Codes and Standards

Department Resources

Building Codes

Fairfax County is required to enforce the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code (USBC) and the Statewide Fire Prevention Code (SFPC). Both codes are administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development and reference the 2018 International Codes as published by the International Code Council. Learn more about the USBC, referenced codes and their adoption dates since 1973.

Beginning July 1, 2022, all Fairfax County applications and plans must meet the 2018 Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code (USBC) requirements.

Local Design Load Criteria

Type	Criteria
Ground snow load	25 psf	1.25 kN/m²
Ultimate Wind Speed (V_ult):
Risk Category I Risk Category II and Residential Risk Category III	105 mph 115 mph 120 mph	47 m/s 51 m/s 54 m/s
Frost depth	24 in.	600 mm
Earthquake spectral response acceleration For site-specific designer may obtain information from: https://hazards.atcouncil.org/	at short periods: 0.129 at 1 second period: 0.053
Residential Seismic Design Category	A
Weathering probability for concrete	severe
Termite infestation probability	moderate to heavy
Decay probability	slight to moderate
Ice shield underlayment required	yes
Flood hazards (date of entry into National Flood Insurance Program)	3/5/1990
Winter Design Temperature	17°F	-9°C
Air freezing index	<=1500°F	<=815°C
Mean annual temperature	50°F	10°C