Fairfax County, VA Building Safety: Electrical Permits (2026)

Chapter 66, Article 2 of the Fairfax County Code governs electrical permits. Section 66-2-1 states plainly that 'electrical work shall not be commenced until an electrical permit has been issued by the Building Official,' and requires the responsible party to notify the Building Official of any change in name, address, license classification, specialty classification, or master tradesman of record. Electrical work is defined in § 66-1-2 as the installation, maintenance, repair, replacement, or alteration of electrical conductors and equipment under the current Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code (VUSBC).

Before a permit issues, § 66-5-1 requires the applicant to furnish proof of licensure as a Virginia Class A, B, or C contractor, or evidence of exemption, plus proof that county taxes and license fees have been paid; individual electrical tradesmen must show a valid state tradesman license. Permit fees follow Chapter 61's schedule per § 66-2-2. If work is abandoned, § 66-2-3 holds the original permittee responsible until a new permit is obtained, and any new contractor taking over must notify the original permittee in writing and pull a fresh permit covering the entire job.

Appeals from Building Official decisions go to the Board of Building Code Appeals under § 66-4-1, following the Chapter 61 appeals process. The Building Official, appointed by the Director of Land Development Services, has authority under § 66-1-3 to order a utility or owner to disconnect dangerous wiring or apparatus. None of this substitutes for required county business license taxes, which § 66-1-4 keeps fully in force alongside the permit requirement.