Arlington County Code requires a county decal to be displayed on the front windshield of every vehicle within 60 days of purchasing the vehicle or moving it into the county. Arlington County Police will ticket all vehicles garaged, stored, or parked in Arlington County that do not display a valid county decal.
- The County decal changes every year with your annual vehicle personal property tax payment in October, and you must display the new County decal by November 15 each year.
If you’re a new resident/resident with a new vehicle
- Register your vehicle with the Commissioner of Revenue’s Office
- Pay the decal fee — $33 for most vehicles (Note: If you’ve moved from another county that required a decal and it was issued within the current tax year — January 1 to December 31— the Treasurer’s Office will issue you a County decal for no fee if you present proof of purchase from the issuing county.)
- Look for your decal in the mail, which should arrive within seven to 10 days after the Treasurer’s Office receives your decal payment
If you’re a current resident
- Who doesn’t have a newly registered vehicle, you’ll receive your decal with your tax bill
- Who has outstanding debt with the County, you won’t receive your decal with your tax bill — you’ll receive your vehicle decal from the Treasurer’s Office once you pay your outstanding debt and the decal fee
Note: You must pay all personal property taxes and any outstanding debt, including parking violations, to receive your vehicle decal from the Treasurer’s Office.
If you didn’t receive a County decal with your bill or have any other decal-related questions, call 703-228-4000.
2017-18 Vehicle Decal Design Competition
The annual Decal Design Competition will kick off in October 2016 when the Arlington County Treasurer’s Office invites all high school students residing or attending school in Arlington to submit their decal designs!
The Competition guidelines remain the same as in previous years:
- The theme is Arlington County.
- Students are asked to submit creative, artistic and memorable designs that highlight our vibrant community.
- Submissions should be in JPEG format.
- The border of this year’s decal will be GREEN.
- There will be prize money for the winner and for the three other finalists!
- A citizens’ panel will choose the four finalists on December 3.
- The final four designs will appear on the cover of the Sun Gazette in December, and the winner will be announced at the January County Board meeting.
- The winning decal will be displayed on over 160,000 windshields!
Please check back soon for more details and links to the application forms.
Last year’s winner was Ryan Kovich, a student at Wakefield High School. His submission was entitled “Arlington is for Enjoyment.” You will soon see Ryan’s design on the windshield of over 160,000 cars!
To read more about Ryan and the competition, click here. To view the 2016-17 Decal Competition finalists, click here. Please contact Stephanie Shea for more information at 703-228-3807 or sshea@arlingtonva.us.