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Maps

Complete details of the maps available from our "Front Counter" are listed here. A visit to our Front Counter will allow you access to these maps and many more products and services.

  Property Maps Top
  In an effort to map the county for the Department of Tax Administration a grid was established that divides the county into 444 numbered sections. These sections are commonly called base maps, property maps or tax maps. Every property in the county has a unique property identification number. This several digit property number begins with the tax map number and is followed by a subdivision or acreage number, and a lot or parcel number. With the exception of the County Wall map series, all of our thematic maps are tied to the tax maps. In other words, the boundaries of the maps are determined by the tax map grid.

Property maps include:
Boundaries: State, County or Corporate, Subdivision, Block Division, Property
Legal Rights of Way: State or Interstate Highway, Railroad, Public Street, Private Street, Outlet Road, Unconstructed Right-of-way, Parking or Pavement limits
Easements: Approved Flood Plain, Recorded Flood Plain, Storm Drainage, Conservation, Ingress-Egress, Major Public Utility
Drainage: Streams, Creeks, Rivers, Ponds, Lake Banks, Concrete/Steel Dams, Earthen Dams
Districts: Agricultural and Forestal District, Special Tax District
Unique Identifiers: Double circle and number - Acreage or Subdivision, Single circle and number - Block designation, Uncircled number - Parcel or Lot number
Features and Symbols: Addresses, Address Grid, Address Grid Ticks, Subdivision Name, Split Parcels, Consolidated Lots, Questionable Property cut, Buildings, Control Monuments, Churches, Cemetaries, Schools, Firehouses, Parkland, Nature Conservancy, Marine Clay

Currently all property information is captured and maintained digitally. Property maps are updated daily and published in book format yearly. The Property Map book is available for sale at the Fairfax County Publications Center. In addition, all 444 grid sections have been compiled on a CD-ROM in PDF format. The Property Maps CD is available for sale at the GIS front counter. Individual multicolored tax maps can be purchased at a scale of 1" = 500' or 1"=200'. Individual tax maps are printed by request only. See price list for details. Our reference collection of property books dates back to 1961. Current and historic property maps can be viewed at the GIS front counter.

Source materials for property maps include site plans, deed descriptions, subdivision plats, and acreage plats. A plat is a detailed drawing taken from the survey of a property boundary. A few of the many features included on a plat are: Bearings and Distances of lot lines, Utility Easements, Area, and Curve Data. The collection is comprised of paper plats which vary in size, scale, number of pages, and condition. Plats can be viewed at the GIS front counter. Photocopies of plats can be purchased. See price list for details.

  Zoning Maps Top

 

All land in Fairfax County is zoned into residential, commercial or industrial districts. The permitted density in each zoning district and the uses allowed in each district are described in detail in the County Zoning Ordinance. The location and boundaries of the zoning districts established by this Ordinance are illustrated on official zoning maps. These maps illustrate all of the property map information as well as the zoning districts.

Zoning maps include:
Residential: 5 acres - Agricultural, 10 Acres - Preservation, 5 Acres - Conservation, 2 Acres - Estate, 1 Acre - 1 DU/AC (Dwelling Unit per Acre), ½ acre - 2 DU/AC, 3 DU/AC, 4 DU/AC, 5 DU/AC, 8 DU/AC, 12 DU/AC, 16 DU/AC, 20 DU/AC, 30 DU/AC, Mobile Home Park
Commercial: Low Rise Office, Limited Office, Office District, High Intensity Office, Neighborhood Retail, Community Retail, Highway, Super-regional Retail
Industrial: Institutional, Light Ind. Research, Research, Light Intensity, Medium Intensity, General, Heavy
Planned Units: Planned Development Housing, Planned Development Commercial, Planned Residential Community, Planned Residential Mixed-Use
Overlay Districts: Airport Noise Impact, Highway Corridor, Historic, Natural Resource, Sign Control, Water Supply Protection, Commercial Revitalization
Other Categories: Boundaries of Public & Semi-Public Lands, Planning Area Designation, Pending Zoning Cases

Currently all zoning map information is maintained digitally. Zoning maps are updated daily and published in book format yearly. The Zoning Map book, as well as, individual grid section maps at a scale of 1" = 500' are available for sale by the Fairfax County Publications Center. All 444 grid sections have been compiled on a CD-ROM in PDF format. The Zoning Maps CD is available for sale at the GIS front counter. In addition, individual multicolored zoning maps can be purchased at a scale of 1"=200'. Individual zoning maps are printed by request only. See price list for details.

  Contour Maps Top
 

A contour map illustrates ground surface elevation with lines that join points of equal elevation. These maps illustrate all of the property map information as well as contour lines. The contour interval is 5 feet. The date of the photography used to determine the ground elevation is 1997. The 1997 contour map data is not published in book format, however, all 444 grid sections have been compiled on a CD-ROM in PDF format. The Contour Maps w/Property CD is available for sale at the GIS front counter. In addition, individual multicolored contour maps can be purchased at a scale of 1" = 500' or 1" = 200'. Individual contour maps are printed by request only. See price list for details.

  Topographic Maps Top
 

A topographic map illustrates ground surface elevation, as well as, natural and human-made features on the ground surface. This information was derived from 1997 photography. The contour interval is 5 feet. These topographic maps do not show property map information. The 1997 topographic map data is not published in book format, however, all 444 grid sections have been compiled on a CD-ROM in PDF format. The Topographic Maps CD is available for sale at the GIS front counter. In addition, individual multicolored topographic maps can be purchased at a scale of 1" = 500' or 1" = 200'. Individual topographic maps are printed by request only. See price list for details.

