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Roofing in Annandale, VA: when the homes were built and what that changes
Annandale has no town hall. The Census Bureau counts it as a place inside Fairfax County, so roof permits come from the county and the useful local fact is the age of the buildings. This guide lays out the Census year-built counts band by band, says what a band can and cannot tell you about a roof, then sets out the county permit rows and the weather record that names Annandale.
- 10,996 of 14,474 Annandale homes (76.0%) were built from 1950 to 1979
- 2 or more roof coverings: the Virginia code bars a recover over them
- 28 NOAA storm entries in Fairfax County name Annandale, none mention a roof
What counts as Annandale
The Census Bureau's TIGERweb place layer has a record named Annandale CDP, with an internal point at 38.8324 north, 77.1960 west and a land area of about 20.3 square kilometers. A county lookup at that point returns Fairfax County. A census place is a statistical area, not a government, so there is no Annandale building office.
The county's miscellaneous residential permit page names two towns whose projects need their own approvals, Clifton and Vienna. Annandale is not named. The Census counts below cover the place only, and a mailing address with the Annandale name can sit outside it.
The timeline: when Annandale was built
The survey puts 14,474 housing units in the Annandale place and a median build year of 1968. Read from the oldest band to the newest, the place grew in a few large steps, then slowed.
| Year built | Homes | Share | Margin of error |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 or earlier | 105 | 0.7% | +/- 50 |
| 1940 to 1949 | 498 | 3.4% | +/- 173 |
| 1950 to 1959 | 3,355 | 23.2% | +/- 375 |
| 1960 to 1969 | 4,280 | 29.6% | +/- 536 |
| 1970 to 1979 | 3,361 | 23.2% | +/- 420 |
| 1980 to 1989 | 1,287 | 8.9% | +/- 169 |
| 1990 to 1999 | 655 | 4.5% | +/- 181 |
| 2000 to 2009 | 551 | 3.8% | +/- 200 |
| 2010 to 2019 | 283 | 2.0% | +/- 106 |
| 2020 or later | 99 | 0.7% | +/- 60 |
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2024 five-year estimates, table B25034 for Annandale, VA; shares computed from the table. Margins are at the survey's published confidence level.
The three big steps
The 1950s, 1960s and 1970s hold 3,355, 4,280 and 3,361 homes: 10,996 together, or 76.0%. Homes built before 1970 total 8,238, or 56.9%.
The long tail
Everything from 1980 onward is 2,875 homes, 19.9%. The 2010 and later bands have large margins for their size, so treat those two rows as rough.
What an age band means for a roof
The timeline counts structures. It does not count roofs. The Census table has no column for when a roof was last replaced, and nothing in it says what is on top of any house. What a band can do is tell you which questions to ask. The one rule worth knowing comes from the 2021 Virginia Residential Code, read in a secondary copy on UpCodes: roof replacement "shall include the removal of existing layers," while a recover over the old covering is barred where there are two or more applications of any covering, or where the old roof is water soaked.
Built 1950 to 1969
The two largest bands hold 7,635 homes. Ask how many coverings are on the roof, whether any layer was ever torn off, and whether the decking was inspected at the last replacement.
Built 1970 to 1989
4,648 homes. The same layer-count question applies. Ask whether the flashings at chimneys, vents and wall joints were replaced or reused, since the code says rusted or damaged ones are to be replaced.
Built 1990 or later
1,588 homes, with wide margins for their size. Ask who holds the roof records: the owner, a builder's file, or an association. A newer structure can still have a covering that was replaced since.
Our roof replacement and roof repair pages describe what each scope involves, and the materials page covers the coverings themselves.
