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Street Naming System

Understanding the system for naming and numbering streets will make it much easier to find your way around Arlington County. Arlington Boulevard (Route 50)divides the north and south sections of the County, except for the few streets between Fort Myer Military Reservation and Arlington Boulevard, which are designated North even though they are south of Arlington Boulevard. North (N) and South (S) designations precede named streets and follow numbered streets. For example, North Lincoln Street and 31st Street South. Named streets generally run north-south and are alphabetized starting at the Potomac River. Progressing westward, this is the alphabetizing sequence:

1. One-syllable names (Ball Street to Wayne Street)
2. Two-syllable names (Adams to Woodrow)
3. Three-syllable names (Abingdon to Yucatan)
4. Four-syllable names (Arizona being the only street in this sequence)

Named streets with the designation "Road" (instead of "Street") usually follow early winding routes and are excluded from the alphabetized pattern. Numbered streets generally run east-west, parallel to Arlington Boulevard. When numbers are repeated, the designation sequence is: Street, Road, Place.

"Boulevard" and "Drive" generally are major diagonal thoroughfares with historic names. Boulevards usually run east-west and Drives run north-south and are so designated only when they appear on both sides of Arlington Boulevard.

~Remember~

Numbered and Named Streets
Are Not Through Streets

Download a pdf of the Arlington County Street System Guide brochure.  

Street Maps

The Arlington County Department of Public Works will provide a

single Copy of the 24 x 36-inch Arlington County Street Map to Arlington residents

Free black and white Xerox copy. Pick up only at the service counter:

Environmental Services, Engineering Customer Service
2100 Clarendon Blvd., Suite 813
Arlington, VA 22201

For more information, telephone Environmental Services at (703) 228-3629, or Email: DES@arlingtonva.us

 

Parking Meters

en Español

 

Multi-space Parking Meter Program

Arlington has more than 3,000 parking meters throughout the County for widely varying increments of time. They are easily spotted from the driver's seat by a color code:

Yellow	Silver	Blue	Red	Green

Note that the Red, Blue, and Green meters accept quarters and dollar coins only . 

Meter hours are 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Parking is free on Sundays and County Holidays. 

 

 

 Multi-space Parking Meters

Multi-space parking meters, already in use in many U.S. cities including Washington, DC, are being used in Arlington.

Two meters are installed on Clarendon Boulevard between N. Fillmore and N. Edgewood Streets, and four meters are installed on the 3500 block of Fairfax Dr. and the 1000 block of North Monroe Street.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is illegal to park at a meter for longer than the maximum time allowed by that meter. For example: you park at a blue, 2 hour meter and after 2 hours you return and feed the meter for another two hours; this is a violation.  You are not permitted to park at that meter for more than two hours. 

How to report a broken meter.  
Please get the number off of the back of the meter for use in the report.  If you are ticketed at a meter, the meter number will be on the ticket.  Call 703-228-3298, our automated report line, or use our online report form.

 

Parkulators: Have been discontinued.  

iPark Device

Wrong-Way Parking: It is illegal to park a vehicle facing the wrong way on any street in Arlington.

  Bike lanes: It is illegal to park or drive in designated bike lanes. Be cautious when opening the doors of the car; look for oncoming bicycles.

 

 

Parking Ordinances
The law online.
You will have to work your way down to the Section:
Chapter 14.2 MOTOR VEHICLES AND TRAFFIC

  Residential Parking Permits

Arlington has special permit parking areas in residential neighborhoods adjacent to major corridors or business complexes. Only neighborhood residents with County-issued permits may park on these streets during restricted parking hours; drivers without zone permit stickers displayed in their windshields risk ticketing and towing. Red and white "Permit Parking Only" street signs indicate if a neighborhood is a residential permit area. The stickers are automatically provided to eligible drivers at no cost when they register their vehicles through the Commissioner of Revenue Office in Arlington. For more information about parking and traffic management in Arlington, telephone the Transportation Engineering Division at 703-228-3576.

 

Towing

As is true throughout the Washington metropolitan area, it is never a good idea to park unauthorized -- even after business hours -- in the parking lot of any business establishment or other private property, such as an apartment complex. If you don't have legitimate business in a parking lot, your automobile will probably be towed! The Police Department will tell you if your car has been towed by the County or by a private towing company. Police Dept. towing information

 

High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) Restrictions

Like many major highways in the metropolitan Washington area, Interstate Route 66, a major highway through Arlington, is restricted to cars with two or more occupants during morning and evening rush hours, Monday through Friday. High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) restrictions apply to eastbound traffic in the morning (6:30-9 AM) and to westbound traffic in the afternoon (4-6:30 PM). 

Interstate 395 also has HOV lanes that are restricted to vehicles with three or more occupants, or motorcyles (6 – 9 a.m.; 3:30 – 6 p.m., Monday – Friday).

These restrictions do not apply on federal holidays. Complete information on HOV restrictions is available on the Commuter Page or on the VDOT HOV web site. 

 

Public Transportation

One of the main reasons Arlington is considered a fine place to live and work is that it has an exceptionally serviceable network of public transportation services. The Metro System, a regional transportation system administered by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), provides clean, comfortable, reliable transportation. Metro offers a combination bus and rapid rail system with extensive rush hour service and express routes, and connections to other transportation services in the region; see the Commuter Page.  Use the Metro RideGuide to plan your MetroBus and MetroRail trips. 

  The Commuter Stores: Complete regional transportation services and information -- including Metro, commuter rail services for Northern Virginia and Maryland (VRE and MARC respectively), as well as other transit services are available on the Commuter Page.

In addition to schedules and route information, maps and user guides (including special guides for people with disabilities), the Commuter stores also sell all types of tickets and farecards for Metrobus, Metrorail, and for other local and regional public transportation systems. Complete information also is available on car and van pooling, and ridesharing programs.

 

Bicycling in Arlington

Arlington County maintains 36 miles of off-street multi-use trails for bicycling, walking, and jogging. Portions of these trails pass through beautiful natural areas of Arlington's park system, and connect to regional bike trails. In addition to these off-street trails, Arlington has 49 miles of marked, on-street bicycle routes, connecting the off-street trails with each other and with destinations throughout Arlington. Free bike trail maps can be downloaded and are available in paper form from the County by telephoning (703) 228-3633.

 

 

Ridesharing

Arlington, along with the greater Washington metropolitan area, leads the nation in promoting ridesharing. The Commuter Page has complete information.

 

Snow Emergencies

The Arlington County Manager declares a state of traffic emergency when snow, sleet or freezing rain make streets hazardous. Arlington's emergency plan is part of the metropolitan area's regional snow emergency program. No parking is allowed on designated Snow Emergency Routes during a snow emergency. Vehicles driven on Snow Emergency Routes (which are designated by signs) must be equipped with snow tires, M/S radials, or chains. Violators who get stuck on a snow route during a snow emergency are subject to traffic summons and fines because abandoned vehicles on major streets impede snow control progress and emergency vehicles.

The County encourages people to use public transportation during snow emergencies. A snow control brochure about the County's snow control program includes a map of snow removal priority routes in Arlington, snow control and pothole telephone numbers, and safety reminders, such as clearing snow from your neighborhood fire hydrant and sidewalks within 24 hours after snow stops falling.

Snow Brochure and Online Maps

Test Link