71.2% of foundation & waterproofing permits a year or more old have been closed out. The wait for approval before issue is not in Arlington, VA's file.
Source: Arlington County, VA building and trade permits. The window is October 2023 through September 2026; a permit filed after that isn't here yet.
A filed value is what the contractor wrote on the permit when they applied. It is not a quote and not the final bill.
Counts are permits, not jobs: one job can need several permits, and one permit can cover several visits.
Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can. How the records work in Arlington, VA →
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