Tackling a Honey-Do List? Arlington Expands Free Tool Sharing Program
Published on May 08, 2025
By Office of Communication
Residents planning yard work or basic home repairs now have expanded access to free tools to tackle those projects through the City of Arlington’s mobile Tool Sharing Program, which recently added a second trailer to meet growing demand.
The City offers a variety of common tools residents may need for mowing and yard maintenance, tree and shrub trimming, household and fence repair, pressure washing, painting and litter cleanup. Tools—from lawn mowers and hedge trimmers to pliers and post hole diggers—have been borrowed nearly 5,000 times by residents since the Tool Sharing Program first started in 2021. Now with additional tools and safety gear available to use at no cost, more residents will be able to save money when sprucing up their homes and yards.
“The Tool Sharing Program is a community-focused service designed to support our residents in maintaining and beautifying their properties,” Program Coordinator Ron McCall said.
Residents can borrow up to four tools at a time from a tool category. For example, you can borrow a wheelbarrow, shovel, rake and fertilizer spreader from the Mowing and Yard Maintenance category, or a drill and drill bit set, 48-inch level and basic tool kit set from the household and fence repair category.
Residents can use the reserved tools for up to three business days. The City delivers and picks up tools on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m.
“If we drop off a tool on Monday, we’ll pick it up Wednesday, if we drop off a tool on Wednesday, we’ll pick it up on Friday, and so on,” McCall said.
Check out the available tools and equipment here.
Ready to start your project? Tool reservations are available online only through the Code Compliance webpage. You’ll need proof of Arlington residency, such as a water bill or a government-issued identification, which can be uploaded online or shown to city staff when tools are dropped off at your home.
The expanded Tool Sharing Program underscores Arlington’s commitment to supporting residents in maintaining safe, clean, and attractive neighborhoods, McCall said.
Approximately 1,700 code violations have been proactively corrected because of the program.