14,286 homes in 5+ unit buildings
That is 46.9 percent, and 6,859 of them are in buildings of 50 or more units. A flat roof here is usually shared, so a board picks the sheet.
EPDM Roofing in Reston, VA
Nearly half of Reston homes sit in buildings of five or more units, and Virginia's building code files those buildings under a class that its unlimited roof-covering permit exemption does not name. An EPDM rubber roof on a condo building and one on a townhouse addition are two different questions for the county.
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The permit gap
Why does a condo-building EPDM roof get a different phone call than a townhouse one?
The state building code defines Residential Group R-2 as residential occupancies containing sleeping units or more than two dwelling units. Group R-3 is the one-and-two-dwelling class, and townhouses and detached houses built under the Virginia Residential Code sit in Group R-5.
Section 108.2 of the same code lets an owner replace an unlimited amount of roof covering without a permit in Groups R-3, R-4 and R-5, as long as the building is not in an area with a nominal design wind speed above 100 miles per hour. For every group, replacing 100 square feet or less is also exempt. Group R-2 is not named in the unlimited line.
So a membrane on a townhouse addition falls inside the named groups, and the roof of a condo building with several stacked units falls outside them. Confirm with the county which group your building is and whether the wind-speed ceiling applies.
Who has this roof
Which Reston owners are choosing between rubber sheet roofs?
Census Bureau ACS 2024 5-year estimate for the Reston place, 30,485 homes. It counts homes, not roofs, and says nothing about roof shape.
9,091 attached homes
29.8 percent. Rear additions, bump-outs and porch tops on townhouse rows are the typical flat sections.
6,171 detached houses
20.2 percent. A flat section here is usually a porch, a sunroom or a rear addition on an otherwise pitched house.
The median home dates from 1984 and 41.3 percent from before 1980. That suggests many flat sections have been recovered once, an inference from build dates, not a count of roofs.
Reading the roof
How can you tell an EPDM sheet from other flat roofs, and what lets go first?
How to recognise it
EPDM is a synthetic rubber sheet, usually black or dark gray with a matte, granule-free surface. Its overlaps are taped or glued, while white thermoplastic sheets are welded at the seams. Color alone is not proof, so check the seams.
Seams and flashings first
Water finds the laps and the edges before it finds the field of the sheet. Check strips along walls, vents and curbs, and the metal edge.
Leaf litter at the drain
Reston Association maintains 800 acres of woodlands among its open space, and flat roofs under those trees collect leaves at drains and scuppers. Standing water is where seam trouble starts.
Who to ask
Which office answers which EPDM question in Reston?
Checked 2026-10-09. Full office list on the Reston page; confirm your scope before work is scheduled.
| What you plan | Who to ask | What the page says |
|---|---|---|
| New sheet on a townhouse or house addition | Fairfax County Land Development Services, 703-222-0801 | The county's no-permit list names roof shingles, not membranes, so ask about a membrane |
| New sheet on a condo building | The county first, then your board | The state exemption for unlimited roof covering does not name Group R-2 |
| Patching a leak | Fairfax County Land Development Services | The county lists roof repairs as miscellaneous work that needs a permit |
| Replacing roof boards under townhouse flat roofs | Fairfax County Land Development Services | The plywood allowance of less than 256 square feet excludes fire-rated plywood, such as on townhomes |
| Sheet color or material under the Reston Deed | Reston Association Covenants staff, 703-435-6530 | The roofing checklist lists material types such as 3-tab, wood, metal and tile, and does not name a membrane |
That last row is worth a call: ask Covenants staff whether a flat-roof membrane is treated as a roofing material or as something else, rather than assume.
Repair or replace
When is a patch enough on a Reston rubber roof?
A patch fits
One lifted seam or one failed flashing, with a sheet that is otherwise flat, clean and dry underneath.
Ask about a coating or recover
The sheet is sound but tired. A written scope should say what stays, what goes and how seams and edges are treated.
Replacement fits
Repeated leaks at many seams, wet insulation, or water that never leaves the roof after rain.
On a shared building the board decides, so a written roof condition note is the useful first step. Our flat roof page sets EPDM beside TPO, PVC and modified bitumen, and the TPO, EPDM and modified bitumen guide goes deeper on seams.
The phone call
What should you have ready for a 15-minute EPDM call?
Building type
House, townhouse row or condo building, and whether the roof is yours or the association's.
Where water shows
Which ceiling, which wall, and whether it follows rain or snow melt.
A photo of the edge
One wide shot and one close-up of a seam or wall flashing.
Drain and trees
Where water leaves the roof and what hangs over it.
Board letters
Any notice or rule from your cluster, condo board or Reston Association.
FAQ
Questions Reston owners ask about rubber flat roofs
Is my Reston condo building in a different permit group than a townhouse?
By the state code's definitions, a building with more than two dwelling units is Group R-2, while townhouses and houses under the Virginia Residential Code are Group R-5. Section 108.2 names R-3, R-4 and R-5 in its unlimited roof-covering exemption, so ask the county how your building is classed.
Does Fairfax County's no-permit list cover an EPDM sheet?
The list names replacement of roof shingles. It does not name membranes, so the safe step is a call to Land Development Services at 703-222-0801 before work is scheduled.
What is the 100 square foot line in the state code?
Section 108.2 exempts replacing 100 square feet or less of roof covering in every group. It is a small-patch allowance.
Does Reston Association approve a flat-roof membrane?
Its roofing checklist asks for material type and style, with examples such as wood, metal and tile, and no membrane is named. Ask Covenants staff at 703-435-6530 how a flat section is treated.
Why do townhouse flat roofs raise a decking question?
The county's allowance for replacing less than 256 square feet of roof plywood excludes plywood that must be fire rated, such as on townhomes. If boards need replacing, ask about that exception.
Can leaves from Reston's woodlands really damage a rubber roof?
Leaves do not harm the sheet directly. They block drains and scuppers, and water that stays on a flat roof stresses seams and flashings.
Nearby
Where else do we talk about flat roofs near Reston?
The Reston page has the full permit and design-review table. Neighboring places have their own pages: Herndon and Oakton. See every area on the service areas page.
Talk through the next step
Talk through your roof with King's Roofing
Share the address, what you are seeing on the roof and the decision you need to make. We will tell you what to expect before anything is scheduled.
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9220 Topaz St, Fairfax, VA 22031
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