Fairfax County Health Department permits and inspects certain public establishments and oversees installation, maintenance and monitoring of private wells and septic systems:

• Food Establishments
• Mobile Food Establishments 
• Marinas
• Private Wells, Septic Systems, and Soil
• New licensure guidance for religiously exempt child care facilities effective July 1, 2021
• Swimming Pools
• Tattoo Establishments
• Tourist Establishments (Hotels, Bed and Breakfasts, Campgrounds, Summer Camps)

See Environmental Health Fees Schedule for more information about fees.

Establishments Licensed by Other Agencies

• Home-Based Business Permit or Food Production. Cottage food products can only be offered for direct or indirect sale or service when manufactured under an approved home-based business administrative permit issued by the Department of Planning and Development or a special permit approved by the Board of Zoning Appeals and if the food items are approved by the Health Department. Applicants for a home-based business will be directed to complete the Fairfax County Home-Based Business Production Supplemental Form and attach it to their application. This is the initial registration of your cottage food products. An annual renewal of the registration of the cottage food products is required by the Health Department.
• Massage establishments are licensed by the Fairfax County Department of Cable and Consumer Services. Please contact that department for information about permitting.
• The Health Department, per Virginia Law, is required to conduct health sanitation inspections for other Commonwealth of Virginia agencies. This inspection is part of the licensing or permitting process these other agencies have for many types of businesses, establishments and facilities. A health sanitation inspection is sometimes called a CORE inspection.
  These agencies can include but are not limited to: Department of Education; Department of Social Services; Department of Corrections and Department of Juvenile Justice.  When one of these agencies requires your facility or businesses to submit an Environmental Health Sanitation Inspection conducted by the Health Department, you may request an inspection by submitting an application in PLUS.