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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. The Department of Code Compliance (DCC) investigates concerns of land disturbance potentially in violation of site related regulations.
Certain activities are restricted within Resource Protection Area (RPA)’s. See more information about RPA’s on the Land Development Services website. DCC investigates concerns regarding potential RPA-related violations.
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 and Community 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.

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.

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.

Code Compliance

Code Compliance Alert:

Department Resources

Code Compliance FAQs

Animals

Businesses

Rental Properties

Construction and Renovation

Complaints and Violation Processes

Property Upkeep

TOO MANY PEOPLE IN A HOME

VEHICLES

Recent Interactions

Ask Fairfax

Code Compliance

Code Compliance Alert:

Department Resources

Code Compliance FAQs

Animals

What animals am I not permitted to own?

What are the regulations for the number of dogs…?

Businesses

What type of businesses are people allowed to run from their home?

Rental Properties

My landlord is refusing to fix some issues. What can I do about that?

The house I'm renting had a water leak. The leaking pipes were repaired, but now there is mold. What agency deals with mold?

Construction and Renovation

What is the number for permits?

What is the number for residential inspections?

How is my property zoned?

What are my setbacks? Where can I build my shed, fence, or addition?

Complaints and Violation Processes

What is the process for investigating a complaint?

If I file a complaint, will my identity be kept confidential?

What is a Notice of Violation?

How do you appeal a Notice of Violation?

Are fines charged to people who violate a code?

Does DCC prioritize certain complaints and reports?

Property Upkeep

My neighbor cut down a lot of trees in his yard and left the debris at the back of his lot line. Can you cite him for the tree debris and make him remove it?

My neighbor graded his yard and now all the water flows into my backyard and creates a huge puddle and has nowhere to go. Can you make my neighbor fix this drainage issue?

A house in the neighborhood has broken windows, peeling paint, falling gutters and other similar issues. Is there an agency that I can contact to deal with these types of issues?

TOO MANY PEOPLE IN A HOME

How many people are allowed to live in one house?

VEHICLES

There are broken down vehicles, commercial trucks, vans, and other parking problems on my street. What should I do?

My neighbor parks a car in their front yard grass. Is that allowed?

Can someone store junk vehicles on their property?

Recent Interactions

Ask Fairfax