Who decides: owners, renters and building size
The same survey splits occupied homes by tenure and year built: 9,087 owner-occupied and 4,804 renter-occupied, 13,891 in all. The count is of households, so it follows who lives under a roof, not who owns the building. In a rented home, the occupant may not be the person who signs a roof contract, so ask who does.
| Year built | Owner homes | Renter homes | Renter share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before 1950 | 351 | 241 | 40.7% |
| 1950 to 1959 | 2,484 | 768 | 23.6% |
| 1960 to 1969 | 2,421 | 1,643 | 40.4% |
| 1970 to 1979 | 1,911 | 1,317 | 40.8% |
| 1980 to 1989 | 993 | 281 | 22.1% |
| 1990 to 1999 | 272 | 300 | 52.4% |
| 2000 or later | 655 | 254 | 27.9% |
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2024 five-year estimates, table B25036 for Annandale, VA; bands grouped and renter share computed from the table. Occupied homes only.
Owners: houses and townhouses
Of 9,087 owner households, 6,025 live in a detached house and 1,926 in an attached home, 87.5% together. Only 988 own in a building of five or more units.
Renters: mid-size buildings
3,154 of 4,804 renter households, 65.7%, live in buildings of five or more units, and 1,616 of them in buildings of 10 to 19 units. Across all 14,474 homes, 4,494 (31.0%) are in five-plus unit buildings.
For a larger building, who owns the roof is a question for the owner, the manager or the condominium board. Our flat roof page covers those systems and the roofing insurance explainer covers claims.
Permits: the Fairfax County rows
Fairfax County Land Development Services publishes a "Does My Project Require a Permit?" page, and the state building code carries its own exemptions. The rows that touch roofs are below. The county says its list is not exhaustive, so treat this as a map to the questions, not an answer.
| Work | County page says |
|---|---|
| Replace roof shingles (residential list) | No permit |
| Replace under 256 square feet (9 boards) of roof plywood | No permit, unless fire rated, such as on townhomes |
| Roof repairs and chimney repairs (residential list) | Permit required |
| Solar panels | Permit required |
| Replace under 100 square feet of roof covering (commercial list) | No permit |
| Roof repairs (commercial list) | Permit required |
Fairfax County Land Development Services, "Does My Project Require a Permit?", opened October 19, 2026. Larger commercial re-roofs have no row on the page.
Which list does your building use?
The county's miscellaneous permit page says some residential properties, such as apartment buildings and condos, count as commercial under the building code. To be residential, a project must be a detached one- or two-family dwelling or a townhouse of no more than three stories above ground. That decides which row applies to you.
The state exemption, with two exceptions
The state code (13VAC5-63-80) exempts unlimited roof covering replacement in groups R-3, R-4 and R-5 where the nominal design wind speed is not over 100 mph, and 100 square feet or less in all groups. Two exceptions matter here. A building official may require a permit for replacement roofing in a locally designated historic district, and for exempted items located in a special flood hazard area. The county's list of fifteen Historic Overlay Districts has none named Annandale, and the page does not give parcel boundaries. Whether your parcel sits in a flood hazard area is for the county to answer.
Who pulls the permit
Owners may apply in their own name, but the county says it strongly recommends that a properly licensed contractor pull the permit as the responsible party. Its contractor page lists "Says the permit should be issued to the homeowner" among possible signs of a scam, and says enforcement against a contractor becomes more difficult if the permit is issued to the homeowner. Look up any contractor with the state through the link in the sources. For setbacks and zoning, the county's page points to Zoning at 703-222-1082.
The storm record that names Annandale
NOAA's Storm Events files log weather by county zone, with a place label chosen by the National Weather Service. Only two Fairfax County entries between 2016 and June 2026 carry Annandale as their label: a tree onto a house on April 6, 2017, and a tree down on VA-236 on October 31, 2019. Searching the narratives as well finds 26 more that name Annandale under other labels such as Lake Barcroft, Tremont and Merrifield. Together that is 28 entries.
Wind: 13 entries
The 13 thunderstorm wind entries fall on 13 different dates, with estimated gusts from 50 to 61 knots. Every narrative mentions trees, and four mention wires, lines or poles. None says a roof was damaged.
Water: 15 entries
Twelve flood and three flash flood entries. Thirteen name Accotink Creek, and eleven mention Woodburn Road flooding. These describe roads and parkland, not roofs.
