City of Manassas, Virginia

Manassas Local Guide

Settling In Guide

Living Here

From getting settled to caring for your home, find the right starting point for the task in front of you.

Settling In

A practical start for renters and homeowners. Work through the short checklist, then find more detail about the services at your address.

Your Guide to Settling In

View Your Guide to Settling Into Manassas (PDF) A helpful, print friendly checklist for your move by LizyTylerCo · www.lizytylerco.com

Use the steps that apply to your move. Confirm your address’s jurisdiction, provider coverage and any landlord or community arrangements. Check official sources for current requirements.

Settling in sources reviewed

Find the Right Office

The City of Manassas is an independent Virginia city with its own government, separate from Prince William County and the City of Manassas Park. A Manassas mailing address does not establish which jurisdiction governs a home. Start with the physical address and parcel using the city’s Maps & GIS resources, then confirm the jurisdiction with city staff before applying or paying.

Use city offices for city assessments, tax bills, building permits and zoning. Some regional functions, including courts and public health, are shared. The city’s shared services directory explains those arrangements. GIS maps help you research a property but do not replace recorded documents, an official zoning determination or a boundary survey.

Set Up Utilities and Care for Septic Systems

City utility accounts: Utility Customer Services coordinates electric, water, sewer, stormwater, and refuse and recycling services. Confirm the services and billing arrangements for the exact property, including any association managed accounts. Review current applications, identification requirements, deposits and connection timing before moving. The word Manassas in a mailing address is not proof of city utility service.

Electric, water and sewer: Use the city electric department for outage reporting and electric information, and Water & Sewer for those systems. Ask who maintains the service lines and where to report leaks or interruptions. Verify any separate natural gas or delivered fuel provider from the property’s existing accounts.

Private systems, if present: If records show a well or septic system, confirm its status and obligations with Prince William Health District’s onsite sewage and water services. Obtain permit and maintenance records before altering bedrooms, drainage or the system area. Do not assume a former well or septic system is active merely because it appears in old records.

Internet Access

Check the precise service address and unit with Xfinity / Comcast and Verizon Home Internet. An area marketing page or a neighbor’s service does not guarantee an orderable connection at your home. Ask whether the offered product is cable, fiber or fixed wireless. Verizon’s Fios and wireless home internet products are different technologies.

For another address qualified option, check T-Mobile Home Internet. Availability and network capacity can vary even within one neighborhood. For any provider, compare current broadband labels, typical upload and download speeds, data limits, equipment charges, installation requirements, promotional periods and the full monthly cost. Confirm an installation date before relying on the connection for a move or remote work.

Recycling and Household Waste

The city’s Refuse and Recycling page provides an address based Waste Wise collection calendar, service alerts and ways to report a missed pickup, request a cart exchange or schedule bulk items. Confirm whether the city or a private/association arrangement serves your building. Check current preparation rules for trash, recycling, yard waste and large items. Holiday changes may affect collection.

Use the city’s Household Hazardous Waste and RecycleFest information for current event dates, accepted materials and proof of residency requirements at the Manassas Transfer Station. Electronics and document shredding are offered only on designated dates, so check the specific event before loading your car.

Prince William County’s household hazardous waste program explicitly excludes City of Manassas residents. Do not use a county mailing address or general landfill listing as proof that a special waste service is available to city residents.

Owning & Improving a Home

Keep these resources close when you need property information, help caring for your home or a starting point for a project.

Find Property Records and Tax Bills

The City of Manassas real estate assessment search provides property characteristics and assessed values by address or assessment account number. Contact the Commissioner of the Revenue about assessment questions, factual corrections and current review or appeal procedures. Check the assessment year and property details against your own records.

The City Treasurer’s real estate tax page links to payment and inquiry tools and explains billing. Confirm the amount and due date on the current bill, and verify payment even when your mortgage company handles escrow. An assessment record is not a tax payment receipt.

For a deed, recorded plat or easement, use the Prince William Circuit Court Clerk’s land records resources. The court system is shared with the city. A tax ownership entry or GIS line does not establish clear title or a surveyed boundary.

Find Tax Information and Relief

The city’s tax relief program serves qualifying residents who are at least 65 or permanently and totally disabled, subject to the program’s income, asset and other requirements. The Commissioner of the Revenue also publishes disabled veteran exemption information. These are city programs and applications. Do not assume a Prince William County application covers a city property.

Check the current application year, ownership and occupancy rules, supporting documents, renewal requirements and filing deadline before applying. Relief is not automatic. Ask the Commissioner which program fits your circumstances and whether separate real estate and personal property forms or supporting records are needed.

Plan a Renovation

Begin with City of Manassas Community Development before adding a deck, finishing a basement, building a shed, replacing major systems or changing a home’s use. The building and trade permit page includes project resources and links to applications. Describe the complete scope so staff can identify building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, zoning and site requirements.

Check setbacks, easements, drainage and any HOA or condominium approvals. If the property is in a Historic Overlay District, ask whether a Certificate of Appropriateness is needed before exterior work, construction or demolition. Historic review and association approval are separate from building permits. Do not assume an exemption from one approval removes the others.

Put your goals, priorities, questions and next steps in one place.View Home Project Planning Sheet (PDF) To keep completed entries, save a copy with your changes using the PDF viewer’s controls.

Understand Permits and Inspections

Use the city’s Permit Self Service portal to apply, check permit and plan review status, pay fees and review inspection status. Reach the portal from Community Development if the sign in or portal address changes. Prince William County’s permit portal is not the city’s permitting system.

Confirm the required approvals and inspections with the city’s Building, Trade, and Occupancy Permits office. Keep the permit number, approved plans and inspection requirements, and arrange inspections before work is covered. Retain final approvals and any required occupancy certificate. Ask the city how to resolve existing unpermitted work rather than assuming a past renovation was approved.

Repair and Housing Assistance

The city’s Housing & Community Resources page links to home repair resources, housing information and assistance programs. It is a useful first stop for a city homeowner who needs help locating an appropriate program.

The regional Neighborhood Housing Rehabilitation Program expressly includes eligible owner occupied homes in the City of Manassas, alongside Prince William County and Manassas Park. It supports qualifying work involving health and safety, accessibility and energy efficiency. Ask the administering office about current income and property requirements, funding, application timing and approved work.

Confirm whether assistance is a grant, loan or another arrangement, including repayment or property related conditions, before agreeing to repairs. Do not assume every project qualifies or that funding has been reserved before written approval.

Check a Contractor

Use Virginia DPOR License Lookup to verify the exact contractor business, active license, classification and specialty appropriate to your project. A license in another state or an advertising claim does not establish Virginia authorization. Ask about any applicable city business license requirements as well.

Review DPOR’s homeowner hiring guide. Compare written estimates, check insurance and references, and put the scope, materials, schedule, payment terms and permit responsibilities in writing. Keep signed contracts, change orders, receipts, warranties and final inspection records. Make sure the business on the contract matches the business whose license you checked.

Keep useful questions and conversation notes together as you compare your options.View Questions Before Hiring a Contractor (PDF)

General information to help you find the right starting point. Requirements, eligibility, service areas, and application processes can change. Confirm details with the office or provider serving your exact address. Official links open in a new tab. Found a broken link or a changed office? Contact LizyTylerCo and include “Manassas Guide,” the link name, and what happened. Return to All Resources.