COVID-19 Updates

While City Hall is now partially open to the public, we still ask the public to move to electronic submissions for their Building Safety and Permitting needs. Download the Permitting During COVID-19 Closures flyer for more details. 

See the latest status of City Hall and other City programs and operations on the City's COVID-19 Closures and Cancellations page. 

Latest News

3/30/2021, 10:00 AM: Continuing from the last seven months, inspection appointments will not be available on Wednesdays through the end of April. This will allow staff to devote the time to plan review.

New Building Official: The City's long-time Building Official, Doug Fraser, has retired. The new Building Official is John Russell, who has been part of Building Safety for many years.

New Building Safety Hires: Building Safety has just hired two new inspector/plan-reviewers. This returns us to the staffing level we had one year ago, prior to two retirements. Welcome aboard Dilraj Sudhu and John Walters.

Operating Status: The counter is open daily 8:00-12:00 and 2:00-4:00. In keeping with the goal of limiting on-site personnel, only one person is staffing the counter. This means there may be some unscheduled closures. Please try to limit counter visits only to those things absolutely requiring them. Use e-mail whenever possible. For the duration of the disruption, we are asking everyone to move to electronic submissions. 

  • Avoid coming to City Hall on Wednesdays. Court sessions have resumed, and City Hall will be much more crowded.
  • If you’re coming from any distance, call or e-mail first to ensure we are open.
  • If you pay for a permit in person, plans will still be returned electronically.
  • Applications and plans are not accepted at the counter.
  • All submissions should be made in PDF form to the permits e-mail. Plans should be in a single PDF, or at most two if there are separate drawings and submittals.
  • To request an inspection, please use the web form. Most inspections are conducted with Google Duo.
  • For more complete details, please see this handout.

Welcome

Welcome to the Building Safety Division of the City of Falls Church. We enforce the codes and regulations established by the Commonwealth of Virginia and the City governing the construction, alteration, and maintenance of buildings and structures within the City for the protection of residents and property.

Useful Links

Codes and Fees

Building Code Associations

Related City Divisions