Fairfax County
Fairfax County Department of Planning and Development, Zoning Evaluation Division
In short
Fairfax County Department of Planning and Development, Zoning Evaluation Division issues 5 permits we publish for Fairfax County, last verified 2026-10-02. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.
What this agency issues
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Veterinary Hospital Zoning Use Classificationonly if it applies to you | Fairfax County Department of Planning and Development, Zoning Evaluation Division | No fee | N/A — a standing zoning use classification. | 2026-10-02 |
| Vehicle Repair and Maintenance, Light, Zoning Use Classificationonly if it applies to you | Fairfax County Department of Planning and Development, Zoning Evaluation Division | No fee | N/A — a standing zoning use classification. | 2026-10-02 |
| Health and Exercise Facility Zoning Use Classificationonly if it applies to you | Fairfax County Department of Planning and Development, Zoning Evaluation Division | No fee | N/A — a standing zoning use classification. | 2026-10-02 |
| Family Child Care By-Right Zoning Thresholdonly if it applies to you | Fairfax County Department of Planning and Development, Zoning Evaluation Division | No fee | N/A — a standing zoning threshold, not an expiring permit. | 2026-10-02 |
| Retail Sales, General, Zoning Use Classificationonly if it applies to you | Fairfax County Department of Planning and Development, Zoning Evaluation Division | No fee | N/A — a standing zoning use classification. | 2026-10-02 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
About each permit
Veterinary Hospital Zoning Use Classification
Fairfax County's current Article 4 Use Regulations, Table 4101.3 (read directly from the county's own downloaded PDF), classify a veterinary hospital use as requiring Special Exception approval in every residential district, while permitting it by right in commercial and industrial districts; a Special Exception is additionally required only where outdoor facilities are proposed in the C-5 through C-8 and I-3 through I-6 Districts, per the ordinance's own standards text at §4102.5.C and its explanatory footnote 18. A zoning use classification published in the County's own current ordinance carries no fee by itself; a business that needs Special Exception approval instead pays whatever application fee the county's current Special Exception process specifies, which this record does not separately state.
Vehicle Repair and Maintenance, Light, Zoning Use Classification
Fairfax County's current Article 4 Use Regulations classify a typical auto-repair shop under 'Vehicle Repair and Maintenance, Light' (standards at §4102.5.LL), read directly from the county's own downloaded PDF: this use generally requires Special Exception approval in most commercial districts, is permitted by right only in the C-6, C-7 and C-8 Districts and the I-5 and I-6 Districts and only where the use standard's fully-enclosed-building condition is met, and is not allowed in any residential district. The more intensive 'Vehicle Repair and Maintenance, Heavy' use is far more restricted, limited to Special Exception or by-right status in only a small number of the heaviest industrial districts. A zoning use classification published in the County's own current ordinance carries no fee by itself; where Special Exception approval is required, that application carries its own separate fee outside the scope of this record.
Health and Exercise Facility Zoning Use Classification
Fairfax County's current Article 4 Use Regulations classify a fitness studio under 'Health and Exercise Facility, Small' or '...Large,' depending on size, both in the Recreation/Entertainment use category, read directly from the county's own downloaded PDF: the Small classification is permitted by right across the C-1 through C-8 Districts and several industrial districts, while the Large classification is permitted by right in C-1 through C-6 and requires a Special Permit in C-7, C-8 and the first two industrial districts. Neither classification is permitted in any residential district, a change from Special Exception to not-permitted made in the zMOD recodification, per the ordinance's own explanatory footnote. A zoning use classification published in the County's own current ordinance carries no fee by itself; where a Special Permit is required, that application carries its own separate fee outside the scope of this record.
Family Child Care By-Right Zoning Threshold
Fairfax County's Zoning Ordinance §4102.7.I, read directly from the Zoning Evaluation Division's own 'Additional Application Reference for Home Day Care Facilities' PDF, sets by-right thresholds that require no zoning application and no fee: a home-based provider may care for up to five children (in addition to their own) in a townhouse or apartment, or up to seven children (in addition to their own) in a single-family detached house, and in either case may have one nonresident helper present between 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Care above those thresholds, up to twelve children plus the provider's own, and/or additional helpers, requires a Special Permit from the Board of Zoning Appeals or, in the PDH, PRC, PDC, PRM, PTC or PCC districts, a Special Exception from the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors — each of which carries its own separate application fee outside the scope of this by-right zoning-threshold record.
Retail Sales, General, Zoning Use Classification
Fairfax County's current Article 4 Use Regulations classify a typical independent retailer under 'Retail Sales, General' (standards at §4102.5.EE), read directly from the county's own downloaded PDF: this use is permitted by right in the C-1 through C-4 Districts, generally not allowed in the C-5 through C-8 Districts, requires Special Exception approval in the I-1 through I-3 Districts, is not allowed in the I-4 through I-6 Districts, and is not allowed in any residential district. A separate, more restrictive 'Retail Sales, Large' use exists for big-box-scale stores, permitted by right only in the C-6, C-7 and C-8 Districts, and is not typically relevant to a small or independent retail-store business. A zoning use classification published in the County's own current ordinance carries no fee by itself; where Special Exception approval is required, that application carries its own separate fee outside the scope of this record.
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- Fairfax County
- Phone
- 703-324-1290
Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.
Sources
Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Fairfax County Zoning Evaluation Division — Additional Application Reference for Home Day Care FacilitiesFairfax County Department of Planning and Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
- Fairfax County Zoning Ordinance, Article 4 — Use Regulations (current zMOD recodification)Fairfax County Department of Planning and Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
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