Every building permit has a name on it. On a home remodel that name belongs either to the contractor or to the owner, and the choice decides who the building department holds responsible for the work, who requests the inspections, and who hears about it when something does not pass.
Around Alexandria the question has a second layer, because two different governments issue permits to houses with an Alexandria mailing address. This article sets out what each one says about who may apply and what follows once the inspector starts visiting.
First, find out which building department is yours
The post office uses "Alexandria" for a wide area south and west of the city line. Franconia, Rose Hill, Kingstowne, Groveton and Hybla Valley all carry Alexandria addresses, and all of them are in Fairfax County. A house there is permitted by the county's Land Development Services through an online system called PLUS. A house inside the City of Alexandria is permitted by the city's Department of Code Administration through a system called APEX.
The simplest check is the real estate tax bill, since only one of the two governments sends you one. A separate article here describes what the two online permit portals handle.
What the City of Alexandria tells owners
The city's position is printed on a one-page form headed "Notice to Owner." It recommends that the contractor, and not the owner, obtain the permits. The city verifies that contractors applying for permits are licensed by the state and by the city, and the notice warns that a contractor who refuses to get the permits may not be properly licensed.
An owner who goes ahead anyway signs the certification on the same page. It says the owner is not a licensed architect, engineer or contractor, understands that the permits will be issued in the owner's name, understands that he or she is acting as the contractor for the project, and accepts full responsibility for the work performed.
The city asks for applications to be submitted electronically through APEX. The application calls for the contractor's state license number and City of Alexandria business license number, and if no contractor will do the work, the owner's affidavit goes in with it. In-person help is at the Permit Center on Mark Center Drive. Houses in the city's historic districts face an added review before the building permit, covered in a piece on approvals for older Alexandria houses.
What Fairfax County tells owners
The county says plainly that property owners can pull permits in their own name. It also strongly recommends that a licensed contractor pull the permit as the responsible party, because the county is then in a better position to work toward compliance if the work turns out to be defective.
Two county forms sort out the possibilities:
- A License Exemption Affidavit is required when no licensed contractor is listed on the application. The property owner named on the application completes it, it must be notarized, and the county does not accept copies of signed affidavits.
- A Permit Authorization is required when the person applying is neither the owner nor a licensed contractor.
The county's information sheet lists warning signs of an unlicensed contractor. Two of them are a contractor who is reluctant to obtain the permit and one who says the permit should be issued to the homeowner.
The state rule behind both forms
Both forms point to the same place, Section 54.1-1101 of the Code of Virginia, which lists who is exempt from contractor licensing. The exemption owners rely on covers a person who performs or supervises work on no more than one primary residence, owned by that person and for his or her own use, during any 24-month period.
The exemption is written for owners who do the work or supervise it themselves. When a company is doing the work, its license belongs on the application. How to check that license, and what else to settle before hiring, is covered in Hiring a General Contractor in Alexandria, VA: What to Look For in a Design-Build Remodeler.
Who calls the inspector, and what has to be on site
In the city, the permit holder or the property owner must request all required inspections, and the request is made through APEX. Every issued permit must receive an approved final inspection. Photographs of work taken before it was covered are not accepted as a substitute. On the day, the site needs a stamped, approved paper copy of the plans, the posted construction address and the posted permits.
In the county, the permit holder schedules inspections in PLUS, and a request for the next business day has to be in before 11:59 p.m. On the morning of the visit the applicant and the on-site contacts receive a two-hour arrival window with the inspector's name and number. Approved plans must be on site, and ladders, scaffolds or other equipment needed to reach the work must be provided.
Neither set of instructions names a person who must attend. In practice someone has to open the door and hand over the plans, and on an owner-pulled permit that is the owner.
When an inspection does not pass
The county warns that scheduling an inspection before the work is complete may bring a reinspection fee, and that related inspections, such as concealment or final, must be scheduled for the same day.
The larger cost is time. Structural members, wiring, ductwork, plumbing and insulation are all inspected before concealment, so drywall waits until those inspections pass. A failed visit means the correction, a new request and another wait, with the following trades pushed back behind it. Whoever holds the permit does the rescheduling.
Where Vale Construction fits
Vale Construction is a design-build remodeling company and general contractor that Alfredo Esquivel founded in Alexandria in 2005 and still runs. It holds a Virginia Class A contractor license covering residential building, home improvement, plumbing and electrical work. On most projects it acts as the general contractor, which puts permits and inspections on its side of the contract.
From Huntley Meadows Park to Vale Construction on Alexander Avenue
Huntley Meadows Park, the Fairfax County park on Lockheed Boulevard, is a familiar starting point south of the Beltway. The map shows the drive from the park entrance to Vale Construction's office on Alexander Avenue.
Vale Construction
6020 Alexander Ave
Alexandria, VA 22310
(571) 474-1920
Questions owners ask before applying
Can I pull the permit myself and still hire a contractor to do the work?
Both the city and the county recommend that the contractor obtain it. The owner forms are built around an owner who performs or supervises the work, and the county treats a contractor asking the homeowner to take the permit as a warning sign.
Does the owner's form need a notary?
Fairfax County's License Exemption Affidavit does, and copies are not accepted. The city's form is a signed certification by the owner or the owner's agent. Confirm the current requirement with the Permit Center.
We covered some work before the inspection. Will photos do?
Not in the city, which says photos taken before concealment do not replace a required inspection.