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Fairfax County, VA building permits

Data through May 2026 · updated 19 Oct 2026

18,103 building permits in the Fairfax County Building Records file were issued in Fairfax County from June 2024 to May 2026, about 9,052 a year. Remodel and repair permits lead with 9,936, then new homes (2,134) and additions (963). 73% were for homes. The county's file doesn't name contractors, so we can't rank, compare or profile firms here: these pages show what was built, where, when and how fast the county signed it off.

What this file covers: The county publishes its building permits only; electrical, plumbing, mechanical and other trade permits are not in the file.

18,103permits issued
9,052a year
73%for homes
85%finished (Jun 2024–May 2025 permits)
120days, usual issue to final
May 2026records through

What gets built here

Remodels & repairs

9,936permits
4,819last 12 mo on file
86days to final

New homes

2,134permits
862last 12 mo on file
273days to final

Additions

963permits
481last 12 mo on file
177days to final

What this page can and can't show

  • ✓The permits in the Fairfax County Building Records file, by kind of work, month and ZIP code.
  • ✓How long a permit takes from issue to the county's final inspection.
  • ✓Which permits finished or are still open.
  • Who did the work. The county's file doesn't name contractors, so we can't rank, compare or profile firms here.
  • What the job cost. The file carries no job value.
  • Street addresses or owners. We publish counts and permit rows without them.

Building permits Fairfax County Land Development Services issues for the county and the towns it serves (Vienna, Herndon and Clifton), including places such as Reston, McLean, Springfield, Annandale, Centreville and Chantilly. The independent cities of Fairfax and Falls Church run their own permit offices and are not in this file (a Fairfax or Falls Church mailing address outside those cities is). The county does not publish its electrical, plumbing, mechanical or other trade permits.

Hiring someone here?

The permit file can't tell you who does good work. Ask for the contractor's license number and look it up at the Virginia DPOR license lookup, then ask the county whether they pulled the permit for your job.

How to check a contractor's license in Virginia →

Permits by kind of work

Permits issued June 2024 through May 2026, every kind of work with 100 or more. Last 12 months on file is Jun 2025–May 2026. Homes is the share issued as residential permits.

Kind of workPermitsShareLast 12 mo
Remodels & repairs9,93655%4,819
New homes2,13412%862
Additions9635%481
Garages, sheds & shade structures176under 1%97
Other4,89427%2,473

Download this table (CSV)

Fairfax County permit statistics →How long permits take in Fairfax County →Fairfax County permits by ZIP code →Fairfax County building permit search: how to look up permits on an address →

Before you start a project

All guides →

Nearby permit data

Permit data for other places in Washington, DC. Each permit office keeps its own file, so the numbers are not added together.

Arlington, VAWashington, DCMontgomery County, MDRockville, MDPrince George's County, MDHoward County, MD

How these numbers are made

Source: Fairfax County Open Data, Building Records PLUS (Land Development Services), read 19 Oct 2026. We count permits issued June 2024 through May 2026; denied and withdrawn permits are left out.

Building permits Fairfax County Land Development Services issues for the county and the towns it serves (Vienna, Herndon and Clifton), including places such as Reston, McLean, Springfield, Annandale, Centreville and Chantilly. The independent cities of Fairfax and Falls Church run their own permit offices and are not in this file (a Fairfax or Falls Church mailing address outside those cities is). The county does not publish its electrical, plumbing, mechanical or other trade permits.

  • The county's file names no contractor, so there are no contractor lists, rankings or firm pages for Fairfax County.
  • The file has no declared job value, so we show no costs.
  • The county publishes only building permits: residential and commercial new construction and additions or alterations. Electrical, plumbing, HVAC, roofing and other trade permits are not in the file, so those kinds of work do not appear here.
  • The file has no work description. Home additions, sunrooms, garages and sheds are picked out from the short project name on the permit; decks, porches, basements, kitchens, baths and other alterations count as remodels and repairs.
  • Permits issued from June 2026 on were still arriving in the county's file when it was pulled in October 2026, so the window ends in May 2026.
  • A final date is the date the county closed the permit. Certificates of occupancy are left out.

Counts are permits, not jobs: one job can need several permits. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can. Sources and definitions →

Cite this page

Free to reuse with attribution (CC BY 4.0). Please credit Contractor Records and link to this page. Suggested citation:

Contractor Records, "Fairfax County, VA building permits", https://contractorrecords.com/fairfax-county/, data through May 2026, from Fairfax County Land Development Services building-permit records.

Link to a table: By kind of work · Browse the permits · Permits each month.

Download the tables (CSV): Permits by kind of work · Permits in the last 12 months on file.

Common questions

  • How many building permits does Fairfax County issue a year?About 9,052 a year in Fairfax County: 18,103 permits issued June 2024 through May 2026, 8,732 of them in the last 12 months on file (to May 2026). That counts the permits in the Fairfax County Building Records file, homes and commercial, not denied or withdrawn applications; the file doesn't hold every permit the county issues (see what it covers above).
  • Can I find a contractor's permits in Fairfax County?Not from this file: the county publishes its permits without the contractor's name, so we can't list or rank firms. Check a license at the Virginia DPOR license lookup and ask the contractor for the permit number of a past job.
  • What do people build most in Fairfax County?Remodels & repairs: 9,936 of the 18,103 permits (55%), then new homes (2,134), additions (963), June 2024 through May 2026.
  • How long does a building permit take in Fairfax County?The usual permit took 120 days from issue to the county's final (middle half: 63 to 224 days), from 7,959 permits issued Jun 2024–May 2025 that reached a final. Each kind of work →
  • How do I look up a building permit in Fairfax County?Filter the permit list on this page by month, kind of work and ZIP code to see what was issued. For one property's permits, search the county's own records by address or permit number; we don't publish addresses. How to look up a permit in Fairfax County →
  • How many permits were issued in Fairfax County last month?756 in May 2026, the last full month on file; 8,732 over the last 12 months on file (to May 2026).

Browse the permits

Browse 18,103 permits

Every permit in the file issued June 2024 through May 2026, newest first. Pick a month, a kind of work, a ZIP code or a status. Each row is one permit: no street address, no names.

The list loads as you reach it (18,103 permits).

IssuedKind of workCounty permit typeStatusZIP

Permits each month, the last 12 months on file

Permits issued each month and the kind of work with the most. A month opens its permits in the list above.

MonthPermitsTop kind of work
May 2026756Remodels & repairs (445)
Apr 2026745Remodels & repairs (420)
Mar 2026783Remodels & repairs (424)
Feb 2026628Remodels & repairs (349)
Jan 2026534Remodels & repairs (310)
Dec 2025660Remodels & repairs (370)
Nov 2025616Remodels & repairs (362)
Oct 2025968Remodels & repairs (505)
Sep 2025751Remodels & repairs (403)
Aug 2025707Remodels & repairs (400)
Jul 2025810Remodels & repairs (412)
Jun 2025774Remodels & repairs (419)

Download this table (CSV)