Board of Zoning Appeals ( BZA)

The Fairfax County Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) was established pursuant to the provisions of Article 7, Chapter 22, Title 15.2 of the Code of Virginia. The BZA's powers, duties and procedures are set forth in broad terms in the State Code and are further detailed in the Fairfax County Zoning Ordinance. Such powers and duties include:

• Hearing and deciding appeals of administrative decisions made pursuant to the Zoning Ordinance.
• Hearing and deciding upon applications for special permits and variances as authorized by the Zoning Ordinance.
• Hearing and deciding on applications for interpretation of the Zoning Map where there is uncertainty as to the location of a zoning district boundary.

The BZA consists of seven (7) members appointed by the Circuit Court for staggered terms of five years. All members of the BZA are private citizens and must be residents of Fairfax County. They serve only as a Board and not as County employees and, as such, do not have County office space nor are they available by telephone in the County government.

The Board of Zoning Appeals meets in the Board Auditorium at the Fairfax County Government Center on Tuesday mornings of each month beginning at 9:00 a.m. For a list of dates see the meeting agendas. Generally a three week recess is taken in August/September.