Permeable resin-bound surfacing can be part of a stormwater design in Arlington when it is built over an open-graded stone base that stores and releases water, and when the Department of Environmental Services (DES) accepts it in a land disturbance plan or a credit application. The County's stormwater utility fee gives owners a modest reason to ask; its tighter rules for new homes give builders a bigger one.

Laid on an existing concrete driveway or patio, it doesn't count, since the water still runs off the slab and into streets that have flooded hard in recent years. Arlington's credit is also narrower than most: eligible surfaces are named, and some common driveway types are excluded outright.

Arlington's stormwater utility, its credits and LDA permits

Arlington's stormwater utility fee began in 2024, replacing the sanitary district tax, and is billed in Equivalent Residential Units of 2,400 square feet of impervious area, with single-family homes in tiers. Voluntary credits are capped at 35% per property. Under the single-family permeable driveway credit, at least 150 square feet of permeable pavers or turf block pavers earns 10%, recertified every two years; gravel, ribbon, traditional brick and conventional paver driveways are ineligible. Multifamily and non-residential properties can earn 10% for a permeable parking lot or driveway. The next window runs November 1, 2026 to January 31, 2027.

Resin-bound surfacing isn't one of the named surfaces, so treat the credit as something to discuss with DES rather than assume. Eligibility is also limited for homes permitted under the land disturbance program from 2021 on, and by an impervious-area test for each zoning district, so check the County's credit page before you plan around it.

The Land Disturbing Activity and stormwater management (LDA) permit applies to any activity disturbing 2,500 square feet or more. Since 2021, under LDA 2.0, single-family homes must meet state stormwater quantity standards as well as the quality standards required before. Under Virginia's regulation, redevelopment that adds no impervious cover and disturbs less than an acre must still cut phosphorus at least 10% below the predevelopment load.

Flash floods, steep stream valleys and tight infill lots

Four Mile Run drains about two-thirds of Arlington, while Spout Run and other small streams in north Arlington run through steeper valleys to the Potomac. The County cites the rise in severe flooding as the reason for increased stormwater investment. On north Arlington's slopes, the Virginia Stormwater Management Handbook advises designers to consider terracing permeable pavement where slopes reach 5% or more, and to keep the reservoir bottom as flat as possible so water spreads evenly.

Lot size matters too. The Handbook ties building setbacks to installation size: for 250 to 1,000 square feet of permeable pavement, 5 feet if downgradient of a building and 25 feet if upgradient, rising to 10 and 50 feet for installations up to 10,000 square feet. An impermeable liner along the sides can relax those distances, which is often how small infill sites make room.

Soils shift from weathered Piedmont rock in the north and west to Coastal Plain deposits toward Crystal City, and the Handbook notes that Hydrologic Soil Group C and D soils usually need an underdrain.

Arlington properties where it makes sense

New single-family homes and additions in Lyon Village, Cherrydale and Arlington Forest, where LDA 2.0 quantity requirements meet tight lots.
Garden apartment courtyards and parking along Columbia Pike and in Buckingham, where the multifamily credit covers permeable parking lots and DES decides whether a resin-bound surface qualifies.
Plazas and through-block walkways in the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor and Crystal City, where redevelopment phosphorus targets meet heavy foot traffic.
Church and school grounds, where large paved areas drive the fee and a permeable section can double as gathering space.

Working with DES on an LDA plan or credit, with Resin Rock as supplier

DES reviews LDA plans, and its coordinators may set the review path case by case. Show the reservoir depth, underdrain and outfall, infiltration testing, setbacks and a maintenance plan, keeping in mind that the Handbook's permeable pavement specification is written around interlocking pavers, grid pavers, pervious concrete and porous asphalt. Credit applications go through the County's service request system during the annual window, with photos for recertification.

Resin Rock supplies resin-bound systems and doesn't install them. We provide UV-stable binder, stone blends, trims and the Rock Crete permeable sub-base, with technical data sheets for the LDA submittal, and we train and approve installers. Find an installer usually returns an Arlington match within 24 hours, and contractors can apply for our Virginia installer training.

Before you specify permeable resin-bound in Arlington

Determine whether the work disturbs 2,500 square feet and needs an LDA permit.
Ask DES whether a resin-bound surface can earn the permeable driveway credit, since pavers and turf block are the named surfaces.
Check credit limits for homes permitted under LDA since 2021 and the impervious-area test for your zoning district.
Apply the Handbook's building setbacks, or plan a side liner.
Consider terracing sections on slopes of 5% or more, as the Handbook advises.
Calendar the November 1 to January 31 credit window and two-year recertification.

Common questions about permeable resin-bound in Arlington

Will a permeable driveway lower my Arlington stormwater fee?

A qualifying permeable driveway, patio or walkway of at least 150 square feet earns a 10% credit for single-family homes, recertified every two years, within a 35% cap on all voluntary credits, though eligibility is limited for some newer homes and by a zoning-based impervious-area test. The named eligible surfaces are permeable pavers and turf block pavers, so confirm with DES whether a resin-bound surface would qualify before you build.

Do I need an LDA permit to install permeable surfacing?

You need one when the work disturbs 2,500 square feet or more of land, which covers many new homes and larger driveway and patio projects. Since 2021, single-family LDA projects must meet state quantity standards as well as quality standards, so a properly built permeable section may be part of how a new home complies.

Why are some driveways excluded from Arlington's credit?

The County lists gravel, ribbon, traditional brick and standard paver driveways as ineligible without giving a reason. The credit covers permeable pavers or turf block pavers over a stone reservoir, and applicants send excavation photos and receipts for the stone base. A stone base that holds water is also the only way a resin-bound surface delivers a real stormwater benefit.

Official sources for Arlington

Local rules change. We last checked these sources in October 2026. Confirm current requirements with the reviewing agency before you design, and treat this page as a starting point, not engineering or permitting advice.

Permeable Resin-Bound Surfacing in Arlington, VA