Happy New Year! Here in Department of Code Compliance (DCC), we are so proud of what we accomplished this past year. In 2025, DCC delivered excellent service to the residents, businesses, and visitors of Fairfax County. We continue to build on efforts to provide education, outreach, and responsive enforcement actions which prioritize community safety and wellbeing.

Year in Review

DCC programs for managing community-based concerns continue to be popular across the County. Our dedicated intake team provides front-facing customer service, processing over 8,600 phone calls, 3,600 electronic submissions in PLUS, and responding to 545 Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.

In total, we received and assigned over 7,000 code compliance records in 2025. Our 29 investigators, along with our seasonal crews for tall grass enforcement, conducted 12,000 inspection activities. Enforcement of the Zoning Ordinance makes up the largest part of our casework– about 45% of inspections, followed by Property Maintenance (21%), Unpermitted Construction (17%), Tall Grass (13%), and Bamboo (4%). At the time of this report, DCC closed 6,274 records in 2025 – about 88% of the total assigned during this past year.

Achieving Voluntary Compliance through Education

DCC emphasizes education as a key enforcement strategy, facilitating voluntary compliance in 94% of cases closed in 2025, avoiding legal actions while maintaining public safety. While we issued over 1,500 Notices of Violation, we brought only 237 cases forward to initiate legal action, showcasing our commitment to achieving voluntary compliance and preventing unnecessary hardships.

Enhanced Communications and Community Engagement

In 2025, DCC implemented a comprehensive communications strategy aligned with equity values like accessibility and transparency. Highlights include participation in 15 community events, distribution of 12 editions of Code Compliance Corner, and providing ongoing updates to key digital resources in English and Spanish, such as a list of Frequent Referrals (Derivaciones Frecuentes) that provides a useful resource for investigators in the field who often help direct community members to various Countywide services. DCC also established a new customer feedback form so we can hear directly from you about what we’re doing well and what suggestions you have for improvement.

Building Organizational Capacity

With an operational team of 29 field investigators, each handling about 200 cases annually, time is at a premium and we want to use it as efficiently as possible. To help, DCC continues to refine our analytical tools, adding to our business intelligence dashboards and installing a new GIS data layer to help us disaggregate and evaluate cases geographically. Soon, we hope to evaluate casework in context with other risk factors like structure age and safety incidents. This can help us focus on areas of most significant concern.

We were also glad to hire a new certified building inspector, enabling better management of unpermitted construction investigations across our five enforcement districts. We also revised intake procedures to reduce unfounded complaints and updated case management guidelines to prioritize life-safety issues and ensure consistency. These improvements bolster operational efficiency and resource management, while supporting staff development.

Highlighted Casework

Building Proactive Partnerships

Vacant and unsecured properties are a common source of concern, often allowing trash to accumulate and increasing the potential for criminal activity. In Annadale, we worked in partnership with Fairfax County Police who had reported unsanitary and unsafe conditions outside of a vacant commercial property. By ensuring this property owner is accountable while the building is vacant, we help keep the neighborhood clean and reduce the likelihood of further deterioration and crime.

Tackling Complex Livability Concerns

In Mount Vernon District, again in coordination with Fairfax County Police Department, DCC worked to secure and clean a property which was being used for illicit activity and causing significant harm to the surrounding neighborhood. Working together with multiple departments is often necessary to address complex challenges.

Upholding Ongoing Compliance

In Providence District, we responded to a report of multiple commercial vehicles cluttering a parking lot in Tysons. With the help of the property owner, these stored vehicles were all removed. While having places for commercial uses like this is important, long-term storage of vehicles and equipment needs proper approval.

Addressing Unsightly Hazards

In Franconia, we worked with a property owner to resolve a significant accumulation of outdoor storage of trash and debris. Along with being an eyesore that detracts from the neighborhood’s attractiveness, it can harbor rats and insects and is also a fire safety hazard.

Supporting Countywide Goals

Transportation safety might not be something you associate with DCC, but as you can see here from this example in Braddock District, DCC Investigators respond and resolve vision-clearance obstructions for the benefit of drivers, bike riders, and pedestrians.

These examples are just some of the thousands of success stories we are proud to help create each year throughout our communities. The diligent, thoughtful work of our team supports our mission to promote, protect, and maintain a healthy and desirable living environment in Fairfax County.

The Department of Code Compliance (DCC) is here to help – if you have questions, want to make a report, or if you are the subject of enforcement and need to contact us. You can report problems online, learn about what happens during an investigation, reach us via email, phone (703-324-1300 / TTY 711), or visit us in person at 12055 Government Center Parkway, Suite 1016, Fairfax, VA 22035.