The Department of Land Development Services (LDS) is making it faster and easier for businesses to invest in Fairfax County. LDS has made processing changes and reallocated staffing resources to speed up its Commercial Fast Track building plan reviews, reducing the review time for eligible projects from 13 business days to two to three business days. 

The goal is simple: help businesses move their projects forward without long delays. This is following the success of the department’s Residential Fast Track program, which recently helped residents see a reduced review time from five businesses days to one.

Projects that may be eligible for Commercial Fast Track include:

• Office and retail alterations and tenant build-outs up to 12,000 square feet
• Systems furniture
• Tenant space demolitions
• Sales trailers
• Sales offices in model home garages
• Awnings with no posts
• Cell phone antenna replacement
• Minor alterations in other uses

In addition to the Commercial Fast Track Program, as part of our ongoing commitment to enhance service delivery and streamline the review process in support of the county’s economic development goals, LDS has implemented tiered building plan review timelines based on project complexity for commercial projects.  

This new approach is designed to better align review timelines with the scope and complexity of each project, helping customers receive approvals more quickly. Under the enhanced process, many large-scale commercial alterations that are straightforward and less complex may now qualify for review within 14 business days, significantly reducing the previous standard review timeframe of 39 business days. More complex commercial and multifamily residential projects will continue to follow the standard 39 business day review process. This change provides greater predictability, improved service, and faster turnaround times for eligible projects, helping customers move their projects forward more efficiently.

Metrics showing the agency’s performance against these review timelines are published weekly on the LDS Metrics webpage. 

For questions, contact staff by phone at 703-222-0801, option 2, TTY 711 or by email at LDSBuildingPermits@fairfaxcounty.gov. 

Learn more about the Commercial Fast Track program here: Fast Track Building Plan Review | Planning, Permitting and Construction