Do I need a permit? in Alexandria, VA

The details

• No building permit: sheds to 256 sq ft, fences (not pool barriers), masonry walls to 6 ft, pools 150 sq ft or less under 24 in deep, like-for-like electric HVAC swaps.High confidence
• Retaining walls: the city's 2024 soil policy says no permit under 2 ft of fill and a detail package or design from 2 to 5 ft. Virginia's code exempts walls under 3 ft. Ask Code Administration before you build a 2 to 3 ft wall.Medium confidence
• Decks, porches of any size and accessory structures over 200 sq ft get soil checks at the footing inspection rather than a report up front.High confidence

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Common questions

Which small projects need no permit in Alexandria?

Virginia's statewide code sets the building-permit exemptions, but Alexandria's zoning is tight: a shed in a required yard is limited to 100 sq ft (65 sq ft in historic districts), and the city's soil policy asks for a permit on retaining walls from 2 ft. In Old Town and Parker-Gray, the BAR reviews most visible exterior work.

Sources

1. Virginia USBC, 13VAC5-63-80 Section 108.2, Exemptions from application for permit. Checked 2026-10-23
   2. One story detached structures used as tool and storage sheds, playhouses, or similar uses, provided the building area does not exceed 256 square feet... 5. Fences of any height unless required for pedestrian safety as provided for by Section 3306 or used…
2. City of Alexandria Code Administration, Soil policy (2024). Checked 2026-10-21
   [Retaining walls] Under 2 feet of unbalanced fill: no permit. 2 to 5 feet: a detail package, a 1,500 psf design, or a soil report. Over 5 feet: a soil report is required... [New one- and two-family dwellings: a signed and sealed soil report, flagging] expan…