Department of Planning and Development

CONTACT INFORMATION: Our offices are open 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
703-324-1380 TTY 711
12055 Government Center Parkway
Fairfax, VA 22035
Tracy Strunk
Director

Department Resources

Related Resources

Agritourism (Administrative Permit)

Agritourism activities include but are not limited to the following:

  1. Farm tours, including educational or entertainment programs, workshops, or demonstrations;
  2. Harvest-your-own activities;
  3. Seasonal festivals and attractions, including crop mazes or hayrides;
  4. Events including, but not limited to, corporate picnics, family reunions, farm-to-table dinners, weddings, and similar uses;
  5. Hiking, horseback riding, and other natural activities;
  6. Historical and cultural activities; and
  7. Other activities as determined by the Zoning Administrator.

Additional Information

  • The application fee is $205 for new applications or $50 for resubmissions. Fees are paid electronically at the end of the application submission process. A service charge of 2.35% will be added to all fees paid with a credit card. The fee will be waived if the applicant is the County of Fairfax or any other agency, authority, commission or other body specifically created by the County, State or Federal Government.
  • An application may take approximately 30 calendar days to process if no additional information is requested or required. 

Required Documents

An application may require the following documents:

Transportation Management and Parking Plan: The plan must demonstrate that adequate parking is provided on-site, detail how attendees will enter and exit the property, and include measures that will be taken to prevent traffic stacking on the public right-of-way. This document is always required.

Sanitary Facility Contract: A signed and dated copy of the vendor contract. This document is only required if outdoor sanitary facilities will be provided.

Applicable Standards

As part of the application process, you must agree to abide by the standards found in subsection 4102.2.B and 4102.1.I of the Zoning Ordinance, as described below:

Standards applicable to all agritourism uses:

(1) Parking must be located on the same lot(s) as the agricultural operation and is not permitted within any public right-of-way. Regardless of subsection 6100.2.C—to encourage minimal land disturbance and to discourage land cover changes, such as removal of trees or other vegetation—parking spaces are not required to be designated or located on a paved surface. For the purpose of subsection 4102.2.B, a paved surface includes asphalt, poured or precast concrete, brick, stone, or similar impervious surface, but it does not include gravel or grass pavers.

(2) In the R-C District, paved surfaces outside a building are permitted in accordance with any applicable stormwater quality and quantity requirements, and the following standards:

(a) When in association with Tier 1 or Tier 2, paved surfaces outside of a building are limited to a total of 2,500 square feet of the lot(s) comprising the agricultural operation.

(b) When in association with Tier 3 or Tier 4, paved surfaces outside of a building are limited to a total of 5,000 square feet of the lot(s) comprising the agricultural operation.

(3) The total number of attendees per day is limited per the table below. The Board may approve a special exception for Tiers 1, 2, and 3 to exceed the number of attendees and may approve a special exception for Tier 4 to exceed the number of days allowed by administrative permit.

Tier: Acreage of lot(s) comprising the Agricultural Operation [1]  Total Attendees per Day 
Tier 1: 7 to less than 10 acres 75
Tier 2: 10 to less than 20 acres 150
Tier 3: 20 to less than 80 acres  300
Tier 4: 80 acres or more   350
Note:
[1] At least 7 acres within each Tier must be dedicated to agricultural production and meet the definition of agricultural operation.

 
(4) Agritourism uses, events, or activities must not include any of the following:

(a) Helicopter rides;

(b) Fireworks displays;

(c) Antique/flea markets;

(d) Go-cart/all-terrain vehicle tracks;

(e) Mechanized amusement park rides;

(f) Hot air balloons;

(g) Spa services;

(h) The operation of a commercial restaurant requiring approval by the Health Department; or

(i) Any other similar use determined by the Zoning Administrator to have a substantial impact on the health, safety, and welfare of the public.

​Standards when permitted by administrative permit:

(5) Tier 4 agritourism activities that exceed 350 total attendees per day may be permitted by administrative permit, subject to the following requirements: 

(a) More than 350 attendees are permitted per day for no more than 150 days per year;

(b) An administrative permit is valid for a period of two years and may be renewed on a five-year basis with approval of the Zoning Administrator. Any subsequent expansion or change of permit holder of the Tier 4 agritourism administrative permit may require submission of a new permit application as determined by the Zoning Administrator;

(c) A description of sanitary arrangements and facilities to be used by the public and employees must be submitted with the application; and

(d) A transportation management and parking plan must be submitted with the application. The plan must demonstrate that adequate parking is provided on-site, detail how attendees will enter and exit the property, and include measures that will be taken to prevent traffic stacking on the public right-of-way.

​Standards when permitted by special exception:

(6) The Board may approve a special exception to modify one or more of the standards as identified in the subsections below:

(a) Subsection B(2) to exceed the land area permitted for paved surfaces in the R-C District.

(b) Subsection B(3) to allow for Tiers 1, 2, and 3 to exceed the total number of attendees per day and for Tier 4 activities to exceed the number of days per year permitted by an administrative permit. 

(7) A description of the sanitary arrangements and facilities to be used by the public and employees must be submitted with the application.

(8) A transportation management and parking plan must be submitted with the application. The plan must demonstrate that adequate parking is provided on-site, detail how attendees will enter and exit the property, and include measures that will be taken to prevent traffic stacking on the public right-of-way.

(9) An application to exceed the paved surfaces limitation in subsection B(2) requires the applicant to demonstrate that adequate measures will be taken to address water quantity impacts and prevent water quality degradation, such as meeting water quality requirements on-site through runoff reduction practices to the maximum extent practicable.

(1) The County may inspect the property during reasonable hours and in accordance with subsection 8106.2.D.

(2) The Zoning Administrator may revoke an administrative permit at any time if the owner or operator of the use fails to comply with all requirements of the law with respect to maintenance and conduct of the use and all conditions imposed by the Zoning Administrator in connection with the permit.

(3) The Zoning Administrator will issue a notice of revocation to the owner or operator, hand-delivered or mailed, return receipt requested, setting forth the grounds upon which the permit was revoked, the date and time the revocation took effect, and describing the appeals procedure. Upon receipt of the notice, operation of the activity must cease.

(4) These provisions do not preclude the use of any other remedy prescribed by law or by this Ordinance with respect to violations of this Ordinance.

Additional Permits May Be Required

In addition to an administrative permit from Zoning, your temporary activity or use may require a permit from other agencies. Contact information for other agencies is listed below:

If your temporary use includes: Department to contact: Contact information:
Serving Food Health Department 703-246-2444 or hdehd@fairfaxcounty.gov
Exterior Sanitation Facilities (portable toilets) Health Department 703-246-2201 or hdehd@fairfaxcounty.gov
Rides or Amusement Devices Permit Application Center 703-222-0801 or LDSbuildingpermits@fairfaxcounty.gov
Tents over 6000 sq. ft. Permit Application Center 703-222-0801 or LDSbuildingpermits@fairfaxcounty.gov
Tents between 900 and 6000 sq. ft. Fire Marshal 703-246-4803 or fire.revenuepermits@fairfaxcounty.gov
Propane Tanks Fire Marshal 703-246-4803 or fire.revenuepermits@fairfaxcounty.gov
Road Closures VDOT (Arlington/Fairfax Permits Section) 703-259-1773 or NOVAFairfaxPermits@VDOT.Virginia.gov
Display or Exhibition of Animals Animal Protection Police 703-691-2131 or fcpdanimalprotection@fairfaxcounty.gov

Contact Us

For additional assistance, please contact the Zoning Permits Section by phone at 703-222-1082 or by email.

Fairfax Virtual Assistant