Commercial Compliance Hub
Check requirements

Arlington County

Arlington County Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development, Planning and Zoning Divisions

In short

Arlington County Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development, Planning and Zoning Divisions issues 5 permits we publish for Arlington County, last verified 2026-10-27. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.

What this agency issues

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Certificate of Occupancy (Zoning) — Partial Occupancy or Change of Business or Use, Office and CommercialArlington County Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development, Planning and Zoning DivisionsCertificate of partial occupancy (including a change in business or use of an existing structure), office and commercial: up to 150 sq ft of gross floor area $515; over 150 and up to 2,000 sq ft $582; over 2,000 sq ft $1,048 per 10,000 sq ft of gross floor area or fraction. Master certificate of occupancy for a change in ownership of office and commercial space $548. Certificate of occupancy re-inspection $259 per inspection. A 10% automation enhancement fee is added to the total.One-time, per occupancy or change of business or use; FY 2027 schedule in effect July 1, 2026 through June 30, 20272026-10-27
Certificate of Occupancy (Zoning) — Family Day Care Homeonly if it applies to youArlington County Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development, Planning and Zoning Divisions$71 per certificate, for a family day care home for 1 to 12 children, plus the 10% automation enhancement fee, under the FY 2027 Planning and Zoning fee scheduleOne-time, per home; FY 2027 schedule in effect July 1, 2026 through June 30, 20272026-10-27
Home Occupation Permitonly if it applies to youArlington County Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development, Planning and Zoning Divisions$84 per permit, plus the 10% automation enhancement fee, under the FY 2027 Planning and Zoning fee schedulePer permit; FY 2027 schedule in effect July 1, 2026 through June 30, 20272026-10-27
Sign Permitonly if it applies to youArlington County Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development, Planning and Zoning DivisionsBy-right sign up to 100 sq ft $311; sign associated with a Comprehensive Sign Plan, or placed above 40 feet (rooftop), up to 100 sq ft $428; signs over 100 sq ft add $2.64 per sq ft over 100. A 10% automation enhancement fee is added to the total.Per permit; FY 2027 schedule in effect July 1, 2026 through June 30, 20272026-10-27
County Board Use Permitonly if it applies to youArlington County Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development, Planning and Zoning DivisionsType I (commercial and non-commercial conditional uses except Type II) $7,443. Type II (live entertainment and food delivery services) $2,453. Type III (including commercial uses with substantial alteration to structures and sites, all drive-through uses and vehicle service establishments) $14,491 plus a $6,393 DES fee. Schools, including child care centers: enrollment of 100 or fewer $639 plus a $309 DES fee; enrollment over 100 and up to 250 $1,509 plus a $576 DES fee. The 10% automation enhancement fee applies to the zoning fees, not to the DES fees.Per application; FY 2027 schedule in effect July 1, 2026 through June 30, 20272026-10-27

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

About each permit

Certificate of Occupancy (Zoning) — Partial Occupancy or Change of Business or Use, Office and Commercial

Under the adopted FY 2027 Planning and Zoning fee schedule ("Effective as of July 1, 2026"), the Zoning Division's certificate of partial occupancy for office and commercial space, which includes a change in business or use of an existing structure, costs $515 for up to 150 square feet of gross floor area, $582 for over 150 and up to 2,000 square feet, and $1,048 per 10,000 square feet of gross floor area or fraction above 2,000 square feet. A master certificate of occupancy for a change in ownership of office and commercial space costs $548, and a certificate of occupancy re-inspection costs $259 per inspection. The schedule states that a 10% automation enhancement fee is assessed on the total fees charged. This zoning fee is separate from the Inspection Services Division's building certificate of occupancy fee. The county's FY 2027 Adopted Tax & Fee Compendium lists the partial occupancy figures as FY 2027 fees.

Certificate of Occupancy (Zoning) — Family Day Care Home

The adopted FY 2027 Planning and Zoning fee schedule (effective July 1, 2026) lists a zoning certificate of occupancy for "Family Day Care Homes for One (1) to Twelve (12) children" at $71, with the schedule's 10% automation enhancement fee added to the total. The county's FY 2027 Adopted Tax & Fee Compendium lists the same figure. The county's Zoning Ordinance amendments page states that ZOA-2024-08, adopted January 28, 2025 and effective immediately, was intended to "Enable by-right approval of family day care homes with 10-12 children by removing the use permit requirement", and the Department of Human Services' Child Care page describes the same change. The county family day care home license from the Child Care Services Office is a separate requirement, recorded on its own.

Home Occupation Permit

A business run from a residence in Arlington County, such as a home-based salon, a contractor's home office, an online retail business or a personal trainer working from home, applies to the Zoning Division for a home occupation permit. The adopted FY 2027 Planning and Zoning fee schedule ("Effective as of July 1, 2026") lists the Home Occupation Permit at $84, and the schedule states that a 10% automation enhancement fee is assessed on the total fees charged. The county's FY 2027 Adopted Tax & Fee Compendium lists the same $84 figure as an FY 2027 fee. A business that operates only from a commercial location has no obligation under this record, and the BPOL registration applies to a home-based business in the same way as to any other.

Sign Permit

A business installing a sign in Arlington County obtains a sign permit from the Zoning Division. The adopted FY 2027 Planning and Zoning fee schedule ("Effective as of July 1, 2026") lists a by-right sign of up to 100 square feet at $311; a sign associated with a Comprehensive Sign Plan, or a rooftop sign placed above a height of 40 feet, of up to 100 square feet at $428; and, for a sign exceeding 100 square feet, the applicable fee plus $2.64 for each square foot over 100. The schedule states that a 10% automation enhancement fee is assessed on the total fees charged. The Inspection Services Division's FY 2027 schedule separately charges for sign erection under the building code. A business that installs no sign has no obligation under this record.

County Board Use Permit

Where the Arlington County Zoning Ordinance requires a County Board use permit for a use, the adopted FY 2027 Planning and Zoning fee schedule ("Effective as of July 1, 2026") sets the application fee by type: Type I, covering commercial and non-commercial conditional uses other than Type II, is $7,443; Type II, covering live entertainment and food delivery services, is $2,453; and Type III, which the schedule says covers commercial uses with substantial alteration to structures and sites, all drive-through uses and vehicle service establishments, is $14,491 plus a $6,393 DES (Department of Environmental Services) fee. For schools, which the schedule says include child care centers, the fee is $639 plus a $309 DES fee for enrollment of 100 or fewer, or $1,509 plus a $576 DES fee for enrollment over 100 and up to 250. The schedule's 10% automation enhancement fee is added to the zoning fees but not to the DES fees. The county's FY 2027 Adopted Tax & Fee Compendium lists the same Type I, II and III figures.

Contact

Jurisdiction
Arlington County
Phone
Not verified — use the website

Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.

Sources

Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.

  1. Certificate of OccupancyArlington County Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
  2. Child CareArlington County Department of Human Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
  3. Planning and Zoning Fee Schedule, FY27 Adopted (Effective as of July 1, 2026)Arlington County Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
  4. Tax & Fee Compendium – FY 2027 AdoptedArlington County Department of Management and Finance · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
  5. Zoning Ordinance Amendments, 2023–2025Arlington County Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27

Other offices serving Arlington County

The full permit list for this jurisdiction

Industry permit lists that include this agency

Virginia jurisdictions

Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.