Land Development Services

Currently, applicants must obtain a VDOT permit for work proposed within the state right-of-way. As part of the county’s infill lot grading plan process, the permit applicant shows proof of the approved VDOT permit at the county’s site pre-construction meeting. The below process outlines how to successfully navigate your VDOT permit package submission with your county infill lot grading plan submission.

1. Applicant submits an initial permit package to VDOT for preliminary review via one of two ways:
   1. Submitted to VDOT permits office for staff to review within 15-calendar days, or
   2. Schedule an in-person appointment with VDOT permits staff to review project details and receive comments in person.
2. VDOT completes their preliminary review and shares comments directly with the applicant. Comments will include any necessary standards and details to add to the infill lot grading plan (INF plan).
3. Applicant concurrently submits their first submission INF plan to Fairfax County Land Development Services (LDS), via the Planning and Land Use System (PLUS).
4. LDS completes INF plan review and provides comments to the applicant via the PLUS digital plan room.
5. Applicant addresses resulting comments from LDS, including VDOT’s preliminary comments, prior to INF plan resubmission in PLUS.
6. LDS approves INF plan and issues the county land disturbance permit once all pre-approval conditions are satisfied.
7. VDOT permit office receives an automated email notification from PLUS, notifying them of each INF plan approval and providing a link to the public-facing PLUS portal where the approved INF plan can be viewed.
8. Applicant files VDOT Land Use Permit Application online with county-approved INF plan.
9. VDOT completes their review within approximately ten (10) business days, resulting in the issuance of VDOT’s Land Use Permit (LUP), provided the application satisfactorily addresses VDOT’s preliminary review comments and the county-approved grading plan design has not changed.
10. Applicant schedules a pre-construction (pre-con) meeting with LDS’ Site Development and Inspections Division, providing their approved VDOT permit, when applicable.

For more information on the county’s infill lot grading plan submission process, visit the Infill Lot Grading Plans (INF) permit library guide. For questions, email the Site Services at LDSsiteservices@fairfaxcounty.gov or call 703-222-0801, TTY 711.

Please be advised that the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is proposing two sets of amendments to the Erosion and Stormwater Management (VESM) Regulation [9VAC25-875], which is the regulation governing Fairfax County’s Erosion and Stormwater Management Ordinance (Ch. 124.1).

You may comment on the amendments in a Town Hall comment forum as soon as they are published in the Virginia Register of Regulations. If you sign up for the Town Hall email notification service, you will be notified when the comment forum opens.

• The first set of amendments will be published in the Virginia Register of Regulations on October 7, 2024, for a 30-day comment period with an effective date of November 21, 2024. The amendment is described by DEQ as correcting technical errors that will improve clarity and certainty by making the VESM Regulation internally consistent, removing outdated requirements, and accurately reflecting requirements in the State Water Control Law. The proposed amendments can be viewed on the Virginia Regulatory Town Hall at: https://www.townhall.virginia.gov/L/ViewStage.cfm?stageid=10407.
• The second set of amendments is currently under review at the Office of the Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources and will be published in the Virginia Register of Regulations at a future date. The amendment is described by DEQ as amending the VESM to update sections and requirements that are out of date and burdensome to the regulated community because they do not reflect current practices, technology, or data about land use and nutrient loading. The proposed amendments can be viewed on the Virginia Regulatory Town Hall at: https://www.townhall.virginia.gov/L/ViewStage.cfm?stageid=10406.

If you have any questions, please contact John Friedman, P.E. with the Site Code Research and Development Branch at 703-324-1773, TTY 711.

Separation permits are used in commercial construction when a portion of the approved and permitted work is not ready for final inspection, but the rest of the project is complete. Life safety elements and code-required items cannot be separated from the area intended to occupy and inspected later. Additionally, separation permits are not intended to allow phased occupancy or phased construction. Phased occupancy and phased construction projects should be determined prior to submission of the initial permit application and coordinated with staff in advance.

Prior to applying for your separation permit, please schedule a routine building inspection in PLUS noting the reason under the Requestor Comment and including the requested area(s) of separation. This will allow the inspection team to verify whether the proposed separation is approvable and provide any notes under the associated PLUS record for permit intake staff to access, preventing unintended delays with both permit processing and final inspection coordination.

As a reminder, when applying for a separation permit record, please call out the rooms and/or areas that are ready for final inspection in the Description of Work field. Building and trade separation permits must be obtained prior to calling for final inspection. For information on how to submit separation permits in PLUS, see the Separation (SEPRT) permit library guide.

For additional information or to confirm whether your request meets the requirements for separation, please email Permit Services at LDSbuildingpermits@fairfaxcounty.gov or call 703-222-0801, TTY 711.

