The deck contractor has an opening in three weeks. The fence panels are picked out. Then a neighbor mentions the HOA has to approve it first, and the project stops.
An ARC request is how that approval happens, and in most Virginia communities it is required before any exterior work begins. This guide covers what belongs in the application, how decisions get made, what Virginia law says, and what to do after a denial. Condominium associations run the same process under their own statute.
What is an ARC request?
An ARC request is a written application asking your association's architectural review committee, or in some communities the board, to approve a change to the exterior of your home or lot before work begins.
A formal application for approval of an exterior change, submitted to the architectural review committee before work starts.
Authority comes from two places. The recorded declaration, often called the CC&Rs, establishes that exterior changes need approval and names who grants it. The HOA architectural guidelines adopted under it fill in the detail: materials, fence heights, paint colors.
Projects that commonly need one include fences, sheds, decks, paint colors, roofing or siding, windows and doors, landscaping, solar panels and EV chargers. Ask before you order materials, because approval comes before the work, not after.
What does the architectural review committee do?
The architectural review committee reviews each ARC request against the community's written guidelines and approves it, approves it with conditions, or denies it. In some communities it recommends and the board decides.
Members are usually homeowner volunteers appointed by the board. In smaller communities there is typically no separate committee and the board reviews ARC requests itself. It may also be called the architectural control committee, design review committee, or ARB.
The committee decides against written standards, not personal taste, which is why those standards need to be specific. "Wood or vinyl, no more than six feet" produces consistent decisions. "Attractive" produces arguments.
Landmarc's community managers handle the work around that decision: intake, the completeness check, routing to the HOA architectural committee, and communicating the decision in writing. The committee or board decides every request. Management moves it along and keeps the record.
How the ARC approval process works
Most ARC approval follows one path: check the guidelines, submit a complete application, wait for review, get a written decision, then build what was approved.
- Read your declaration and architectural guidelines first.
- Complete the ARC application. Landmarc-managed communities submit through the resident portal.
- Completeness check. The management team confirms the ARC request has what the guidelines require.
- Committee review and decision. Approve, approve with conditions, request more information, or deny.
- Written decision, with reasoning and conditions.
- Build within the approved scope and timeframe. Changing materials or dimensions means a new ARC request.
- Completion review, where guidelines call for one.
Your governing documents set the review period, so the timeline depends on your community rather than a statewide rule. Submit your ARC request well before you book a contractor, especially from March onward, when they arrive in volume and stay heavy through the summer.
What to include in your ARC application
- A plain description of the project
- A plot plan or survey showing location and setbacks
- Drawings with dimensions
- Materials and colors, with samples, photos or manufacturer specifications
- Contractor name, plus license and insurance where the guidelines require them
- Projected start and finish dates
- Neighbor acknowledgment, if your community requires it
Your ARC form may ask more, so work from the HOA architectural review checklist your association publishes. Incomplete paperwork is the most common reason an ARC request stalls, and a missing survey costs more time than the review. ARC approval is also not a building permit; county permits are separate.
Virginia rules that shape HOA architectural review
Virginia lets associations regulate exterior changes, but state law limits what they can prohibit outright. These rules override the guidelines.
| Improvement | What an association can do | Virginia Code |
|---|---|---|
| Solar panels | Can prohibit only if the recorded declaration does. Otherwise may set reasonable size, place and manner restrictions. | § 55.1-1820.1; condos § 55.1-1951.1 |
| EV chargers (HOA) | Unless the declaration or another recorded document says otherwise, cannot bar a charger for the owner's personal use on property the owner owns. May set reasonable number, size, place and manner restrictions, bar chargers on common area, and require indemnity and insurance. | § 55.1-1823.1 |
| EV chargers (condo) | Protected location is the unit or its appurtenant limited common element parking space. The association may still deny a charger that is not technically feasible or reasonably practicable for safety, structural or engineering reasons, and may condition approval on plans, insurance and cost reimbursement. | § 55.1-1962.1 |
| U.S. flag | Cannot prohibit a proper display of the flag on the owner's own property. May restrict size, place, duration and manner only where necessary to protect a substantial interest, and must prove it. | § 55.1-1820; condos § 55.1-1951 |
| Unapproved changes | Written notice and a chance to correct before any charges, then a hearing noticed 14 days ahead, hand delivered or sent registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, with the result delivered the same way within seven days. | § 55.1-1819 |
The solar rule runs to the owner's own lot. On common area, including a roof the association owns, it may prohibit panels outright with no declaration clause. The 5% cost or 10% production test is the owner's to prove, through a NABCEP-certified solar panel design specialist licensed in Virginia. Satellite dishes fall under the FCC's over-the-air reception devices rule. Guidelines written before 2020 predate the charger statutes entirely, and on solar any guideline banning panels without a declaration prohibition is a conflict whatever year it was drafted.
