Arlington County, VA · Arlington County Zoning Ordinance (ACZO)
RA4.8 is a very high density apartment district designed for large multifamily projects near Metro stations, concentrated in the Rosslyn-Ballston and Crystal City corridors. By right the district is governed by the §7.2.3.A standards; the much larger envelope commonly associated with RA4.8 is available only by special exception approved by the County Board under §7.2.3.B. The two are different entitlement paths -- see the development standards below.
Development standards in RA4.8
Maximum height
35 ft
No floor area ratio applies by right -- the §7.2.3.A table shows '--' in every use column. By special exception, multiple-family / elder care: FAR 3.24 including street-level commercial, retail and food establishment uses, with those uses not exceeding 0.5 FAR (§7.2.3.B, §7.2.4.D.2(a)).
By right: 35 ft (§7.2.3.A, all use columns). Large-scale housing projects on sites of five acres or more may reach six stories or 60 ft (§7.2.3.A.1(a)). By special exception: 136 ft including mechanical penthouse and parapet walls (§7.2.3.B). Within the Western Rosslyn Coordinated Redevelopment District the County Board may permit up to 6.0 FAR and no more than 12 stories (§7.2.4.D.2(b)).
Read from Arlington County Zoning Ordinance (ACZO), effective through 2026-06-13.
AllowedSTR - Short-Term Rentals By-right (P) in the ACZO accessory use tables, subject to an accessory homestay permit issued by the zoning administrator (ACZO §12.9.12). Host must be the primary resident and present during the guest stay. Entire-home rentals (host absent) are not permitted.
"Conditional" means the use generally requires a public hearing or special-exception approval — a very different timeline and risk profile from a by-right permit.
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Standards as recorded by ZoneScore: Arlington County Zoning Ordinance (ACZO), Effective June 13, 2026
Values are read from the Arlington County Zoning Ordinance (ACZO). Where a district allows more density through site plan approval than by right, both are shown -- they are very different entitlement paths.