16 Around Fairfax: PLUS Discussion with Bill Hicks
County Conversation with Adam Kelly on PLUS
Don’t have much time to browse or read articles on PLUS? Multi-task and listen in on the “County Conversation” podcast with Adam Kelly. Adam is the PLUS project manager and had a conversation about PLUS.
Please Plan Ahead: Legacy Land Use and Complaint Systems will be Unavailable between Oct. 21 and Oct. 31
Fairfax County is converting all of its land use permitting, plan review, inspections, and complaint systems to the Planning and Land Use System (PLUS) this fall. During the transition, all online application and review systems, including PLUS, FIDO, ProjectDox and PAWS will be unavailable, beginning Friday, October 21 at 4:30 until Monday, October 31. PLUS will replace all legacy systems (FIDO, ProjectDox and PAWS) and be available beginning Monday, October 31, 2022.
Your help is needed to ensure this process goes as smoothly as possible for all projects. Please keep the following in mind as we get closer to October 21:
Before the Outage:
- Consider starting your new applications sufficiently ahead of the outage so your projects are not delayed.
- Consider closing any building or site projects nearing completion by scheduling final inspections sufficiently ahead of the outage.
- Or, if possible, start your project in the PLUS system on October 31.
During the Outage (Oct. 21 - Oct. 31):
- PLUS will be unavailable.
- You will not be able to apply for records (permits and other applications), make payments, have inspections, or upload plans during this time.
- The legacy systems, FIDO and PAWS, will be in a read-only mode.
- Continuity plans will be in place for each agency, which will allow limited operations.
- This system outage will not impact staff availability to answer questions via email, telephone, virtual meetings or in person. Please check agency webpages for contact information.
After the Outage (Oct. 31):
- After October 31, supporting data including plan sheets and attached documents from ProjectDox will still be migrating into PLUS. The processing and review of applications may be delayed.
- PLUS will be the central platform for Fairfax County customers to complete their zoning, building, permitting or other land development processes, as well as submitting complaints to Department of Code Compliance.
More details will be available as we progress toward the launch date. Information is updated at https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/plan2build/plus
Top Four Things You Should Know about the New Fairfax County Permitting System
The PLUS Project Team continues to make progress in preparation for Release 4, which will go live on Oct. 31. This release will be the largest since Release 1 in 2020. The Planning and Land Use System (PLUS) will be the central Fairfax County platform for customers doing business with the following:
- Environmental Health (Department of Health)
- Department of Code Compliance
- Department of Planning and Development
- Land Development Services
- Office of the Fire Marshal (Fire and Rescue Department)
Land development-related processes, including creating and submitting applications, scheduling inspections, paying fees, tracking application status and submitting complaints to the Department of Code Compliance will be performed in PLUS.
Four Things to Know:
- Many records (permits and other applications) are already active in PLUS, but on October 31 over 100 additional records will be available for customers seeking land development-related permits for use, including all building permits. See the complete list of new records at fairfaxcounty.gov/plan2build/plus. See “Agency-specific Records & Web Pages.”
- PLUS and all legacy systems currently in use (such as FIDO, PAWS and ProjectDox) will be unavailable between Oct. 21 and Oct. 31.
- The outage is tentatively planned to start at the end of day Friday, Oct. 21, and conclude the morning of Monday, Oct. 31. Please plan ahead if you are trying to start a new project or complete one that has been in the system. The outage impacts legacy systems within Land Development Services, Planning and Development, Code Compliance, Environmental Health and Office of the Fire Marshal. For several weeks after Oct. 31, data will still be migrating, and processing of records may be impacted.
- You can learn to use PLUS via live and video webinars and YouTube videos:
- Webinar Wednesdays – Fairfax County PLUS staff will answer all your questions about PLUS in live bi-weekly webinars. Webinar Wednesday sessions are 30 or 45 minutes long. Visit fairfaxcounty.gov/plan2build/plus for more information. See “Webinar Wednesdays” or “Upcoming Events.”
- PLUS YouTube Channel – Training videos for PLUS can be found on our YouTube Channel Fairfax County PLUS - YouTube.
- You can stay informed about PLUS via email.
- Subscribe to the PLUS email subscription to receive notifications on training, scheduled maintenance outages, etc. Visit “Stay Connected” at fairfaxcounty.gov/plan2build/plus.
Plan Ahead Release 4 - Attached Outage Plan Ahead
Please Plan Ahead: Land Use Systems will be Unavailable Between October 21 and October 31
- Fairfax County is converting all of its land use permitting, plan review and inspections systems to the new Planning and Land Use System (PLUS) this fall.
- During the transition, all online application and review systems, including PLUS and the legacy systems (such as FIDO, ProjectDox and PAWS.) will be unavailable for 10 days. PLUS will replace all legacy systems beginning Oct. 31, 2022, for a more efficient and modernized permitting and review system.
