Fairfax County, Virginia - County Development Fees
Fairfax County | County | Northern Virginia | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV MSA | County seat: Fairfax | FIPS 51059
Fairfax County is a Northern Virginia county and one of the largest jurisdictions in the Washington Metro region. The Fairfax County Land Development Services (LDS) department administers the consolidated Appendix Q fee schedule covering Building Development Fees (Section I), Site Development Fees (Section II), and Miscellaneous Fees (Section III), most recently amended by Board of Supervisors action April 16, 2024 with Phase 2 effective July 1, 2025. Fairfax County operates under Virginia's voluntary cash-proffer system per Va. Code Section 15.2-2303 rather than statutory impact fees. Fairfax Water (a separate authority) administers water connection and availability charges.
Recent Fee Changes
Fairfax County LDS Appendix Q Phase 2 effective July 1, 2025. The Board of Supervisors adopted a two-phase fee schedule amendment on April 16, 2024. Phase 2 rates apply to all qualifying transactions on or after July 1, 2025. The 10.00% Technology Surcharge (Section III) and 2.0% Code Academy levy on building development fees apply on top of base fees.
Fee Summary
| Fee Type | Status | Top-Line Figure | Effective Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Site Plan Review (rezoning / special exception / special permit / variance) | Confirmed | $2,686 / $1,885 / $1,885 / $1,397 per application; per-application cumulative max $4,574; +10% Technology Surcharge | July 1, 2025 (Appendix Q Phase 2) |
| Building Permit Base Fee (any permit) | Confirmed | $135.00 minimum (Code Ch 61-1-3(d)1); reduced fees for multiple permits, no-inspection permits, casualty permits | July 1, 2025 (Appendix Q Phase 2) |
| Building Permit by Construction Type (per sq ft) | Confirmed | Type IA/IB residential $0.270; Type IIA/IIIA/IV $0.211; Type IIB/IIIB/VA/VB $0.143; +10% Technology Surcharge; +2.0% Code Academy levy | July 1, 2025 (Appendix Q Phase 2) |
| Tenant Alterations / Demolition | Confirmed | Tenant alterations 5.13% of cost (min $513); Demolition $135 entire structure or 3.00% partial; Swimming pool $270; Modular furniture min $513 | July 1, 2025 (Appendix Q Phase 2) |
| Impact Fees (TLGC Chapter 395 statutory) | Not applicable | Virginia jurisdictions do not use statutory impact fees; growth-cost recovery operates through voluntary cash proffers under Va. Code 15.2-2303 | - |
| Cash Proffers (residential rezoning, voluntary) | Framework Confirmed | Voluntary, case-specific to each rezoning; sharply constrained to impacts attributable to the rezoning per Va. Code 15.2-2303.4 (HB 770 / 2016); no fixed schedule published | - |
| Utility Tap / Availability Fees | Administered separately | Fairfax Water (fairfaxwater.org) administers water connection / availability charges; County DPW Wastewater Treatment Division handles sanitary sewer outside Fairfax Water service area | - |
| Special District Fees (Tysons / Reston / McLean / Sanitary Districts) | Recurring property tax surcharge, not a developer fee | Service Districts and Sanitary Districts levy recurring ad valorem property tax surcharges within district boundaries; outside ZoneFee developer-side one-time fee scope | - |
Site Plan and Document Review Fees
Site Plan Review fees are published in Appendix Q Section II.A of the Code of Fairfax County, Phase 2 effective July 1, 2025. Administered by: Fairfax County Land Development Services (LDS).
| Site Subject To | Fee |
|---|---|
| Rezoning | $2,686.00 |
| Special exception | $1,885.00 |
| Special permit | $1,885.00 |
| Variance | $1,397.00 |
| Per-application maximum cumulative review fee | $4,574.00 |
| Technology Surcharge (Section III, applies to each transaction) | 10.00% |
These are LDS-side review fees (engineering / plan review). Stand-alone Planning Commission application fees governed by Chapter 112.1 (Zoning Ordinance) may be in a separate Planning Department schedule and were not captured this pass.
Building Permit Fees
Building Permit Fees are published in Appendix Q Section I of the Code of Fairfax County, Phase 2 effective July 1, 2025, under Chapter 61 (Building Provisions). Administered by: Fairfax County Land Development Services (LDS).
Base Fees
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Base Fee (Code Ch. 61-1-3(d)1; minimum charged for any permit) | $135.00 |
| Multiple permits (per unit reduced fee) | $45.00 |
| Permits requiring no inspections | $45.00 |
| Casualty permits | $0.00 |
| After-hours inspection (per 30-minute period) | $301.00 |
| Annual permit | $135.00 |
| Asbestos removal | $135.00 |
| Code Academy levy on all building development fees | 2.00% |
| Technology Surcharge (Section III) | 10.00% |
Building Permit Fees by Construction Type (per square foot)
| Construction Type | Per-Square-Foot Fee |
|---|---|
| Type IA / IB residential | $0.270 |
| Type IIA / IIIA / IV | $0.211 |
| Type IIB / IIIB / VA / VB | $0.143 |
Other Building Fees
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Plan resubmission (commercial) | $255.00 |
| Plan resubmission (residential) | $135.00 |
| Demolition (entire structure) | $135.00 |
| Demolition (partial) | 3.00% of estimated cost |
| Modular furniture | $513.00 minimum |
| Swimming pool | $270.00 |
| Tenant alterations | 5.13% of cost (minimum $513.00) |
Source: Code of the County of Fairfax, Virginia, Appendix Q (Land Development Services Fee Schedule), Phase 2 effective July 1, 2025; verbatim Section I (Building Development Fees) and Section II.A (Site Plan and Document Review Fees) extracts via pdfplumber Stage 4 on the 26-page official PDF.
