Frederick County, Virginia - County Development Fees
Frederick County | County | Northern Shenandoah Valley / Winchester metro | Winchester, VA-WV MSA | County administrative center: Winchester (independent city; County offices at 107 N Kent St, Winchester VA 22601) | FIPS 51069
Frederick County surrounds the independent City of Winchester at the top of the Shenandoah Valley in northern Virginia. The County's Planning and Development Department administers a single consolidated Development Review Fees schedule (Revised 03/08/2023) that covers rezoning, site plan, subdivision, master development plan, conditional use permit, variance, BZA appeal, transfer of development rights, and Chapter 161 septic fees. Water and sewer connection fees are administered separately by Frederick Water (formerly the Frederick County Sanitation Authority), a distinct public service authority. County government is at 107 N Kent Street, Winchester VA 22601.
Fee Summary
| Fee Type | Status | Top-Line Figure | Effective Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rezoning, Site Plan, Subdivision, and Development Review Fees | Confirmed | Rezoning $5,000-$10,000 base + per-acre; residential site plan $3,500 base + $300/unit; CUP $750; variance $400 | 2023-03-08 |
| Impact Fees (Va. Code 15.2-2317) | Not administered by this jurisdiction | Frederick County is not on the Commonwealth Transportation Board high-growth-locality list; road impact fees not authorized | - |
| Utility Tap / Connection Fees | Not administered by this jurisdiction | Water and sewer service is provided by Frederick Water, a separate public service authority; connection fees are Frederick Water's | - |
| Cash Proffers (Va. Code 15.2-2303) | Unavailable via published sources | Proffers negotiated case by case using the Development Impact Model; $1,000 proffer-amendment processing fee captured under zoning; no standing cash-proffer rate schedule | - |
| Special District Fees (CDA / SSD / BID) | Not administered by this jurisdiction | Shawneeland and Lake Holiday Sanitary Districts are tax-levy residential service districts, not developer-side fee districts | - |
Development Review Fees - Current Operative Schedule
Source: Frederick County Development Review Fees schedule (Revised 03/08/2023; SHA-256 2a1a6e68...), administered by the Frederick County Planning and Development Department. The schedule was captured verbatim this pass from the canonical Development Review Fees PDF asset (fcva.us showpublisheddocument 25092) via a browser-context fetch; the asset returns HTTP 403 to non-browser clients but serves the document to ordinary browsers. The Planning and Development Department does not issue invoices directly to applicants and will never request or accept payment by wire transfer.
Comprehensive Plan, Rezoning, and Master Development Plan
| Fee Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Comprehensive Plan Amendment | $3,000 (non-refundable) |
| Rezoning - Proffer amendments not requiring a public hearing | $1,000 |
| Rezoning - 2 acres or less | $5,000 base + $100 per acre |
| Rezoning - More than 2, less than 150 acres | $10,000 base + $100 per acre |
| Rezoning - 150 acres or more | $10,000 base + $100 per acre (first 150) + $50 per acre over 150 |
| Master Development Plan | $3,000 base + $100 per acre (first 150) + $50 per acre over 150 |
Site Plan
| Fee Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Site Plan - Non-residential | $2,500 base + $200 per acre to 5 acres + $100 per acre over 5 |
| Site Plan - Residential | $3,500 base + $300 per unit to 20 units + $100 per unit over 20 |
| Minor Site Plan (revision increasing existing structure area by 20% or less, not exceeding 10,000 sf disturbed) | $500 |
Subdivision
| Fee Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Subdivision - Non-Residential Design Plan | $1,000 base + $200 per lot |
| Subdivision - Non-Residential Plat | $100 per lot |
| Subdivision - Residential (RP, R4, R5) Design Plan | $2,500 base + $100 per lot |
| Subdivision - Residential (RP, R4, R5) Plat | $200 per lot to 50 lots; $100 per lot over 50 |
| Subdivision - Rural Areas (RA) Sketch (Design) | $2,500 base + $200 per acre |
| Subdivision - Rural Areas (RA) Plat | $200 per lot |
| Subdivision - Rural Areas (RA) Minor (3 lots or less) | $200 per lot |
| Lot Consolidation | $200 per lot |
| Boundary Line Adjustment | $200 per lot |
| Subdivision Ordinance Exception | $500 |
Conditional Use Permits and Telecommunication Towers
| Fee Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Conditional Use Permit - Cottage Occupation | $75 |
| Conditional Use Permit - Telecommunication Tower greater than 50 ft in height | $750 |
| Conditional Use Permit - Other | $750 |
| Administrative Towers (per 165-204.19) - Up to five facilities/structures | $100 |
| Administrative Towers - Each additional facility | $50 |
| Administrative Towers - Small Cell Facilities | $50 |
| Administrative Towers - Co-location on an existing wireless structure | $50 |
Variance, Appeals, Letters, and Bond Management
| Fee Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Variance | $400 |
| BZA Appeal | $250 |
| Zoning Certification Letter | $250 |
| Zoning Determination Letter | $100 |
| Third and Subsequent Plan Reviews (including County Attorney review), per single development application | $500 per review |
| Bond Management - Establishment of bond | $500 |
| Bond Management - Reduction / Release | $300 |
| Bond Management - Replacement | $300 |
| Postponement of a Public Hearing or Public Meeting by Applicant after Advertisement (incl. request to TABLE) | $750 per occurrence |
Transfer of Development Rights (TDR), Chapter 161 Septic, and Short-Term Lodging
| Fee Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| TDR Program - Application Review (includes TDR Letter of Intent) | $300 |
| TDR Program - TDR Certificate | $200 |
| TDR Program - Certificate Ownership Transfer | $50 |
| TDR Program - Receiving Property Approval | $200 |
| TDR Program - Review of Sending Property Deed Covenant | $100 |
| TDR Program - Review of Deed of Transfer (Extinguishment Document) | $100 |
| Chapter 161 - Installation License | $300 |
| Chapter 161 - Septic Haulers Permit | $200 |
| Chapter 161 - Residential Pump and Haul | $50 |
| Chapter 161 - Commercial Pump and Haul | $500 |
| Short-Term Lodging (STL) Permit | $200 |
| Short-Term Lodging (STL) Permit Renewals | $100 |
Coverage Notes - What This Page Does Not Cover
Per ZoneFee's Partial-Verified Publication Standard, the items below were not closed via confirmed fee amounts on this page. They are disclosed here rather than estimated or omitted silently.
