June 10, 2025
In November 2024, the Office of the Fire Marshal sent out a letter to industry titled, "Electric Strike Requirements, Submittal Information, and Inspections." As a follow-up to that letter to industry, Land Development Services and the Office of the Fire Marshal offers the following information to clarify and simplify the “Submittal and Inspection Requirements for Access and Egress Control, Delayed Egress Locking, and Latching Systems” process. The new process will be effective as of March 31st, 2025.
An electrical low voltage permit and a building permit are required for all access or egress control systems, delayed egress locking, and latching system installations. If the scope of work covers special locking systems as defined in the Description and Requirements for Special Locking Hardware document, an additional fire door lock permit is required and will be reviewed by the Office of the Fire Marshal.
Any deviations from the work shown on the building permit that are made to the special locking systems arrangement as part of the fire door lock permit submission, shall be reflected in an amendment record to the parent building record.
Special door locking systems will be identified during the plan review stage for the building permit. To ensure all special locking systems are identified properly, all door hardware schedules shall be submitted and show the standardized details for identifying normal locks vs special locks on the building plan as outlined in the Door Hardware Schedule Requirements document.
Contact the Office of the Fire Marshal with any questions.
May 15, 2025
Fairfax County will start accepting submissions for the James M. Scott Exceptional Design Awards on Monday, May 19. Established in 1984, the awards program celebrates outstanding planning and projects with design features that enhance the experience of site users and visitors. The program aims to raise awareness of both public and private projects.
Design submissions should meet some or all of the following criteria:
Exemplifies a superior work of architecture.
Incorporates outstanding site design and landscaping.
Takes into account the context of the project design in relationship to its surroundings.
Applies energy, and water conservation, and other green building practices.
Projects completed in Fairfax County within the last five years, since January 1, 2020, are eligible for submission. Submissions must be received by email or mail by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, June 17. More information about submission categories, requirements and the entry form are available on the awards webpage.
Awards are granted in three categories: honor, merit, and honorable mention. A jury of design professionals, including architects, will select the winners and announce them in August.
The James M. Scott Exceptional Design Awards program is sponsored by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and administered by the Fairfax County Department of Planning and Development, in cooperation with the county’s Architectural Review Board and the Northern Virginia Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
For more information, questions or assistance, contact the Department of Planning and Development at 703-324-1281, TTY 711.
VIEW THE 2024, 40th ANNIVERSARY WINNERS!
May 12, 2025
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved proposed fee adjustments from Land Development Services (LDS) on April 16, 2024, marking the first significant update since 2015. LDS was directed to increase fees over a two-year period starting on July 1, 2024. The full amount of fees set forth in the Staff Report dated March 5, 2024, will be effective July 1, 2025. The new fees will better align with the current costs of providing land development services, which have risen due to increased personnel costs and other inflation-related factors.
Building fees (excluding vertical transportation) will experience a 12.5% increase on July 1, 2025. Site-related fees will increase by 5%. A technology surcharge fee will rise from 7% to 10%. The code academy surcharge fee will increase by 1% and be applied to all building records. The fees for pedestrian bridges and minor revisions to site-related plans will also increase. See the infographic below for more details on all the fee changes.
All fee changes will apply only to applications submitted after July 1, 2025. Applications filed before these dates will be subject to the fees that were in place at the time of filing. See the amended fees policy document Appendix Q, and see details about zoning fee schedule changes.