Environmental Rules in Alexandria, VA (2026)
4 verified environmental rules for Alexandria, Virginia, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Stormwater Management
Every parcel in Alexandria pays an annual stormwater utility fee tied to impervious surface area under City Code Article C, billed twice a year with the real estate tax bill. Single-family homes are charged 1.0 billing unit (2,062 square feet of impervious area), rising to 1.67 units for large lots, funding drainage, flood mitigation and water-quality work citywide.
Alexandria Stormwater Utility Fee & Rules
Some RestrictionsAlexandria City Code § 5-6-233
(a)A stormwater utility fee is hereby imposed on every parcel of real property in the city that appears on the real property assessment rolls as of January 1 of each year. All stormwater utility fees and other income from the fees shall be deposited into the stormwater utility enterprise fund for the sole purpose of funding the activities described in section 5-6-236.(b)The utility fee rate per...
Erosion Control
Alexandria requires an approved erosion and sediment control plan before anyone builds, alters a building's footprint, or clears, grades, excavates, fills or strips topsoil on land in the city. The Department of Transportation and Environmental Services administers the program under City Code Title 5, Chapter 4.
Alexandria Erosion & Sediment Control Plan
Some RestrictionsAlexandria City Code Sec. 5-4-1.1
Except as provided in section 5-4-5 of this code, it shall be unlawful for any persons to construct or erect any building or structure on any land within the city unless there is in force an approved erosion and sedimentation control plan issued under the provisions of this chapter.
Flood Zones
Alexandria regulates the Potomac River and Cameron Run floodplain through Section 6-300 of the Zoning Ordinance, which creates a Floodway District and an AE/AH Special Flood Hazard Area based on FEMA's January 11, 2024 flood maps. Within the mapped floodway, new construction, fill, and substantial improvements are barred unless an engineer certifies zero rise in flood levels.
Alexandria Floodplain District Development Rules
Significant RestrictionsZoning Ordinance § 6-304(A)(1) (Description of Special Flood Hazard districts, Floodway District)
The Floodway District is in an AE Zone and is delineated, for purposes of this ordinance, using the criterion that certain areas within the floodplain must be capable of carrying the waters of the one percent annual chance flood without increasing the water surface elevation of that flood more than 0.5-feet at any point. ... Within any floodway area, no encroachments, including fill, new constr...
Flood Elevation Requirements
Any new home or substantial improvement in Alexandria's mapped AE or AH flood zones must have its lowest floor, including the basement, elevated to at least one foot above the base flood elevation. Section 6-307(A) sets that one-foot freeboard for residential construction, and a matching standard applies to commercial and mixed-use buildings.
Alexandria Flood Elevation Freeboard Rule
Some RestrictionsZoning Ordinance § 6-307(A)(1)-(2) (Special regulations, Residential construction)
(A)Residential construction.(1)New construction or substantial improvement or any residential building or structure and their extensions and accessory buildings or structures in Zones A, AE, and with detailed base flood elevations shall have the lowest floor, including basement, elevated to or above the base flood elevation plus 1-foot.(2)No building permit for the substantial improvement of an...