Impact Fees (Va. Code 15.2-2317)
Virginia road impact fees under Va. Code Section 15.2-2317 are restricted to localities designated high-growth by the Commonwealth Transportation Board, and that designation does not include Frederick County. The captured Development Review Fees schedule has zero impact-fee line items, and a walk of the fcva.us sitemap (6,433 page URLs) surfaced no road or transportation impact-fee schedule. The County's Development Impact Model is a TischlerBise fiscal-impact projection tool used in rezoning analysis, not a road impact fee. Closed-search outcome: not administered by this jurisdiction.
Utility Tap / Connection Fees
Water and sewer service in Frederick County is provided by Frederick Water (formerly the Frederick County Sanitation Authority), a separate public service authority, not by Frederick County general government. The consolidated Development Review Fees schedule contains no water or sewer connection or tap-fee line item, and the Chapter 161 septic and pump-and-haul fees captured above are on-site-sewage handling permits, not public water and sewer connection fees. Frederick Water connection and availability fees are a separate authority's schedule and a future ZoneFee authority-page candidate. Closed-search outcome: not administered by this jurisdiction.
Cash Proffers (Va. Code 15.2-2303)
Frederick County accepts voluntary conditional-zoning proffers at applicant initiative under Va. Code Sections 15.2-2303 and 15.2-2303.4, and uses the Development Impact Model (adopted by the Board of Supervisors on October 12, 2005 and updated annually by the DIM Oversight Committee) to project the fiscal impact of rezoning applications. The Development Impact Model is an analytic tool used in proffer negotiations, not a published standing per-unit cash-proffer rate schedule. The only published proffer-related charge is the $1,000 fee for a proffer amendment not requiring a public hearing (captured under development review fees above). Cash proffers are negotiated case by case. Closed-search outcome: unavailable via published sources.
Special District Fees (CDA / SSD / BID)
Frederick County contains two sanitary districts - Shawneeland Sanitary District and Lake Holiday Sanitary District - but these are residential community service districts funded by special tax levies and assessments on the ad valorem roll under Va. Code 15.2-2400 et seq. (road maintenance, refuse, amenities), not developer-side connection or impact-fee schedules. The Development Review Fees schedule contains no Community Development Authority, Special Service District, or Business Improvement District developer-side fee line item. Closed-search outcome: not administered by this jurisdiction.
Fee Authorities
| Authority | Fee Types | Official Website |
|---|---|---|
| Frederick County Planning and Development Department | Comprehensive plan amendments, rezoning, site plans, subdivision, master development plan, conditional use permits, variance, BZA appeal, zoning certification and determination letters, TDR program, Chapter 161 septic, short-term lodging, administrative towers | fcva.us/departments/planning-development/forms-applications |
| Frederick Water (separate public service authority) | Water and sewer connection (availability) fees - administered separately from County general government; out of scope for this page | fcva.us/services/frederick-water |
Sources
| Document | Agency | Accessed |
|---|---|---|
| Development Review Fees schedule (Revised 03/08/2023; SHA-256 2a1a6e68...) - via the Planning and Development Forms & Applications page | Frederick County, VA - Planning and Development Department | 2026-06-01 |
Last verified by ZoneFee: 2026-06-01. Fee schedules are subject to change. Verify current rates directly with Frederick County before relying on this data for any financial decision.
This page reflects fee data sourced from the Frederick County Development Review Fees schedule (Revised 03/08/2023; SHA-256 2a1a6e68...), administered by the Frederick County Planning and Development Department. ZoneFee does not guarantee that fee amounts are current at the time you read this page. Fee schedules change. Frederick County is not a Commonwealth Transportation Board high-growth locality, so Va. Code 15.2-2317 road impact fees do not apply; water and sewer connection fees are administered separately by Frederick Water; the County accepts proffers under Va. Code 15.2-2303 but publishes no standing cash-proffer schedule, and administers no Community Development Authority, Special Service District, or Business Improvement District developer-fee schedule. Verify all current rates directly with Frederick County 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.