The place labels are reference points, not boundaries, and the database records reported events only. What the record supports is narrow: in this part of Fairfax County, the recorded wind events were mostly about falling trees. Limbs over a roof are a fair question for any inspection.
Questions to settle before quotes
Any building
- How many coverings are on the roof now?
- Is the deck inspected, and who decides if boards are replaced?
- Does the scope name flashings, vents and edges?
- Who pulls the permit, if one is needed?
Townhouse
- Is the decking fire rated, and what does the county say?
- Does an association have to approve the work first?
- Do neighbors share a roofline?
- Who maintains the roof under your documents?
Apartment or condominium
- Does the county treat the building as commercial?
- Who owns the roof under the documents?
- Is the roof low slope, and does it drain?
- Who signs the contract?
Roofers of Arlington installs, repairs and replaces roofs, including flat and metal systems; the services page lists what is covered. Book a phone consultation to talk through an Annandale roof: we would ask for the address, the building type, what is visible from the ground, and which documents above you hold. Arlington County uses a different permit table, set out on our Arlington hub, so do not carry its numbers here. Nearby pages: Falls Church, Fairfax and all service areas.
Material pages for this area
Sources opened and the dates
Every source was opened on October 19, 2026. The Census tables were read through the Census Reporter API, which republishes Census Bureau data. The Virginia Residential Code was read in a secondary copy.
- Census Bureau American Community Survey 2024 five-year estimates, tables B25034, B25035, B25036, B25024 and B25032, Annandale, VA
- Census Bureau TIGERweb: Census Designated Places layer
- Fairfax County Land Development Services: Does My Project Require a Permit?
- Fairfax County: Miscellaneous Residential permit page
- Fairfax County: Hiring a Contractor
- Fairfax County: Historic Overlay Districts
- 13VAC5-63-80, Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code
- Virginia Residential Code 2021, chapter 9 (UpCodes copy)
- NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly detail files 2016 to 2026, Fairfax County zone, counted by script
- Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation, for contractor lookup
Questions people ask
Which office handles roof permits for an Annandale address?
The documents read for this page point to the county. The Fairfax County permit page names two towns, Clifton and Vienna, that need separate approvals, and Annandale is not one of them. Roof permit questions for an Annandale address go to Land Development Services at 703-222-0801.
My Annandale house was built in the 1960s. Does that tell me how old my roof is?
No. The Census year-built table counts when the structure was built and does not record roof replacements. The roof could be original or replaced, so the useful questions are how many coverings are on it and who installed the last one.
Can a new roof go over my old shingles in Annandale?
The 2021 Virginia Residential Code allows a recover only in certain cases. It is not allowed where the roof is water soaked, where the covering is slate, clay or cement tile, or where there are two or more applications of any covering. A roofer should count the layers and put the answer in the written scope.
Does Fairfax County require a permit to replace shingles on a house?
The county's permit page lists replacement of roof shingles among work that does not need a permit. It lists roof repairs on the permit side, and it says the list is not exhaustive. Ask Land Development Services how your scope is classed before work starts.
Why does a townhouse roof get different treatment from a detached house?
The county's no-permit row for replacing under 256 square feet of roof plywood excludes plywood that must be fire rated, such as on townhomes. The state code has a similar exception for decking that had to be fire-retardant-treated. Which rule fits your row is for the county to say.
Is Annandale in a Fairfax County historic overlay district?
The county lists fifteen Historic Overlay Districts, and none of the names is Annandale. The state code still lets a building official require a permit for replacement roofing in a locally designated historic district, so ask whether your parcel sits in one.
What did NOAA record in storms that named Annandale?
The Storm Events files for Fairfax County from 2016 to 2026 hold 28 entries that name Annandale: 13 thunderstorm wind, 12 flood and 3 flash flood. All 13 wind entries mention trees, and none of the 28 narratives uses the word roof.
Talk through your roof with Roofers of Arlington
Share the address, what you are seeing on the roof and the decision you need to make. We will tell you what to expect before anything is scheduled.