The Land Development Services Site Development and Inspections Division has updated the site-related plan review checklists. The checklist content has been updated to revise outdated code references and to incorporate minor editorial changes. The updated checklists include:

• Site Plan First Submission Checklist
• Public Improvement Plan First Submission Checklist
• Subdivision Plan First Submission Checklist
• Subdivision Grading Plan Checklist
• Rough Grading Plan Minimum Submission Requirements Checklist
• Review Checklist for Rough Grading Plan in advance of Site Plan approval
• Minor Site Plan Minimum Submission Requirements Checklist
• Infill Lot Grading Plan Minimum Submission Requirements Checklist
• Conservation Plan Minimum Submission Requirements Checklist
• Stormwater Management Plan Completeness Checklist.
• Erosion and Sediment Control Checklist

All plans submitted for approval must include the relevant checklist. The updated checklists are available under the “Requirements” section of each respective site record guide found in the LDS Permit Library. (Learn more about the Permit Library.) The revised checklists may be used immediately but must be used for all initial submissions made on or after November 1, 2024.

The copies of updated checklists are also available at LDS Forms and Publication Library.

If you have any questions, please contact the Site Development and Inspections Division at 703-324-1720, TTY 711.

County staff continue to implement additional improvements to the Planning and Land Use System (PLUS) to serve you better. Check out these new PLUS fixes for Land Development Services (LDS) customers.

We welcome your feedback on future PLUS enhancements. If you have ideas to improve the system, please take a moment to enter them here: LDS Customer PLUS Feedback Form.

For projects proposing electrical, mechanical or plumbing (often referred to as “trades”) work, an applicant will now apply for residential trades permit records for projects applying under an R3 or R5 use group, per section 310 of the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, matching the parent building permit record. R3 and R5 projects include Townhouses (3-story, 4-story and 2-over-2’s), Duplex’s and Single-Family Detached dwellings. This change will apply regardless of service size. This improvement not only reduces unnecessary confusion for the applicant, but also increases efficiency for the building inspection team when scheduling daily inspections. The code edition and use group information will be updated by permits intake staff during the application submittal review task. All trades permit installations must still follow the appropriate code requirements based on the use group and current building codes.

Previously issued trades permits, and those currently under review, will not be subject to this new procedure.

For information on how to submit residential trades permits in PLUS, see the Residential Building permit library guide.

For additional information on the permit submission process, please email Permit Services at LDSbuildingpermits@fairfaxcounty.gov or call 703-222-0801, TTY 711.

The Virginia Department of Transportation’s (VDOT) Traffic Operations Division has issued an instructional and informational memorandum (Memorandum) intended to provide a set of standards and guidelines for where, when, and how Signalized Intersection Pedestrian Features are to be installed during certain improvement activities. The Memorandum establishes requirements, recommendations, and options for the provision of Signalized Intersection Pedestrian Features based on a default assumption that the features will be provided across all approaches of the intersection when certain improvement activities occur unless an exception is met.

The full memorandum, including worksheet & evaluation form can be found on VDOT’s website: IIM-TOD-400 Pedestrian Accommodations at Traffic Signals.

For additional information, please contact VDOT’s Northern Virginia District office at 703-259-2382.

As detailed in Technical Bulletin 23-07, the administrative provisions of the 2021 Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code (USBC) became effective January 18, 2024, which will effectively replace the 2018 USBC on January 17, 2025. During the one-year grace period, building permit applicants may choose to use the technical provisions of either the 2018 or 2021 USBC. To navigate Masterfile submissions through the grace period, applicants are advised to submit new Masterfile plans under the 2021 provisions. The 2018 Masterfile plans cannot be partially amended with 2021 provisions.

Additionally, building permits for detached and attached single-family dwellings obtained under a 2018 Masterfile Plan, will only be eligible for one 6-month extension request, whether it has been issued or is still a pending application. Additional extensions will not be granted. If inspections have not occurred, the permit will be deemed abandoned per Section 110.6 of the 2021 USBC and administratively voided.

It is strongly recommended that applicants avoid submitting new 2018 Masterfile plans as those plans will become invalid on January 17, 2025, when the technical provisions of the 2018 USBC code expire. Applicants will be required to submit a new Masterfile (MFILE) record in the Planning and Land Use System (PLUS) reflecting the 2021 USBC.

For information on how to submit Masterfile records in PLUS, see the Masterfile permit library guide.

For additional information on the 2021 Masterfile submission process, please email Permit Services at email or call 703-222-0801, TTY 711.

Land Development Services closed briefly from 11 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 24, for an LDS awards ceremony. The Customer Experience Team in Suite 324, the Customer Information Center in Suite 111, and the Cashier’s Office in Suite 636 will close during that time. Plan review and inspections services will also be unavailable for this brief period of time.

The Planning and Land Use System (PLUS) will remain accessible to customers, but staff will not be available to respond to questions in person or via phone or email.

County staff continue to implement additional improvements to the Planning and Land Use System (PLUS) to serve you better. Check out these new PLUS fixes for Land Development Services (LDS) customers.

We welcome your feedback on future PLUS enhancements. If you have ideas to improve the system, please take a moment to enter them here: LDS Customer PLUS Feedback Form.