Are you looking to finish your basement and are you a resident of a single family home or a three (3) story or less townhome or duplex? Finishing your basement could include the addition, alteration or removal of walls, ceilings, electrical wiring, plumbing, mechanical installation and flooring.
Permits Required
In order to complete this project you will need permits for finishing a basement. Listed below are the types of permits required, depending on the complexity of the project.
- Residential Building Permit for construction of architectural and structural elements
- Electrical Permit for all electrical installations
- Plumbing Permit for all installations of plumbing and gas piping systems.
- Mechanical Permit for the installations, alterations or extensions of new ductwork; or the addition or extension of a mechanical heating or cooling system.
Permit Process
Finishing a Basement can either be a walk-through review or a route-through review depending on the complexity of your project. For details about the process, see the Resident Permit Review Process link below.
Residential Permit Review Process
Construction Document Requirement
Submitted Construction documents must contain sufficient information for plan reviewers to be able to review the proposed construction work. For details about what information needs to be submitted, see the Residential Permit Submission Requirements link below.
Residential Permit Submission Requirements
In addition to the Residential Permit Submission Requirements, when finishing your basement you need to submit the following information:
- A scaled Plat
- Show and label all areas and rooms adjacent to bedrooms
- Emergency Egress
- Ceiling Height, to include the locations and heights under dropped ducts and beams
- Windows and all interior and exterior doors, walls, location of washer and dryer and laundry sink, electric panel board and its required clearance,
- Clearances to furnace and water heater and louver locations in furnace rooms.
- Indicate fuel type of furnace and water heater.
- Figure 1
Inspections
Throughout your building permit process and depending upon the extent of the work, you will be required to complete different inspections throughout your building process. For details about Inspections, see the Residential Inspections link below.
Required Residential Inspections
Call Arlington to schedule your inspection appointment 24hrs in advance:
- Integrated Voice Response (IVR): 703-222-3700, 24 hours
- Permit Specialists: 703-228-3800, 8am-4:30pm, Monday – Friday
Fees
The cost for permits varies depending upon each project. For an overview of permit fees, see:
Additional Information
- Any permit expires 6 months after the last approved inspected activity on the site.
- If someone other than the permit holder is tasked with getting the permit from CPHD, they must have an Affidavit of Permit Authorization