Department Resources

Frequently Asked Questions for Confederate Road Names Changes

These frequently asked questions give background and information about the names change of two roads, Lee Highway (Route 29) and Lee Jackson Memorial Highway (Route 50). On July 5, 2023, the new names Route 29 and Route 50 will go into effect.

Back to Confederate Names Task Force Page

In July 2021, the Board created the Confederate Names Task Force (CNTF) to review the names of Lee Highway (U.S. Route 29) and Lee-Jackson Memorial Highway (U.S. Route 50) and make recommendations to the Board on:
Whether to change the names of one or both roadways and, if so, what the names should be changed to.

The CNTF met nine times, sought public input, prepared recommendations, and submitted the Final Report to the Board in December 2021. The report recommended:

Changing the names of both roadways and submitted alternate names for each.
Additionally, the CNTF recommended that the Board consider providing financial assistance to those affected.
On September 13, 2022, the Board adopted two resolutions requesting that the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) rename both roads accordingly.
On May 20, 2023, the CTB approved both resolutions.

Fairfax County Land Development Services will notify USPS of the address changes associated with the Confederate Roadway renaming project when the addresses go into effect. Questions related to how the Post Office handles the transition must be directed to your local postmaster.

Below are the typical items that need to be updated by the occupant/owner when an address or street name is changed (this list is not intended to be all-inclusive):

Driver’s license, information with utility companies, postal service, and other entities providing material goods and services.
Business owners will have to update all local and state business licenses, procurements with retail and/or wholesale companies, advertisement listings, mapping, and other goods and/or services associated with business operations.
All property owners may also wish to consider and would be responsible for updating all legal documents that contain the address; this would include but would not be limited to land records, financial documents for mortgages, leases, loans, trusts, and wills, as appropriate.

No. In a separate initiative, on July 12, 2022, the City Council for the City of Fairfax voted to change 14 street names that were named after Confederate Generals. More information on this initiative can be found at Naming Fairfax City Streets | Engage Fairfax (fairfaxva.gov).

Fairfax County is developing a financial assistance program to assist those directly impacted by the roadway name changes.

It is not possible to appeal the resolutions approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and the Commonwealth Transportation Board adopting the change in roadway names of Lee Highway and Lee Jackson Memorial Highway.

No, your address will be automatically updated in our real estate database.

Fairfax Water will update customer mailing and service addresses. No customer action is required.

No, your voter registration record will be automatically updated shortly after the name change takes effect.

No. Property is tracked in the land records of Fairfax County by the owner’s name and the legal description.

Therefore, the changing of your street address will not impact the title to your property.

Please note the difference between building and site records/permits:

Building permit records: Issued and in-process building permit records (including building, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and elevator permits) will be automatically updated when this address change goes into effect. The changed addresses may take up to 2 days to be updated in PLUS, our permitting system. New permit cards will be available to download within a week, with no additional action needed by the customer. Please note the new address when searching for existing permit records. All new permits will use the new address assigned.
Site records: Issued and in-process site records (including site/grading plans, plats, waivers, bonds, and other site-related records) will maintain their existing addresses. All new records will use the new address assigned.

Fairfax County's authoritative Address Points and Roadway Centerlines enterprise geospatial data layers will be updated within a day of the name changes taking effect. These changes will also be published to the county’s Open Data site within the week.

The county's official real property and zoning maps (as viewed in the Digital Map Viewer application) will be republished and posted within two weeks of the name changes taking effect. Other maps and interactive mapping applications authored by Fairfax County (such as those available in the Fairfax County Interactive Map Gallery) may be using additional data layers that include addresses and street names from other sources, some of which are maintained by third parties.

References to old names for Routes 29 and 50 on maps and applications may remain for some time as the updates are propagated through the impacted databases and systems.

Fairfax County maintains a catalog of authoritative geospatial data for viewing and/or downloading on the county's Open Data site. The Address Points and Roadway Centerlines datasets available via the site will be updated within a week of the name changes taking effect. The Fairfax County Static Map Gallery includes a collection of current and historical PDF wall maps of Fairfax County. Updated maps will appear at the top of the gallery as they are published.

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Frequently Asked Questions for Confederate Road Names Changes

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Transportation

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Frequently Asked Questions for Confederate Road Names Changes

Why are the names of the street signs being changed?

Has the post office been notified?

Who do I need to notify of this address change?

Will the name change within the City of Fairfax?

Will the County help pay for expenses related to this address change?

Can I appeal this address change?

County Agency Address Updates

Do I need to notify the Department of Tax Administration of the change to my property or mailing address?

Do I need to contact Fairfax Water to change my address?

Do I need to update my voter registration?

Do I need to change the deed on my property?

How will this address change affect any Fairfax County construction permits for my property?

Why do I see the old road names on Fairfax County maps and mapping applications?

How can I access the updated mapping data?

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