Service area · Arlington County and Alexandria
Tear-down rebuilds, additions and renovations in Arlington, Virginia
Arlington is the geographically smallest self-governing county in the country, and it has no incorporated towns or cities, so residential permits from Maywood to Glencarlyn all come from the county. For a custom home builder in Arlington, VA, a lot that already holds a house starts with a choice: renovate it, build onto it, or take it down and start again.
Blackline Builders is based in Manassas and works through the county's rules before a plan is drawn, so the design starts from what the lot allows.
Building in Arlington
Building permits, with zoning inside. The county's Inspection Services Division issues residential building permits, applied for online through Permit Arlington. Zoning sits within the same application: plans show height, elevations and lot coverage, and the Zoning Division checks setbacks against a certified, scaled plat.
Lot coverage sets the footprint. Arlington compares the area of buildings and driveways with the area of the lot. The house counts, and so do detached garages, accessory buildings, paved driveways and parking pads, pergolas, in-ground pools and bay windows. Walkways do not. A qualifying front porch, or a detached garage in the back yard, earns a bonus on the maximum, which can shape where a garage goes.
Land disturbance has a line. Disturbing 2,500 square feet of land or more requires a Land Disturbing Activity and Stormwater Management permit from the Department of Environmental Services. Separate projects within a two-year period count together. Between 2,000 and 2,499 square feet, the county asks instead for a certification, a survey of the disturbed area and silt fence or another approved perimeter control.
Demolition waits for the site permit. When a tear-down crosses that line, the land disturbance permit must be approved before the demolition permit is issued. The demolition application also calls for utility disconnect letters, neighbor notification letters and an asbestos awareness form. Where the house has water or sewer service, the lateral is capped at the property line under a separate plumbing permit.
Streams and flood zones. Arlington is a Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act locality. Resource Protection Area buffers reach at least 100 feet from streams and wetlands, and further on critical slopes; the rest of the county is a Resource Management Area. A tear-down rebuild on a property where RPA is present needs county review. So does a new or larger deck, or a fence, retaining wall, new paving or tree removal inside the RPA. The review uses a Water Quality Impact Assessment form. Work on a property partly or entirely in the 100-year floodplain or the county's Flood Buffer Zone also needs a Floodplain Development Permit.
Where the drive meets the street. Arlington maintains its own county roads; in most Virginia counties, VDOT does. Driveway apron, curb and sidewalk work in the county right-of-way needs an Excavation Right-of-Way permit from the Department of Environmental Services.
Historic review and neighborhoods
In a local historic district, exterior alterations, new construction and demolition need a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board. Interior work, paint colors, and routine maintenance, repairs and replacements in the same materials do not need one. Applications go first to the board's Design Review Committee, which gives design advice but does not vote.
Maywood is the only neighborhood on the county's list of local historic districts, and it has its own design guidelines. Other local districts include garden apartment communities, such as Colonial Village and Buckingham Villages, and individual houses.
Lyon Village, Cherrydale, Waverly Hills, Arlington Forest and Glencarlyn are National Register historic districts. Federal listing alone places no restrictions on a private owner's project unless federal funding or permits are involved, so the county's list of local districts is the one to check.
What we build in Arlington
- Tear-down and rebuild for owners who value the lot more than the house, with site permit, demolition and new foundation planned as one sequence.
- Custom home building drawn to setbacks and lot coverage from the first sketch, with porch and garage placement weighed early.
- Room and second-story additions. Building up adds space without enlarging the footprint, which helps on lots near their coverage limit. An accessory dwelling needs its own Accessory Dwelling Permit as well as a building permit, and owner-occupancy rules apply.
- Whole-house renovations for houses worth keeping; in a local district, the board reviews the exterior, not the rooms inside.
- Concrete driveways, measured against lot coverage before they are formed, with the apron at the street under its own county permit.
- Design-build construction, so coverage and setback figures are settled while the design is still moving.
How an Arlington project comes together
We start with a site visit and the plat, checking coverage, likely disturbance, the RPA and floodplain maps, and historic status. Those answers show whether renovating, adding or rebuilding makes sense, and design follows. The price is worked out after that visit, for this lot and this scope.
Nearby areas
Alexandria, next door, answers to a separate city government and its own rules. See how Arlington and Alexandria compare, or read about renovations and additions in Alexandria.
Questions about building in Arlington
When it disturbs 2,500 square feet of land or more, counting separate projects within a two-year period. Disturbances from 2,000 to 2,499 square feet still need a certification, a survey and perimeter controls such as silt fence. On a tear-down that crosses the threshold, this permit must be approved before the demolition permit is issued.
Yes. Demolition and new construction there both need a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board. In Maywood, the neighborhood's own design guidelines apply. A National Register listing alone, as in Lyon Village or Cherrydale, does not bring this review.
On county-maintained streets, Arlington County rather than VDOT, because the county maintains its own roads. Apron work in the county right-of-way needs an Excavation Right-of-Way permit. On the lot itself, a paved driveway counts toward lot coverage.
To plan a rebuild, addition or renovation in Arlington, book a free on-site estimate or call 571-200-3100.
Start a project
Bring us the lot—or the home you want to transform.
We'll meet you on site, walk the property with you and talk through what the work will take.