Cash Proffers (Voluntary, Case-Specific)
Fairfax County operates under Virginia's voluntary cash-proffer system per Va. Code Section 15.2-2303 and Section 15.2-2303.4 (HB 770 / 2016 reforms). Residential cash proffers are sharply constrained to impacts attributable to the rezoning itself. Fairfax County does not publish a standard cash-proffer schedule because amounts are case-specific to each rezoning application and recorded in proffer statements attached to each approved RZ / PCA. Proffer-amendment APPLICATION fees (the $2,686 site review fee for sites subject to rezoning) are captured in the Site Plan Review section above and are separate from proffer amounts themselves.
Coverage Notes - What This Page Does Not Cover
Per ZoneFee's Partial-Verified Publication Standard, the items below were not closed via verified primary sources during the 2026-05-06 verification pass. They are disclosed here rather than estimated or omitted silently.
Statutory Impact Fees
Virginia jurisdictions including Fairfax County do not use Texas-style statutory impact fees under TLGC Chapter 395. Virginia's growth-cost recovery for residential rezoning operates through voluntary cash proffers under Va. Code Section 15.2-2303 (described above). This is consistent with the Loudoun County and Prince William County precedents in the ZoneFee repository. Source consulted 2026-05-06: full 26-page extraction of Appendix Q confirmed no impact fee section.
Planning Department Application Fees (Chapter 112.1 Zoning Ordinance)
Stand-alone Planning Commission application fees governed by Chapter 112.1 (Zoning Ordinance) may live on a separate Planning Department schedule. The site review portion of those applications is captured here via Appendix Q Section II.A; a future ZoneFee verification pass will attempt to capture any separate Planning Department fee schedule.
Utility Tap / Availability Fees
Water and sewer tap and availability fees in Fairfax County are administered by Fairfax Water (a separate authority, fairfaxwater.org) and Fairfax County DPW Wastewater Treatment Division (for sanitary sewer outside the Fairfax Water service area). Per ZoneFee doctrine, deferred to a future Fairfax Water authority record. The LDS Appendix Q schedule covers building / site / fire / stormwater fees only; no utility connection charges.
Special District Fees
Fairfax County's Service Districts (Tysons Service District, Reston Community Center Tax District, McLean Community Center District) and Sanitary Districts levy recurring ad valorem property tax surcharges on real estate within district boundaries. They are not developer-side one-time fees and fall outside ZoneFee's special_district_fees scope (developer-side one-time fees on a permit / plat / site-plan basis). District tax rates are set annually by the Board of Supervisors as part of the County tax rate adoption process and are administered by the County Department of Tax Administration, not by Land Development Services.
Fee Authorities
| Authority | Fee Types | Official Website |
|---|---|---|
| Fairfax County Land Development Services (LDS) | Building Development Fees (Section I); Site Plan and Document Review Fees (Section II); Miscellaneous Fees including 10% Technology Surcharge (Section III); Stormwater; Fire Prevention | fairfaxcounty.gov/landdevelopment |
| Fairfax County Department of Planning and Development (Planning Commission) | Chapter 112.1 (Zoning Ordinance) application fees, where separate from LDS site review (not captured this pass) | fairfaxcounty.gov |
| Fairfax Water | Water connection and availability charges (separate authority, separate ZoneFee record queued) | fairfaxwater.org |
| Fairfax County DPW Wastewater Treatment Division | Sanitary sewer connection charges outside Fairfax Water service area | fairfaxcounty.gov |
Sources
| Document | Agency | Accessed |
|---|---|---|
| Code of the County of Fairfax, Virginia - Appendix Q (LDS Fee Schedule), Phase 2 effective July 1, 2025 (26 pages) | Fairfax County Land Development Services | 2026-05-06 |
| Fairfax County Land Development Services landing | Fairfax County LDS | 2026-05-06 |
Last verified by ZoneFee: 2026-05-06. Fee schedules are subject to change. Verify current rates directly with Fairfax County Land Development Services before relying on this data for any financial decision.
This page reflects fee data sourced from the Code of the County of Fairfax, Virginia, Appendix Q (Land Development Services Fee Schedule) Phase 2 effective July 1, 2025. ZoneFee does not guarantee that fee amounts are current at the time you read this page. Fee schedules change. Appendix Q is amended periodically by Board of Supervisors action; the most recent amendment (April 16, 2024) implemented a two-phase rollout with Phase 2 effective July 1, 2025. The 10.00% Technology Surcharge and 2.0% Code Academy levy apply on top of base fees. Virginia jurisdictions do not use Texas-style statutory impact fees; Virginia's growth-cost recovery operates through voluntary cash proffers under Va. Code Section 15.2-2303 with case-specific amounts recorded in proffer statements rather than a published schedule. Fairfax Water and Fairfax County DPW Wastewater Treatment Division administer utility connection charges separately and are not included on this page; a separate Fairfax Water authority record is queued. Fairfax County's Service Districts and Sanitary Districts levy recurring ad valorem property tax surcharges, not developer-side one-time fees, and fall outside ZoneFee's special_district_fees scope. Verify all current rates with Fairfax County LDS, Fairfax Water, and applicable Planning Department schedules before relying on this data for land acquisition, project budgeting, or any financial decision. This page is for research and due diligence reference only - it is not legal or financial advice.