Siding replacement in Arlington, VA: what governs the job before the first panel comes off

Who and what decides a siding job

No single page answers "what do I need to re-side this building?" Six separate layers each answer a part, and the table lists what each one controls and who can answer for it.

1. State building code. Whether replacement siding is exempt from a permit. Ask: Permit Arlington Center.
2. County permit pages. Which projects the county lists for a residential permit. Ask: Permit Arlington Center.
3. Local historic district. Whether the exterior change needs a Certificate of Appropriateness. Ask: County Historic Preservation.
4. Association documents. Who approves, who pays, what the exterior must look like. Ask: Board or manager.
5. Federal lead and asbestos guidance. How older paint and old shingles are handled. Ask: EPA, a qualified inspector.
6. Roof-to-wall detailing. Whether water is kept out where siding meets a roof. Ask: Your roofer and siding contractor.

Each row is expanded below. The hub guide, Roofing in Arlington, covers the county's roof permit table and its building-type test.

Does the state code or the county decide the permit?

Virginia's Uniform Statewide Building Code lists work that needs no permit. Item 14.5 of 13VAC5-63-80 reads, in substance: replacement of an unlimited amount of roof covering or siding in Group R-3, R-4 or R-5 is exempt, provided the building is not in an area where the nominal design wind speed is greater than 100 miles per hour. The same item separately exempts replacing 100 square feet or less of roof covering in all groups and wind zones. Note that the unlimited exemption names residential groups only, and that the section does not say which group a given building belongs to.

What the county's residential page says

The county's Residential Building Permit page (archived copy, December 30, 2025) has a table for roof covering replacement. The word siding does not appear on the page. Its heading for residential additions adds that exterior alterations are considered additions for permit application and fee purposes, but the page does not say whether a like-for-like re-siding counts as an alteration of that kind. The page is silent, so the county is the one to answer: the Permit Arlington Center prints 703-228-3800.

The county's Residential or Commercial page (archived January 29, 2026) sets the building-type test: a detached one- or two-family home or a townhouse, and no more than three stories above grade, is residential; anything else is commercial. That test decides which permit pages apply to an apartment or condo building.

Historic districts and same-material replacement

1. The county ruleInside a local historic district, the county requires a Certificate of Appropriateness for exterior alterations, with an exception for routine maintenance, repairs and replacements using the same materials, interior alterations and paint colors.
2. How the board decidesThe Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board decides on the district's own design standards, or the U.S. Secretary of the Interior's Standards where a district has none. Colonial Village has a separate set of window replacement guidelines dated 2023.
3. What it means for sidingThe county pages do not define "same materials" for siding, so get the county's answer in writing before ordering.

Only one neighborhood, Maywood, is a local district, along with three garden-apartment complexes and individual sites. A listing on the National Register, which the county calls honorific, does not by itself bring this review. The state code's historic-district exception for siding refers to districts a locality has designated, which is the local list.

Condo, co-op and townhouse associations

In a building with shared walls, the association's own papers decide who approves the work and who pays. Under the county's building-type test, only a detached one- or two-family home or a townhouse of no more than three stories is residential. Virginia's condominium statutes sort expenses by whether an element is common or limited common; the sections read do not name siding, so the declaration is the document that settles it.

• Ask whether exterior walls are common elements, limited common elements or part of the unit.
• Ask whether the board must vote, and whether the architectural rules fix a color, profile or material.
• Ask who pulls any permit and who signs the contract.

The full path for shared buildings is in our guide to condo and co-op roof replacement in Arlington, which applies the same statutes to roofs. For a townhouse, also read the roof replacement overview, since party walls and roof edges meet at the siding line.

Older homes: lead paint and asbestos shingles

Neither source tells an owner what is on a particular wall. A written scope should say who identifies painted and shingle surfaces before removal, and what happens to the plan if the answer changes it.

Where siding meets the roof

A U.S. Department of Energy Building America brief (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, September 2011) says one inch of rain can put 1,240 gallons of water on a 2,000 square foot roof, and that improper flashing can let rain into walls. It also says newer claddings such as fiber cement and vinyl can mask water intrusion for years.

1. Sidewall flashing. The brief describes roof underlayment lapped up the wall and over the weather-resistive barrier by at least 6 inches, with the flashing integrated with the housewrap, siding and shingles.
2. Kick-out diverter. Where a roof edge ends at a wall, the brief says kick-out diverters direct water into the gutter.
3. One owner of the joint. The roofer and the siding installer each touch this seam. The scope should name who installs, who inspects and who is called back if it leaks.

The brief quotes the 2009 and 2012 editions of the International Residential Code on flashing at wall and roof intersections. Those are the editions the brief prints, so ask the county which code text applies to your address.

Arlington has seen wind take siding off. The National Weather Service survey of the July 1, 2021 EF1 tornado, recorded in NOAA's Storm Events database, says "Some homes had siding and shingles removed" along a path from Waverly Hills through Cherrydale, Lyon Village, Courthouse and Rosslyn. For roof-side questions, see our roof replacement and roofing insurance guides.

What should a written siding scope name?

The Department of Energy's Home Improvement Expert checklist for re-siding is a useful model. It asks for an inspection of the walls for bulk water, moisture or pest damage, and for a list of problems to be given to the homeowner before work starts. It also calls for old cladding and trim to be removed, nails flush, penetrations sealed, window and door flashing tied into the weather-resistant barrier, and new siding installed to the manufacturer's instructions.

• Address, building type, number of stories, and whether the property is in a local historic district.
• Existing material, and who identifies painted or shingle surfaces built before 1978.
• What is removed, what stays, and who pays for rot or damage found underneath.
• The weather barrier, window and door flashing, and the roof-to-wall flashing, each named separately.
• Who handles permits, association approval and any historic review, and what is done if one is refused.
• Clean-up, disposal, and written manufacturer instructions for the product chosen.
• The contractor's Virginia license number, class and specialty, checked on the state lookup.

For the roofing side of the same building, see roofing materials, flat roofs, metal roofing and the services page, and return to the Arlington hub for the county's permit paths. To talk through the roof side of your building, Book a phone consultation on this page or call (571) 397-6072.