Roofing in Fairfax Station, VA: whose rules apply to your roof
Fairfax Station is unincorporated Fairfax County, and the name is shared by neighbors that are not the same place. This page sorts out who handles permits, what the Census says about the houses, and the roofing work Reston Roof takes on here.
Four situations that can all carry a Fairfax Station address
| Where your parcel is | Who reviews the roof |
|---|---|
| The Fairfax Station community (4,165 housing units) | Fairfax County Land Development Services, Herrity Building, 12055 Government Center Pkwy, Suite 324, 703-222-0801 |
| Crosspointe, a separate Census place that shares the postal name | The same county office, plus your homeowners association if you have one |
| The Town of Clifton, incorporated in 1902 | The Town's own Architectural Review Board adds a step before the county, so call the Town first |
| Inside a county Historic Overlay District | The county Architectural Review Board, and the building official may require a roofing permit |
The county's permit page lists replacing roof shingles among work that does not need a building permit, and lists roof repairs and chimney repairs as permit work. Replacing under 256 square feet of roof plywood needs no permit unless the deck must be fire rated, as on townhomes. We check your exact scope with the county before we start, and our permits guide explains the rest.
What the Census says about the houses
The 2024 estimates count 4,165 housing units, with a median build year of 1982. Detached houses are 85.1 percent and attached homes 14.9 percent, 94.3 percent are owner-occupied, and about 80 percent were built from 1970 to 1989. Only 5.1 percent predate 1970. So this is a community of houses a generation or two old. Lot sizes were not part of what we found, so we do not call it an estate market.
Crosspointe is newer, with a median build year of 1993, and 1,715 of its 1,779 units are detached. A roof from the 1980s or 1990s can be near replacement age, but the roof's actual condition, not the build year, decides replacement.
Names that point at the wrong place
- Burke Lake Park. It sits at 7315 Ox Road with a Fairfax Station address, but Burke is a separate community to the east. It is a park, not a neighborhood or an association.
- The railroad station. The Fairfax Station Railroad Museum is at 11200 Fairfax Station Road, in the old depot completed in the early 1850s. No Virginia Railway Express station carries the name. The nearest, Burke Centre, is in Burke.
- Robey's Mill. It is a county Historic Overlay District on Popes Head Road. The county can say whether your address falls inside it.
- Fairfax County Parkway. Route 286 curves through the middle of the community and is a handy landmark, not a boundary of any review.
Storms, and a neighbor's microburst
On June 22, 2026 a microburst with an estimated 90 mile per hour peak wind struck the Royal Lake area of Burke, and news reports described roofing blown off townhomes on the lake's east shore. That is a neighboring community. For design purposes the county uses a 25 pound per square foot ground snow load. That is a permitting number and not a forecast. If a storm opens your roof, tarp it and photograph the damage for your claim, and the insurance claims guide walks through the paperwork.
What calls from this area usually start with
Most start with one of three things: a shingle roof near the end of its life, a stain that follows a chimney or a wall, or a storm that opened something up. Small structures such as a gazebo roof, and the occasional commercial roof, fit in too.
When a flat section or a pitched roof wants something other than shingles, these pages explain the fit here:
- TPO in Fairfax Station: welded white sheet for additions and rear flats.
- EPDM in Fairfax Station: rubber for porches and garages.
- PVC in Fairfax Station: roofs that take kitchen exhaust.
- Metal in Fairfax Station: slope limits and who reviews a change.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Fairfax Station have its own town government or building department?
No. Fairfax Station is an unincorporated community in Fairfax County, so Fairfax County Land Development Services is the building official. That office is in the Herrity Building on Government Center Parkway. We confirm your scope with the county before we start, because roof repairs, chimney repairs and some decking work are permit items even where a plain shingle replacement is not.
Is Crosspointe the same place as Fairfax Station?
No. The Census treats Crosspointe as a separate place, with 5,722 residents in 2020, though it shares the 22039 postal name and part of ZIP 22079. Both are in Fairfax County, so the same county office issues permits. The parcel, not the mailing name, settles which office applies, and the Crosspointe association is the place to ask about its own roof rules.
Does the Town of Clifton have to approve my roof?
Clifton is an incorporated town, with 243 residents in 2020, and it runs its own Architectural Review Board. The Town adds its own approval step ahead of a county permit. If your parcel is inside the Town, call the Town first to learn whether a like-for-like re-roof needs a certificate of appropriateness.
Is Burke Lake Park in Fairfax Station or Burke?
Both, in a sense. The park at 7315 Ox Road carries a Fairfax Station address, while Burke is a separate community to the east. The mismatch is why the parcel, not the mailing city, decides who handles your roof. It is a park, not a neighborhood, so it carries no association or design review.
Did the June 2026 storm damage Fairfax Station roofs?
News reports put that microburst at the Royal Lake area of Burke, to the east, with an estimated 90 mile per hour peak wind and roofing blown off townhomes there. If a storm opens your roof, tarp it and photograph the damage for your claim.
Call about a Fairfax Station roof
Give us your street and tell us whether the house is in the Town of Clifton, Crosspointe or the main community. Then describe what the roof is doing. Phone (571) 453-6515.
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