Shed permit checklist — Alexandria, Virginia
Assembled from Alexandria’s own published permit rules. Every line below is quoted from a city document and linked to it. Nothing here is generated, estimated, or inferred from another jurisdiction.
Do you need a permit?
Alexandria requires a permit for a shed.
The city's Permit Requirements page applies a residential permit to accessory structures such as sheds, garages and playhouses greater than 200 square feet; the Virginia Construction Code (13VAC5-63-80, Section 108.2) exempts one-story detached structures used as tool and storage sheds, playhouses or similar uses when the building area does not exceed 256 square feet and the structure is not a Group F-1 or H occupancy. The city's poster 'Thinking about adding a fence or shed to your property?' advises that zoning requirements still apply even when a building permit is not required.
Loading the full checklist…
Sources
- shed — permit rules ↗verified August 2026
Other permits Alexandria publishes rules for
Listed because the city publishes a separate rule for each type — not because this project necessarily triggers one. Whether it does depends on your scope of work.
- Deck permit checklist
- Fence permit checklist
- Water heater permit checklist
- Re-roof permit checklist
- Retaining wall permit checklist
- Electrical work permit checklist
- General building work permit checklist
BuildSpec is a reference, not the authority having jurisdiction. Confirm requirements with Alexandria before you build.