Reading these correctly is ordinary work for a team applying the Property Owners' Association Act and the Condominium Act across 200+ Virginia communities for 30 years. Our guide to Virginia HOA law goes deeper. This is general information, not legal advice.
If your ARC request is denied
A denial is usually not the end. Ask for the reasons in writing, revise the plan to meet the guideline the committee cited and resubmit, or request reconsideration through your governing documents.
If that does not resolve it, Virginia gives owners a further path. Associations must maintain a written complaint procedure an owner can use to raise the matter formally. After a final adverse decision, the owner may file a notice with DPOR's Office of the Common Interest Community Ombudsman, which reviews whether the association followed that procedure and common interest community law. It does not interpret governing documents or decide whether your fence should have been approved.
What you should not do is start the work anyway. Building without approval puts the project into covenant enforcement, and the owner can end up removing or redoing finished work at their own cost. See our guide to rules and covenant enforcement.
How boards keep architectural review fair and consistent
Consistent review comes down to clear written guidelines, one standard application, decisions that cite the guideline relied on, and a record of every ARC request.
- Post the guidelines and form where owners can find them.
- Refresh guidelines before the spring surge, not during it.
- Check them against Virginia's solar and charger rules.
- Apply the same standard to every neighbor.
- Put every decision in writing, approvals included.
The decisions that cause disputes are almost never the denials. They are the inconsistent ones. An owner told no can live with it when the guideline is clear and the same answer went to the house down the street.
Landmarc logs every ARC request in the association's online system of record, shared by board and homeowners, so the reason behind a decision made two summers ago is still retrievable. A Community Standards Specialist runs monthly inspections, surfacing unapproved changes early. Quick turnaround is among the most common themes in our 600+ Google reviews. This is work a management team should take off volunteers' plates, and part of full-service HOA management.
Frequently asked questions
What is an ARC request in an HOA?
An ARC request is an application for approval from the architectural review committee before you change the exterior of your home or lot. Associations require it so exterior changes meet one consistent standard, protecting property values. The rules live in the recorded declaration and the board's guidelines.
What does ARC stand for in an HOA?
ARC stands for architectural review committee, the group that reviews each ARC request against the community's written standards and decides it. It is also called the architectural control committee, design review committee, or ARB.
How long does ARC approval take?
It depends on your association's governing documents, which set the review period. Submit a complete application well before scheduling a contractor, especially from March through the summer when volume is highest.
Can a Virginia HOA deny solar panels?
On your own lot, only if the recorded declaration prohibits them. Under § 55.1-1820.1 an association without that prohibition cannot ban solar outright, though it may set reasonable size, place and manner restrictions, and it may prohibit panels on common area regardless. Condominiums follow § 55.1-1951.1.
What happens if I make changes without ARC approval?
The association can begin covenant enforcement, which may require you to bring the change into line or remove it. Virginia requires written notice and a reasonable chance to correct first, then a properly noticed hearing before any charges under § 55.1-1819.
Is ARC approval the same as a building permit?
No. ARC approval confirms your project meets your community's standards; a county permit confirms it meets building code. Many projects need both.
Submit early, decide consistently
A complete application, submitted early and judged against written standards, keeps architectural review moving for everyone.
Architectural review should move, not stall.
Homeowners in a Landmarc-managed community: submit your ARC request through the resident portal on our homeowner hub, alongside your guidelines.
Board members: if volunteers are spending evenings chasing ARC request paperwork, a local team that knows your community can take it on. Landmarc is AAMC-accredited and PCAM-led, managing 200+ communities across Central Virginia.
Request a proposalDisclaimer: This article is general information, not legal advice. How architectural review applies depends on your association's recorded declaration, its adopted guidelines, and Virginia law. Consult your association attorney before acting on any approval or enforcement question.