  Soils Maps Top
 

These maps illustrate soil types, soils problem areas, and soil symbols that describe ground surface characteristics. These maps illustrate property and soils information compiled and published in 1990. Soils maps can be viewed at the GIS front counter. Photocopies of individual soils maps at a scale of 1" = 500' can be purchased. See price list for details. The Ratings of Soils for Urban Development in Fairfax County is a descriptive guide to soil types. For more information about soils in Fairfax County, contact the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District office at (703) 324-1460.

  Chesapeake Bay Preservation Areas Maps Top
 

In 1988 the Virginia General Assembly adopted the Chesapeake Bay Conservation Act. As a result, local governments were required to incorporate general water quality protection measures into their comprehensive plans, zoning ordinances, and subdivision ordinances and to establish programs, in accordance with criteria established by the Commonwealth, that define and protect certain lands which are called Chesapeake Bay Preservation Areas. The Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area maps illustrate all of the property map information as well as Resource Management Areas (RMA) and Resource Protection Areas (RPA). A RMA is that component of the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area comprised of lands that, if improperly used or developed, have a potential for causing significant water quality degradation or for diminishing the functional value of the RPA. [See Fairfax County Code, Ch. 118, Chesapeake Bay Preservation Ordinance.] A RPA is that component of the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area comprised of lands at or near the shoreline or water's edge that have an intrinsic water quality value due to the ecological and biological processes they perform or are sensitive to impacts which may result in significant degradation of the quality of state waters. In their natural condition, these lands provide for the removal, reduction or assimilation of sediments from runoff entering the Bay and its tributaries, and minimize the adverse effects of human activities on state waters and aquatic resources. New development is generally discouraged in an RPA. [See Fairfax County Code, Ch. 118, Chesapeake Bay Preservation Ordinance.] Chesapeake Bay preservation areas maps are dated 1994 and are at a scale of the 1"=500'. These maps can be viewed at the GIS front counter and photocopies of individual maps can be purchased. See price list for details.

  Flood Plain Delineation Maps Top
 

During the 1960's and 1970's the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) performed a flood plain study for most of the area of Fairfax County. A cooperative agreement between USGS and Fairfax County established a project to study the effects of basin development on floods and to delineate flood boundaries on specially prepared maps of stream valleys. The results of this study include a series of USGS Open-File Reports. The Open-File Reports include water-surface profile data, flood profiles, and topographic maps with flood boundary delineation. As stated on each map, the map shows the extent of inundation for floods of 25-, 50-, and 100-year recurrence intervals. As applied to flood events, a recurrence interval is the average interval of time within which a given flood will be equaled or exceeded once. No periodicity is implied. In addition to the flood-delineation lines, each map also includes topography with a 2 foot contour interval for the area around the stream. The Open-file Reports and the Maps can be viewed at the GIS front counter. Blue line prints of the 1"=100' scale mylar film overlays can be purchased. See price list for details. Photocopies of associated water-surface profile data tables from the open-file reports are included free by request with the purchase of blue line prints of the mylar film overlays. Field notes from the USGS flood plain study are stored on microfilm rolls. The microfilm can be viewed at the GIS front counter. Prints generated from the microfilm can be purchased. See price list for details. Flood plain studies of Dogue Creek basin, Little Hunting Creek basin, the upper tributaries of Cameron Run basin, and Tripps Run and Holmes Run above Lake Barcroft were performed by Massey Engineers Consultants. The results of this study are a series of Drainage Reports. Drainage Reports include a flood profile for a 100-year recurrence interval discharge and a topographic map of the stream valley with a 2 foot contour interval and the 100-year flood boundary delineation line. The map scale is 1 inch = 100 feet. Drainage Reports can be viewed at the GIS front counter. Blue line prints of the mylar sepia report can be purchased. See price list for details.

  What we Compile and Publish but do not sell Top
 

The following products are sold by Fairfax County Publications Center, County Government Center, Suite 156. Telephone: 703-324-2974

Products followed by an asterisk (*) are currently out-of-stock

Fairfax County Wall Maps Series - (1 inch = 4000 feet)

  • Cemeteries Sites*
  • C.H.A.S. Housing and Community Development
  • Commercial and Industrial Development*
  • Countywide Trails Plan
  • Elementary School Attendance Areas
  • Fire and Rescue Department Assignment Box System
  • High School Attendance Areas
  • Historic Sites Inventory
  • Land Patents and Northern Neck Grants
  • Middle School Attendance Areas
  • Office and Industrial Zoning
  • Planning Districts*
  • Postal Zip Codes
  • Public Facilities
  • Public Parks
  • Public Schools
  • Radon Potential
  • Solid Waste Refuse Collection and Recycling
  • Sanitary Sewers*
  • Sewersheds*
  • Streets - 3 colors (black, blue, red) with tax grid
  • Streets - 3 colors (black, blue, red) with tax grid and yellow tint
  • Streets - 3 colors (black, blue, red) with yellow tint
  • Streets - black & white
  • Streets - black & white with tax grid
  • Sub Census Tracts with Planning Districts
  • Sub Census Tracts with Supervisor Districts
  • Supervisor Districts
  • Transportation Plan
  • Utilities Water and Gas*
  • Volunteer Groups*
  • Voting Precincts
  • Watersheds

Fairfax County Wall Maps Series (1 inch = 2000 feet)

These maps are sold as a 4 sheet set
  • Streets - 3 colors (black, blue, red)*
  • Streets - 3 colors (black, blue, red) with tax grid*
  • Streets - 3 colors (black, blue, red) with tax grid and yellow tint
  • Public Facilities*
  • Fairfax County, Virginia Street & Area Designation Atlas*

 


   

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Last Modified: Thursday, January 04, 2007