Code Compliance

CONTACT INFORMATION: Code Compliance is open 8AM - 4PM Mon-Thurs and 9:15AM - 4PM Fridays.
703-324-1300 TTY 711
12055 Government Center Parkway, Suite 1016
Fairfax, VA 22035
Gabriel M. Zakkak
Director

Department Resources

Code Compliance FAQs

The Department of Code Compliance investigates neighborhood quality of life complaints, involving most zoning, noise, property maintenance, building, fire, blight, grass and health codes. The department consolidates many of the county’s code enforcement activities into a single agency.

Additional information on zoning regulations is available from the Planner of the Day in the Department of Planning and Development at 703-324-1314, TTY 711.

Information on how to obtain building or trade permit (electric, plumbing, etc.) is available from Land Development Services at 703-222-0801, TTY 711.

If any of the following topics concern a report you wish to make to Department of Code Compliance, please file your report online or call 703-324-1300, TTY 711.

Animals

The Zoning Ordinance and Chapter 41.1 of the County Code allow residents to keep certain animals, such as cats, dogs and hamsters, on their property for personal enjoyment and non-commercial purposes. Additional information is available on the Department of Planning and Development’s Keeping of Animals flyer. 

You can have up to two dogs on any lot. If you want more than two, it will depend on the size of your lot. Please see the Department of Planning and Development’s Keeping of Animals flyer for more information.

Businesses

A list of the permitted home-based businesses, how to obtain the required home-based business permit, and additional information can be obtained from the Department of Planning and Development. A summary of this information is also summarized in DCC’s Home-based Business flyer.

Rental Properties

Visit What Tenants and Landlords Need to Know for specific information regarding tenant and landlord rights and responsibilities or call Consumer Affairs at 703-222-8435, TTY 711. DCC can assist with issues related directly to faulty plumbing, electrical, or mechanical appliances that the landlord is refusing to repair.  

DCC receives many reports about mold. However, mold by itself is not considered a property maintenance violation. If the mold is being caused by leaks or malfunctioning building systems (e.g. roof leaking or air condenser causing moisture within a unit), then those may be violations that DCC can assist with. However, fixing the source of the problem would be considered compliance, even if the mold itself was not removed during repair. We encourage residents with concerns about mold to visit the Environmental Protection Agency website for more information. Owners or tenants may be advised to seek a third-party contractor to acquire mold spore levels.

Construction and Renovation

The Permit Application Center can be reached at 703-222-0801, TTY 711, or visit the Building Permits and Inspections Web page for more information.

Residential Inspections can be reached at 703-631-5101, TTY 711, or visit the Building Permits and Inspections Web page for more information.

Use the Zoning District Analyzer to find out how your property is zoned.

This is determined by the setbacks for your zoning district. The Zoning District Analyzer can help you find out how your property is zoned.

Complaints and Violation Processes

Please see DCC’s About Us page and scroll down to What Happens During an Investigation?

  • It depends whether complainant information for the type of complaint must be released under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). For complaints regarding potential violations of the Zoning Ordinance, Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, and the Statewide Fire Prevention Code, your identity is exempt from FOIA, so DCC does not provide your identity for these types of complaints.
  • If you file a report of running bamboo or grass height, your identity is not FOIA-exempt, and DCC must release your identity if a FOIA is submitted. DCC would not release your identity prior to a FOIA request. Anonymous complaints are accepted but not preferred. A DCC Investigator may need to contact you for relevant information, and the Investigator may have to close your complaint if information can’t be obtained.

A Notice of Violation, or NOV, is the way DCC legally informs a property owner or other responsible party of an observed violation. Please see DCC’s Notice of Violation website for more information.

Notices of Violation provide information on how to appeal and how soon the appeal must be filed. PLUS is the County system for filing all appeal applications. Noise Ordinance violations can only be appealed to the court system.

DCC’s goal is not to impose fines. However, if we cannot work with responsible parties to achieve voluntary compliance, DCC may ask a court to impose fines and/or for an order to abate the violation. Until the matter is heard in court, there are no fines or amounts due.

Yes. DCC will expedite and prioritize certain life-safety situations, such as an occupied building in danger of collapse or without an exit path, are expedited. Typically, you can expect our team to conduct a first inspection within two weeks of receiving the complaint, but timelines vary based on the type of report and overall workload for the agency.

Property Upkeep

  • Depending on the scope of work, clearcutting and grading (land disturbance), may be found in violation of site related regulations. See more information about land disturbance on the Land Development Services website.
  • Certain activities are restricted within Resource Protection Area (RPA)’s. See more information about RPA’s on the Land Development Services website.
  • Landscaping debris, including arboreal waste, is not regulated by the County.  There is no county regulation regarding tree removal unless in a Resource Protected Area. More information regarding tree care and removal is available from Urban Forestry.

DCC will work with our partner agencies, including Stormwater Management, to determine if there is a drainage violation. For general concerns about flooding and drainage, we suggest using the Report a Storm Drainage Problem online form or call the Maintenance and Stormwater Management at 703-877-2800, TTY 711.

These issues may fall under the Virginia Property Maintenance Code (VPMC), which DCC enforces. More information is available on our Property Maintenance page.

TOO MANY PEOPLE IN A HOME

This topic may span multiple codes that DCC enforces, including the Zoning Ordinance. More information is available on our Household Living, Overcrowding and Multiple Dwellings webpage.

VEHICLES

DCC does not conduct parking enforcement on public streets. Information on how to report parking violations is available from the Fairfax County Department of Transportation. If the commercial vehicles are associated with a business operating from a residential property, you may report that to DCC as a potential violation.

Parking in the front yard grass may be a violation, depending on the zoning district and lot size. If the property is zoned R-1, R-2, R-3 or R-4 and contains a single family detached dwelling on 36,000 square feet or less of land, then parking in the front yard grass is not allowed.

There are different rules for vehicle storage depending on the property. Visit our Vehicles on Private Property page for more information.

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