Dryer vent cleaning in Alexandria, VA
Dryer vent cleaning in Alexandria costs about $80 to $185 for a standard vent and $150 to $250 for a roof vent, going by HomeGuide's national price survey; no survey publishes Alexandria-only prices, so compare two written quotes against those ranges. Dryer vent rules in Alexandria come from the 2021 Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code. Use the form below and we send your request to a dryer vent company that serves your Alexandria ZIP code.
Dryer vent cleaning in Alexandria: the local facts
| Alexandria, VA | |
|---|---|
| Population | 156,976 |
| Households that rent | 57.9% |
| Homes in buildings with 5 or more units | 60.9% |
| Median year homes were built | 1974 |
| Homes built in 2010 or later | 10.9% |
| Dryer share of residential fires, Virginia (2020 to 2024) | 7.1% |
| Dryer vent rules | 2021 Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code |
Half of Alexandria's homes were built in 1974 or earlier, and 10.9% were built in 2010 or later. With only 10.9% of homes built since 2010, many Alexandria homes are older; the USFA recommends replacing coiled-wire foil or plastic venting with rigid, non-ribbed metal duct.
In Virginia, clothes dryers were the equipment involved in 7.1% of residential structure fires where the equipment was identified, in fire department records for 2020 to 2024, above the national 4.6%. Failure to clean is the leading factor nationally, in 31.2% of dryer fires with a known cause. Details and state-by-state figures: dryer fire statistics.
Alexandria dryer vent code rules
Alexandria City Code Section 8-1-2 says the city enforces the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, 2006 edition, "and such future editions thereof as are then in force in the Commonwealth of Virginia." The Department of Code Administration's Building Codes page, last updated June 9, 2025, says the effective date of the Uniform Statewide Building Code was January 18, 2024, and points to the 2021 Virginia codes. Section 8-1-4 makes the director of the Department of Code Administration the building official.
Virginia amends the duct installation section, M1502.4.2, so that dryer exhaust ducts are supported at four-foot intervals and secured in place. The part of Alexandria's City Code we read, Title 8, Chapter 1, contains no local dryer exhaust provision.
Under the 2021 Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, a dryer exhaust duct can run at most 35 feet, minus an allowance for each elbow (M1502.4.6.1), or the length the dryer maker's installation instructions allow (M1502.4.6.2); the hose behind the dryer must be one listed piece of 8 feet or less (M1502.4.3); and the duct must end outside with a backdraft damper and no screen (M1502.3), and domestic booster fans are not allowed (M1502.4.5). Check a run with the dryer vent length calculator.
Permits for dryer vent work in Alexandria
Alexandria's Permit Center says mechanical permit applications can be submitted online, and the city's APEX Permitting & Land Use System offers electronic applications, online payments, real-time status tracking and online inspection scheduling. Customer assistance is available at 703.746.4200 or [email protected].
Local resources in Alexandria
Rental properties inside Alexandria's designated inspection districts must register and complete the Residential Rental Inspections program's requirements when an initial inspection or re-inspection is due. If the initial inspection finds no disqualifying code violations, the city issues a Certificate of Compliance valid for four years, and further inspections in that period happen only in response to a complaint (program page last updated November 3, 2025). The program's checklist includes mechanical equipment and cooking appliances being in safe working condition and the ventilation system working properly; questions go to 703.746.4202 or [email protected].
Under City Code Section 8-1-53, the owner of a building with dwelling units must give a tenant a certificate at the beginning of each tenancy, and at least annually after that, that all smoke detectors are present, have been inspected and are in good working order. Tenants handle interim testing and maintenance of detectors in rented units, except in common areas of multifamily buildings, but the owner must service, repair or replace a malfunctioning detector within five days of written notice from the tenant.
The city's Hiring a Contractor page tells residents to ask the contractor for a copy of the business license and the state contractor's license, and to verify a license with the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation at (804) 367-8500.
Renting or in a condo in Alexandria
More Alexandria households rent than own: 57.9% rent, and 60.9% of homes are in buildings with five or more units. Before booking, check your lease or association documents for who handles the vent; see apartment, condo and commercial dryer vent cleaning.
Cost and timing
HomeGuide's ranges at the top of this page are national; the cost guide breaks them down by floor, problem and company. Book before winter: the NFPA baseline is a cleaning once a year, and in US fire department records for 2020 to 2024, dryer fires nationally were most common in January (9.8%), February (9.3%) and March (10.1%). Warning signs are in signs of a clogged dryer vent.
Other cities we cover
- Dryer vent cleaning in Falls Church, VA
- Dryer vent cleaning in Woodbridge, VA
- Dryer vent cleaning in Chantilly, VA
- Dryer vent cleaning in Ashburn, VA
- Chimney sweep in Alexandria, VA
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates, tables B01003, B25003, B25024, B25035: data.census.gov
- HomeGuide, "How much does dryer vent cleaning cost?", page dated April 29, 2024: homeguide.com
- NFPA, "Clothes dryer safety" tip sheet: www.nfpa.org
- U.S. Fire Administration, "Clothes Dryer Fires in Residential Buildings (2008 to 2010)", August 2012: www.usfa.fema.gov
- Virginia DHCD, 2021 Virginia Construction Code: www.dhcd.virginia.gov
- City of Alexandria, Building Codes: www.alexandriava.gov
- Alexandria City Code, Title 8, Chapter 1, Building Code: api.municode.com
- City of Alexandria, Permit Center: www.alexandriava.gov
- City of Alexandria, Residential Rental Inspections Program: www.alexandriava.gov
- City of Alexandria, Residential Rental Inspections Checklist: www.alexandriava.gov
- City of Alexandria, Hiring a Contractor: www.alexandriava.gov
- FEMA, OpenFEMA, NFIRS Annual Data, fire files 2020 to 2024, downloaded September 25, 2026: www.fema.gov
- Vent & Flue analysis, dryer fires by month (CSV): dryer-fires-by-month.csv
- Vent & Flue analysis, dryer fires by state (CSV): dryer-fires-by-state.csv
- 2021 International Residential Code, section M1502: codes.iccsafe.org