Arlington County Virginia Government: Structure, Services, and Administration

Arlington County operates under a council-manager form of government, distinguishing it structurally from most Virginia localities that use the traditional board of supervisors model with elected or appointed executive authority. This page covers the organizational structure of Arlington County's government, the primary service categories administered at the county level, the relationship between county and state authority, and the boundaries that define what Arlington County government does and does not control.

Definition and Scope

Arlington County is an independent county in the Commonwealth of Virginia, located directly across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., with a land area of approximately 26 square miles — making it one of the smallest self-governing counties by area in the United States. Despite its size, Arlington functions as a full-service local government responsible for public safety, education, transportation, health services, land use, taxation, and social services within its boundaries.

The county operates under the authority granted by the Virginia Constitution and the Virginia Code, particularly Title 15.2, which governs county and city powers. Arlington adopted the urban county executive form of government, codified under Virginia Code § 15.2-831, which provides for a five-member County Board elected at-large and a professional County Manager appointed by that Board.

For broader context on how Virginia structures its government across all 95 counties and 38 independent cities, see the Virginia government reference index.

Scope and Coverage: This page covers the structure and administration of Arlington County government as a Virginia local government entity. It does not address federal agencies headquartered in Arlington — including the Pentagon, Drug Enforcement Administration, or Department of Defense installations — which operate under federal jurisdiction entirely separate from county authority. It does not cover the Alexandria City government, which is an independent city, not a county. Adjacent localities such as Fairfax County and Alexandria City operate under different charters and are not within Arlington County's jurisdictional scope.

How It Works

Arlington County government is structured around 3 primary elected and appointed bodies:

The County Board — Five members elected at-large to four-year staggered terms. The Board sets policy, adopts the annual budget, approves zoning changes, and appoints the County Manager and County Attorney. One member serves as Chair on a rotating annual basis.
The County Manager — A professional administrator who directs daily operations across all county departments. The County Manager oversees approximately 3,000 full-time county employees and presents an annual budget proposal to the Board.
The School Board — A separately elected five-member body that governs Arlington Public Schools, which enrolls more than 28,000 students (Arlington Public Schools). The School Board is fiscally dependent on the County Board for its appropriation, though it operates independently on educational policy.

Arlington County's operating budget, which exceeded $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2023 (Arlington County FY2023 Adopted Budget), is funded through a combination of real property taxes, personal property taxes, state aid, and federal transfers. The real property tax rate, set annually by the County Board, is expressed per $100 of assessed value.

Departments operate under the County Manager and include: Arlington County Police Department, Department of Human Services, Department of Environmental Services, Department of Parks and Recreation, and the Office of Planning. The county's Department of Human Services administers state-mandated programs including Medicaid enrollment, child protective services, and adult protective services, in coordination with the Virginia Department of Social Services.

Transportation planning in Arlington involves coordination with the Virginia Department of Transportation, though the county maintains its own streets under a secondary highway agreement.

Common Scenarios

Residents and businesses interact with Arlington County government across a defined set of transactional categories:

Property assessment and taxation: The Arlington County Commissioner of the Revenue assesses personal property; the Treasurer collects taxes. Real property is assessed by the Department of Real Estate Assessments annually at 100 percent of fair market value.
Zoning and land use permits: Development applications are reviewed by the Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development. Site plan approvals and use permits require County Board action for projects above threshold sizes.
Building permits and inspections: The Inspection Services Division issues building, electrical, mechanical, and plumbing permits under the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code.
Business licensing: The Commissioner of the Revenue issues business, professional, and occupational licenses (BPOL) under Virginia Code Title 58.1.
Social services enrollment: The Department of Human Services processes applications for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicaid, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) under state and federal eligibility rules.
Public health: Environmental health services, restaurant inspections, and communicable disease reporting operate under coordination with the Virginia Department of Health.

Decision Boundaries

Arlington County government authority is bounded by 3 structural limits:

State preemption: The Virginia General Assembly retains authority to preempt local ordinances. Arlington cannot, for example, impose firearm regulations beyond what Virginia state law permits under the Dillon Rule framework. The Dillon Rule, operative in Virginia, means counties possess only powers expressly granted by state law or necessarily implied from those grants.

Independent city distinction: Unlike many Virginia counties, Arlington has no incorporated towns within its borders. All unincorporated land is directly governed by the county. This contrasts with counties such as Albemarle County, which contains the independent city of Charlottesville operating under separate municipal authority.

Federal enclave jurisdiction: Approximately 28 percent of Arlington's land area is owned by the federal government, including Reagan National Airport (administered by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority), Fort Myer, and Henderson Hall. County zoning, taxation, and regulatory authority does not extend to federal property.

The County Board cannot levy taxes beyond limits set by the Virginia General Assembly, cannot create new courts (which are state constitutional entities), and cannot alter the jurisdiction of the Virginia state judicial branch.

References

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