Houses on older streets
Cape Cods, bungalows and Colonial Revivals call for roof repair at flashings, chimneys and valleys, and roof replacement when a covering is finished.
Roofers in Arlington, VA
Arlington County publishes its own roof-covering table, and it turns on how much decking you replace: less than 256 square feet is one answer, more than 256 is another, and a townhouse roof with fire-rated decking is a third. Six in ten Arlington homes sit in buildings of five or more units, and only one residential neighborhood, Maywood, is a local historic district. We start with those three facts, then talk through your roof.
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The county's roof table
What does Arlington County's 256 square foot decking rule mean for a re-roof?
The county's Residential Building Permit page has a section on replacing a roof covering, and it gives a table instead of a blanket rule. Replacing the covering with no change to the existing decking is listed as no permit. Replacing the covering and less than 256 square feet of decking is also listed as no permit. More than 256 square feet of decking is listed as a permit. New plywood over existing decking is a call to the county.
The table does not apply to a first-time roof installation. The table is about decking, not shingle or membrane type.
What we do here
Which roof work fits an Arlington house, townhouse or condominium tower?
Townhouses
Attached roofs bring the fire-rated decking question and shared walls.
Low-slope roofs
Additions, porch tops and small multi-unit buildings use membranes, covered in the sections below and on our flat roof page. See all materials.
Permits
Who do you ask at Permit Arlington before a roof job?
Confirm your exact scope with the county before work is scheduled. The table restates what the county's own page lists.
| What you plan | What the county page lists | Who to ask |
|---|---|---|
| New covering, existing decking left alone | Listed as no permit | Permit Arlington Center, 703-228-3800 |
| New covering and less than 256 sq ft of decking replaced | Listed as no permit | Permit Arlington Center, 703-228-3800 |
| New covering and more than 256 sq ft of decking replaced | Listed as a permit | Permit Arlington Center, 703-228-3800 |
| New plywood laid over existing decking | The county says to call | Permit Arlington Center, 703-228-3800 |
| Townhouse or other roof built with fire-retardant-treated lumber | A permit, whatever the amount of decking | Permit Arlington Center, 703-228-3800 |
| Building with three or more dwelling units | Treated as commercial for permits | Ask about a Commercial Building Permit |
| Exactly 256 sq ft of decking | The table says "less than" and "more than", so this case is not spelled out | Ask the office |
The county's location page for the Permit Arlington Center gives the first floor of 2100 Clarendon Boulevard, the same street address the county lists as its main address for the Ellen M. Bozman Government Center. Its contact page gives hours, which have changed between copies, so confirm hours and location before you go.
The county's page says residential building permit applications are made online through Permit Arlington, and it names the reviewing groups as Environmental Services, Zoning and the Inspection Services Division. Arlington has no incorporated towns or cities inside it.
One line on that page matters to owners of larger buildings: apartment buildings with three or more dwelling units are treated as commercial under the Building Code. The residential roof table above therefore does not describe a condominium or garden-apartment roof, so ask the county which rules apply.
Historic districts
Is your Arlington street a local historic district, or only on the National Register?
The county's list of Local Historic Districts names one residential neighborhood, Maywood, alongside three garden-apartment complexes (Colonial Village, Buckingham Villages and Cambridge Courts) and a long list of single houses, schools and other sites. The Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board reviews them.
Lyon Village, Ashton Heights, Lyon Park, Aurora Highlands, Cherrydale and Westover sit on the National Register, which the county describes as an honorific list. That is not a local district.
Maywood runs roughly from Lorcom Lane on the north to Langston Boulevard on the south, with Interstate 66 on the east and North Nelson Street on the west. The county says it was designated a local district on July 7, 1990, and that its houses date from 1909 to 1941, with some Queen Anne houses carrying pressed-metal shingles.
Inside a local district the county requires a Certificate of Appropriateness for exterior alterations, excepting routine maintenance and repairs and replacements using the same materials. Our reading is that a like-for-like re-roof falls under that exception and a change of material does not, but call Historic Preservation at 703-228-3549 before you choose a material.
Repairs
Roof repair in Arlington VA: when does a repair stay under the 256 sq ft line?
A repair at a flashing, a chimney, a valley or a few boards is nowhere near 256 square feet of decking. If rotted boards turn out wider than expected, the table is reread before extra decking goes in. Our roof repair page
Housing stock
How many Arlington homes are houses, and how many sit in buildings of five or more units?
Census numbers describe homes, not roofs, so treat them as context. They come from the American Community Survey 2024 five-year estimates.
Mostly large buildings
Of 121,970 housing units, 74,987 are in buildings of five or more units, a computed 61.5 percent. Detached houses are 24.8 percent and townhouse-type homes 8.9 percent.
A mid-century county
The median build year is 1976. About 33.5 percent of units date from before 1960 and 44.7 percent from before 1970 (computed from the decade counts).
More renters than owners
Owners occupy 41.3 percent of occupied homes, 46,221 of 112,027.
