Data through May 2026 · updated 19 Oct 2026
18,103 building permits issued in Fairfax County, June 2024 through May 2026: about 9,052 a year. The biggest kind of work is remodels & repairs, with 9,936. 8,732 permits in the last 12 months on file (Jun 2025–May 2026), 7% fewer than the 9,371 in the 12 months before. 73% were permits for homes. The busiest month for permits is October.
What this file covers: The county publishes its building permits only; electrical, plumbing, mechanical and other trade permits are not in the file.
Permits issued June 2024 through May 2026. Last 12 months on file is Jun 2025–May 2026; the 12 months before is Jun 2024–May 2025. Homes is the share issued as residential permits. Busiest month is the calendar month with the most permits on average.
| Kind of work | Permits | Share | Last 12 mo | 12 mo before | Change | Homes | Busiest month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Remodels & repairs | 9,936 | 55% | 4,819 | 5,117 | −6% | 100% | October |
| New homes | 2,134 | 12% | 862 | 1,272 | −32% | 100% | January |
| Additions | 963 | 5% | 481 | 482 | 0% | 100% | April |
| Garages, sheds & shade structures | 176 | under 1% | 97 | 79 | +23% | 100% | July |
| Other | 4,894 | 27% | 2,473 | 2,421 | +2% | 0% | October |
Permits issued in each calendar year of the window. Per year scales a part year to 12 months.
| Year | Months | Permits | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 (from June) | 7 | 5,587 | 9,578 |
| 2025 | 12 | 9,070 | 9,070 |
| 2026 (through May) | 5 | 3,446 | 8,270 |
Permits issued each month, June 2024 through May 2026. The tallest bar is the busiest month on file.
| Month | Permits |
|---|---|
| Jun 2024 | 752 |
| Jul 2024 | 766 |
| Aug 2024 | 882 |
| Sep 2024 | 822 |
| Oct 2024 | 891 |
| Nov 2024 | 706 |
| Dec 2024 | 768 |
| Jan 2025 | 836 |
| Feb 2025 | 638 |
| Mar 2025 | 735 |
| Apr 2025 | 797 |
| May 2025 | 778 |
| Jun 2025 | 774 |
| Jul 2025 | 810 |
| Aug 2025 | 707 |
| Sep 2025 | 751 |
| Oct 2025 | 968 |
| Nov 2025 | 616 |
| Dec 2025 | 660 |
| Jan 2026 | 534 |
| Feb 2026 | 628 |
| Mar 2026 | 783 |
| Apr 2026 | 745 |
| May 2026 | 756 |
Permits by calendar month, 100 = an average month (the thin line), June 2024 through May 2026. Kinds of work do not all peak together. Each month is counted twice (once a year), so one unusual month still moves these numbers.
9,936 permits · busiest October, quietest January
2,134 permits · busiest January, quietest February
963 permits · busiest April, quietest January
176 permits · busiest July, quietest November
| Kind of work | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Remodels & repairs | 85 | 86 | 99 | 107 | 107 | 106 | 107 | 102 | 107 | 117 | 87 | 90 |
| New homes | 148 | 73 | 91 | 82 | 89 | 98 | 81 | 96 | 87 | 143 | 98 | 115 |
| Additions | 85 | 97 | 108 | 122 | 97 | 97 | 90 | 92 | 100 | 112 | 103 | 96 |
| Garages, sheds & shade structures | 123 | 102 | 116 | 75 | 89 | 61 | 143 | 130 | 102 | 123 | 55 | 82 |
How the county classed each permit. Other covers commercial buildings, signs, towers and similar work.
| Permit class | Permits | Share | Last 12 mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes (residential) | 13,209 | 73% | 6,259 |
| Other | 4,894 | 27% | 2,473 |
Permits issued Jun 2024–May 2025, so each has had at least 12 months to reach a final. Finished means the county recorded a final inspection or marked it complete. The file doesn't mark permits expired, so a lapsed permit still reads open.
| Status | Permits | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Finished | 7,959 | 84.9% |
| Still open | 1,412 | 15.1% |
The 10 ZIP codes with the most permits, counted at the property's ZIP code. A ZIP code can cross into a city that runs its own permit office; only the county's permits are counted.
| ZIP code | Permits | Share | Top kind of work |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20151 | 1,086 | 6% | New homes (486) |
| 22102 | 940 | 5% | Remodels & repairs (182) |
| 20171 | 914 | 5% | Remodels & repairs (496) |
| 22101 | 758 | 4% | Remodels & repairs (383) |
| 22182 | 743 | 4% | Remodels & repairs (361) |
| 20190 | 690 | 4% | Remodels & repairs (133) |
| 22003 | 669 | 4% | Remodels & repairs (438) |
| 22180 | 669 | 4% | Remodels & repairs (338) |
| 22042 | 558 | 3% | Remodels & repairs (277) |
| 22033 | 553 | 3% | Remodels & repairs (238) |
From our cross-city data studies: the same measure, read the same way, for every city we cover.
Permit statistics 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
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.
Counts are permits, not jobs: one job can need several permits. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can. Sources and definitions →
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 permit statistics", https://contractorrecords.com/fairfax-county/permit-statistics, data through May 2026, from Fairfax County Land Development Services building-permit records.Link to a table: By kind of work · By year · By month · When each kind of work is filed · Homes and everything else · How many get finished · By ZIP code.
Download the tables (CSV): Permits by kind of work · Permits by year · Permits by month · Permits by calendar month (index) · Homes and other permits · Finished, open and expired · Permits by ZIP code.