13th Annual Building Safety Month Kick-Off Event!
The City of Alexandria invites the public to celebrate Building Safety Month during the month of May with a Kick-Off Event on May 2, from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m., at City Hall - Market Square located at 301 King Street. Building Safety Month is celebrated during the month of May and focuses on the work of our building safety professionals. The City of Alexandria joins the nationwide campaign to raise awareness of the continuous efforts of our Code Administrations Professionals!
Join us for a FREE lunch, a raffle and engaging exhibits from City departments and our local building industry partners. The event will also feature 2 - 1 hour each, FREE TRAINING sessions beginning at 10 a.m. with HILTI - "Fire Stopping Techniques Utilized in Construction" and at 1 p.m., Simpson Strong-Tie - "Deck Safety at Home". The training sessions will provide a total of 2 hours of Continuing Education Units (CEUs). Please contact penny.gausman@alexandriava.gov to register for in person training which begins at 10 a.m. Seating is limited to 50 people and is open to the public. Complimentary coffee beverages and light fare, begins at 9:30am in City Hall, Chet and Sabra Avery conference room 2000.
Alexandria Permit and Land Use Management Portal (APEX)
APEX allows you, our customers, to apply for permits and development plan reviews, to attach supporting documents and to submit payment from computers or mobile devices, eliminating the need to make trips to City Hall.
Additional features of APEX include:
- Electronic application, plan submission and review for permits and land use applications.
- Improved communication between staff and customers.
- Real-time status tracking for permit and land use applications.
- Advanced search capabilities.
- Online inspection scheduling, tracking and updates.
- Online payments.
All customers should register on the portal. We are encouraging all customers to utilize the portal, not only to apply for permits, but also as a tool to process permit related payments. When visiting the Permit Center, customers will simply login to their Alexandria Permit and Land Use Management Portal account via kiosk to complete their payment transaction. The payment will post immediately and the receipt will be sent via email to the customer.
Registration instructions for the Alexandria Permit and Land Use Management Portal
For more information about the City’s permitting process, using the new APEX system, or Permit Center hours of operation, visit alexandriava.gov/Permits.
About the Department
Welcome to the Alexandria Department of Code Administration, where we work in concert with other City agencies and our stakeholders (residents, tenants, business owners, building owners, architects, engineers, builders, tradesmen, contractors, and developers) as part of the safe building team. Our objective is to assist stakeholders with compliance related to Virginia's Uniform Statewide Building and Maintenance Codes (USBC), and the City Code nuisance and development provisions. This is accomplished through permit processing, plan review; timely and consistent inspections, and education regarding the requirements of the referenced codes. The department contains the five divisions of Permit Center, Property Maintenance Inspections, New Construction Inspections, Plan Review Services, and Administrative Services.
July 1, 2024 Permit Center Fee Schedule Changes
Code Administration Fee Schedule Effective July 1, 2024
Public Notification Memo Regarding Code Administration Fee Schedule Changes Effective July 1, 2024
Alexandria Code Administration Guiding Principles
Guiding Principles
When checking for daily inspection information, please check the Daily Inspection Viewer Website by 8:00 a.m. the day of the inspection as the information is updated up until this time
The 2021 Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code (USBC) is effective January 18, 2024. Additional information can be found at:
Virginia Uniform Statewide Construction Code (VA USBC)
Standing Modification - Minimum Thickness of Galvanized Duct Walls for Single Family Dwellings
Same Day Service Ends at 4:15pm. Please be sure to have all plans and applications submitted prior to 4:15pm Monday through Friday for same day services.
Scheduling and Obtaining Inspection Results
The Department of Code Administration offers immediate access to inspection results through our new permitting and land use management system customer service portal, APEX. Click on the icon below to get started. Once on the page click on the step by step document entitled "How to request inspections".
Gas Permit Policy for Residential Additions & Alterations
Code Administration conducted a survey of the surrounding jurisdictions’ plan review requirements for residential fuel gas permits. The results found that a majority of localities did not require a fuel gas riser diagram prior to permit issuance for residential gas pressures less than 2 psi. Therefore, to stay consistent across local boundaries, the City of Alexandria will no longer require 1 & 2 family dwelling building (single family, townhomes and duplexes) applicants to submit a residential gas riser diagram for additions and alterations to an existing residential fuel gas system with gas pressure less than 2 psi.
- Please note - a residential gas riser diagram is still required for new residential homes and accessory structures. Furthermore, there is no change in the plan review requirements for commercial fuel gas permits – a fuel gas riser diagram is required.
NOTICE: Code Administration’s fire protection systems (FPS) walk-thru services are now available on a scheduled basis. Please contact Adrian Mirt - mail to: adrian.mirt@alexandriava.gov or 703.746.4198 - to schedule an appointment.
Tell us how we are doing! As we make improvements to assist our customers with the permitting process, your feedback is important to us. Please fill out our Customer Service Survey and let us know what we can do to improve the permitting experience.