Low-slope roofs
TPO roofing in Arlington
TPO is a white or light gray single-ply sheet with heat-welded seams. In Arlington it comes up on additions, porch tops and small multi-unit buildings, and the first checks are drainage and whether the insulation below is dry. Buildings of three or more units go to the county's commercial permit route. See our flat roof page for the side-by-side comparison.
Low-slope roofs
EPDM roofing in Arlington
EPDM is the black rubber membrane, sold in wide sheets with fewer seams to manage on a small roof. It suits a modest addition or porch roof where a dark surface is acceptable. Our flat roof page sets EPDM next to TPO, PVC and modified bitumen.
Weather and trees
Storm damage roof repair in Arlington: what did the 2023, 2025 and 2026 storm reports say?
Searches for derecho roof repair reach this page, so here is what the local reports said: wind, outages and fallen trees.
ARLnow's report on the August 10, 2026 storm line says the National Weather Service warned of 60 mph gusts and that nearly 2,500 homes and businesses lost power, including in Dominion Hills, Cherrydale, and Maywood. A large tree blocked Wilson Boulevard near Bluemont Park. The summary describes outages and a tree, not roof damage.
ARLnow's July 29, 2023 story reported 34,068 Arlington customers without power at 6 p.m. and trees down on at least eight houses, including on South Fillmore Street and North Cleveland Street.
A third ARLnow story, from June 19, 2025, put more than 11,000 without power across Arlington and Falls Church. None of the three stories counts damaged roofs.
On trees, the county reports a 2023 canopy of 35.2 percent, up from 31.7 percent in 2014, against a county goal of at least 40 percent. The county does not link canopy to roof wear.
Where the county office sits. The Permit Arlington Center is on Clarendon Boulevard. Maywood's southern edge is Langston Boulevard, the name the County Board gave the Arlington stretch of Lee Highway in July 2021.
Process
What happens between a leaking ceiling in Clarendon and the first shingle?
Building type
You tell us whether it is a house, a townhouse or a larger building, because that picks the county question.
Phone talk
A free 15-minute call about the roof type, its age if known, and where water shows inside.
Roof look
Someone checks flashings, valleys, penetrations and the surface, and what sits below if it can be reached.
Written plan
The scope in plain terms, how much decking is expected, and which questions you should confirm with Permit Arlington.
The work
Done to the written plan, with the site protected and the roof left clean.
Reviews
Where can an Arlington neighbor read the Google reviews?
5.0 on Google from 60 reviews.
FAQ
Questions Arlington owners ask about roofs and the county
I am replacing about 300 square feet of roof boards in Arlington. Is that over the county's line?
Yes, on the county's table: more than 256 square feet of decking is listed as a permit. Confirm your scope with Permit Arlington at 703-228-3800.
Why can a townhouse re-roof in Arlington need a permit even for a few boards?
The county's note says that if fire-retardant-treated lumber was required when the building was built, a permit is required whatever amount of decking is replaced, and it gives a townhouse as the example.
Is Lyon Village or Ashton Heights a local historic district?
No. The county lists both on the National Register, which it calls honorific. The only residential local historic district on its list is Maywood.
Do I need a Certificate of Appropriateness for new shingles in Maywood?
The county excepts routine maintenance and replacements using the same materials. We read that as covering a like-for-like re-roof, but a different material is an alteration, so call Historic Preservation at 703-228-3549 first.
Does the residential roof table cover my condominium building?
Not if the building has three or more dwelling units, because the county treats those as commercial under the Building Code. Ask Permit Arlington what applies.
What does the county's table say about exactly 256 square feet of decking?
Nothing directly. The table uses "less than" and "more than", while the state code exempts 256 square feet or less in houses. Ask the Permit Arlington Center to settle it.
Did the August 10, 2026 storm damage Arlington roofs?
The ARLnow report describes about 2,500 outages and a tree across Wilson Boulevard, not roof damage.
Does Arlington's 35.2 percent tree canopy mean my roof needs more care?
The county does not link canopy to roof wear. Trees down on houses in the July 2023 storm are a better reason to have overhanging limbs and gutters looked at.
Nearby
Which neighbors border Arlington County?
Each neighbor answers to a different office, so each has its own page: Falls Church, Alexandria, Washington DC and McLean. See all of our service areas or read about King's Roofing.
Official pages used (county page copies dated December 2025 to March 2026):
- Arlington County: Residential Building Permit
- Arlington County: Permit Arlington Center contacts
- Arlington County: Certificate of Appropriateness
- Arlington County: Local Historic Districts
- Arlington County: Maywood Local Historic District
- Virginia building code 13VAC5-63-80
- ARLnow: August 10, 2026 storm report
Roof material guides for Arlington: TPO roofs in Arlington, metal roofs in Arlington, EPDM roofs in Arlington, PVC roofs in Arlington.
Talk through the next step
Tell us what is under the shingles or membrane
A short phone call about the roof type, any decking you expect to replace and whether the building is a house, townhouse or condominium is enough to sort out which county question applies first.
Book a free 15-minute phone consultation
(703) 712-1506
9220 Topaz St, Fairfax, VA 22031
Mon to Fri 7 AM to 8:30 PM, Sat 7 AM to 8 PM, closed Sunday