The outage is tentatively set to begin Friday, Oct. 21, at 4:30 p.m. All systems are expected to be available again on Monday, Oct. 31.
Your help is requested to ensure this process goes as smoothly as possible for all projects in the county. Please keep the following in mind as we get closer to Oct. 21:
Before the Outage:
- Depending on the type of application you are pursuing, please consider starting your application in sufficient time so the outage does not delay your project. Specific details will be available on agency web pages.
- Or delay your permit process, if it’s possible, so you are starting your project in the PLUS system after Oct. 31.
During the Outage (Oct. 21-Oct. 31):
- This transition will require a 10-day shutdown.
- PLUS will be unavailable.
- You will not be able to apply for permits or upload plans during this time.
- The legacy systems, including FIDO and PAWS, will be in a read-only mode.
- LDS Building Division staff are evaluating the ability to accommodate certain inspections.
- Continuity plans will be in place to address emergency situations for land use related transactions.
- This system outage will not impact staff availability to answer questions via email, telephone, virtual meetings or in person. Please check agency webpages for contact information.
After the Outage (Oct. 31)
- For a couple weeks after the replacement, data from legacy systems (such as ProjectDox, FIDO and PAWS) will still be migrating. Processing of applications, plans and permits could be delayed.
After the final conversion, PLUS will be the central platform for Fairfax County customers to complete their zoning, building, permitting or other land development processes, including creating and submitting applications, paying fees and tracking application status.
Fire Marshal Mailer and PIN Registration
Release 3 Launched on Jan. 31, 2022
We are excited to announce that on Jan. 31, 2022, the third upgrade to PLUS went live.
This release includes a new interface for customers seeking the following transactions with the county:
- Fire and Rescue: Office of Fire Marshal
- Fire Prevention Code Permits (Short-term/Single-Use) – Blasting, Bonfire, Controlled Burn, Events (includes: Outdoor Assembly, Indoor Assembly, Tent, LP-Gas, Open Flame/Candle, Hot Work, Special Amusement Building, Explosive: Black Powder), Fireworks – Display, Fireworks – Retail, Floor Finishing, Fumigation, Hot Work, Storage Tank Abandonment/Removal/Out of Service
- Fire Prevention Code Permits (Long-term use, Renewed Annually)
- Two Types that can be applied for on the Citizen Portal
- Hot Work: All Locations
- Explosives: Firm or Company
- >100 types that will be determined & initiated by a fire inspector when performing an Occupancy inspection (Examples: Assembly, Commercial Kitchen, etc.)
- Regulated Care Facility (County Regulated Home Child Care & State Regulated Care Facility)
- Inspection, Testing and Maintenance (Existing Fire Suppression and Alarm Systems)
- Planning and Development
- Architectural Review Board, Architectural Review Board (Workshop), Additional Time to Commence Development, Minor Variation, Interpretations of Approved Zoning, Model Home Sales and Leasing Office, Farmers Market, Special Event, Seasonal Sales Commercial, Construction Site Office and Storage
- Land Development Services
- Household Appliances/Inspections and Home Improvement Contractor (HIC) License Renewal
Release 2 Launched on July 1, 2021
PLUS Release 2 launched on Thursday, July 1, 2021.
The second release includes a new interface for customers seeking the following transactions with the County:
- Tattoo Permits, Summer Food Service process, CORE, Massage Establishment Inspections, Temporary Food Events, Temporary Food Establishment Permits, STAMP and Marina. (Environmental Health)
- Code Appeals, Code Modifications and Home Improvement contractor licenses (Land Development Services)
- Accessory Living Unit (Administrative Permit), Administrative Review Eligible Project (AREP), Agricultural & Forestal District, Home-Based Business, Intergovernmental Review, Interpretations of Zoning Ordinance, Noise Waivers, Public Facility (2232 Review), Public School Expansion or Modification, Rezonings, Special Exceptions, Special Permits, Telecommunications (2232 Review), Variance, Vested Rights Determinations, Wetlands Permit, Zoning Compliance Letters (Planning and Development)
PLUS Project Launched Oct. 13, 2020
On Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2020, Fairfax County’s land planning and development agencies are launching the first phase of an upgrade to our online Planning and Land Use Systems, called PLUS.
This first release will have a positive impact for customers seeking the following transactions with the county:
- Food Establishment Permit and Mobile Food Permit applications, inspections, renewals, and payments. (Environmental Health)
- Address Change and Street Name Change (Land Development Services)
- Pre-application meetings for potential Zoning Applications, Comprehensive Plan Amendment, Interpretations of Proffers and Development Conditions, Noise Waivers, Home-Based Business (Planning and Development)
As with any machine translation, the conversion is not context-sensitive and may not fully convert text into its intended meaning. Fairfax County Government cannot guarantee the accuracy of the converted text nor are we liable for any resulting issues.
