Department Resources

Vehicles on Private Property

Vehicles are a necessary part of life for residents, businesses, and visitors to Fairfax County. However, the proliferation of vehicles stored in various ways throughout the County - parked on lawns, under tarps, commercial vehicles on residential lots, or inoperative vehicles – cause headaches for neighborhoods. To help manage, the Zoning Ordinance has rules for vehicles that are enforced by the Department of Code Compliance (DCC). Separately, The Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) handle other aspects of enforcement and help DCC in removal of some inoperative vehicles from private property.

What is “inoperative?”

Inoperative, or sometimes referred to as “junk” vehicles, refers to a vehicle that is not in operating condition or otherwise unable to be driven. This includes vehicles that have no license plates or valid inspection, are broken-down, or missing equipment necessary for operation. See more below under the section for “Inoperative Vehicles.”

Vehicles must belong to the residents or guests of a residential property, or to the customers or businesses that are approved to operate on a nonresidential property. The only exception is if a property is in the I-3, I-4, I-5 or I-6 industrial zoning districts where the storage of vehicles is permitted with an approved site plan for storage yard use.

On a residential property, a maximum of two vehicles can be parked or stored outside under a fitted car cover. This rule applies regardless of whether the vehicles are considered inoperative. There are no car cover regulations for nonresidential lots.

Vehicles parked or stored under a tarp are considered outdoor storage. On a residential property, this means that no vehicle under a tarp is allowed in any part of a front yard (including a driveway). If located in the side or rear yard, a vehicle under a tarp counts against the total allowable outdoor storage limit. More information about outdoor storage rules is available on the Outdoor Storage webpage.

Generally, an inoperative vehicle is a vehicle that can’t safely move under its own power, displays invalid or no license plates, or displays no inspection or an inspection sticker that expired over 60 days ago. An inoperative vehicle can’t be stored in plain view and needs to be kept inside, such as in a garage, or be covered by a car cover, subject to the two-vehicle limit mentioned above for residential properties. These rules don’t apply to a property zoned I-6 and where the storage of inoperative vehicles is limited to areas designated on an approved site plan for junkyard use. More information is available on DCC’s Vehicle Storage flyer.

Zoning Ordinance subsection 4102.1 allows one commercial vehicle to be parked on a residential lot in association with a dwelling. However, there are limits on the size and type of that vehicle. Vehicles including, but not limited to, food trucks and tractor trailers cannot be parked or stored on a residential property. More information, including other prohibited vehicles prohibited on residential property, is available on DCC’s Commercial Vehicle flyer.

The I-3, I-4, I-5 and I-6 industrial zoning districts are the only areas where the Zoning Ordinance allows a storage yard use, which includes the outdoor storage or parking of commercial vehicles and equipment, light vehicles and equipment, and heavy vehicles and equipment such as solid waste collection vehicles, dump trucks, cement mixers, tractors, or trailers of tractor-trailer trucks. Outdoor storage or parking of commercial vehicles, light vehicles and equipment, and heavy vehicles and equipment may also be permitted in association with a contractor’s office and shop use in those same districts, and also in the C-8 commercial zoning district, though approval of a special exception by the Board of Supervisors may be required.

On these properties, if they are 36,000 square feet or less and developed with single family detached dwellings, then the following Zoning Ordinance rules apply:

Parking of vehicles is not permitted on unsurfaced areas of the front yard (example: the lawn)
The percentage of the front yard that can be surfaced area for a driveway or other vehicle parking areas is limited to:
- 25 percent in the R-1 and R-2 Districts; and
- 30 percent in the R-3 and R-4 Districts.

More information can be found on DCC’s Yard Coverage flyer.

DCC accepts reports about vehicles and vehicle storage throughout the County. Code Compliance Investigators will visit the property, conduct observations, and document their findings.

Properties that exceed the limitations or otherwise conflict with rules will be found in violation and the owner will be issued a Notice of Violation (NOV).

The investigator will work with the property owner to explain all related violations and options for complying with the Zoning Ordinance.

If you see a potential violation of the vehicle regulations on private property, you can report it to DCC at 703-324-1300, TTY 711, online, or via email.

The Zoning Ordinance does not apply to vehicles parked on the street. Responsibilities for the rights-of-way in the County involve several agencies, including the Police Department, Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT), and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). Rules and regulations may vary depending on the location, types of vehicle parked, and if the street is in a community parking district or a residential parking permit district. Parking Districts are different from Zoning Ordinance districts. If you see a parking violation on a public street, information on how to report it is available from FCDOT.

Code Compliance

Code Compliance Alert:

Department Resources

Vehicles on Private Property

What is “inoperative?”

Should I report to Police or DCC?

Recent Interactions

Ask Fairfax

Code Compliance

Code Compliance Alert:

Department Resources

Vehicles on Private Property

What is “inoperative?”

General Information

Vehicles under a Fitted Car Cover

Vehicles under a Tarp

Inoperative Vehicles

Should I report to Police or DCC?

Commercial Vehicles on Residential Properties

Construction Vehicles and Equipment

Residential properties in the R-1, R-2, R-3, and R-4 Districts

How are vehicle rules for private property enforced?

Parking on the Street

Recent Interactions

Ask Fairfax