Arlington County, VA · Arlington County Zoning Ordinance (ACZO)
S-3A (ACZO §4.2) is a special district whose purpose is to encourage retention of certain properties in a relatively undeveloped state -- active or passive recreation, scenic vistas, and stream-valley floodplains -- on publicly or privately owned land. One-family dwellings are permitted by-right on lots of at least 3 acres (35 ft height); other permitted uses (per the §4.1 Public-districts use table) require 6,000 sq ft and may reach 45 feet. Colleges, hospitals, social-service institutions and schools are allowed by special exception.
Development standards in S-3A
We don't hold published dimensional standards for this zone yet — see the ordinance link below for the authoritative table.
Permitted uses in S-3A
AllowedOne-Family Dwelling By-right on lots of at least 3 acres (ACZO §4.2)
AllowedParks, Recreation & Open Space Zonescore groups three uses the ACZO lists separately, and here they agree. In the §4.1.2 Public-districts use table, row 'Parks, playgrounds and playfields' (p34) reads P for S-3A, row 'Recreation centers' (p34) reads P for S-3A, and row 'Arboretums, forests and nature preserves' (p34) reads P for S-3A -- all three by right. Each row is named so you can see which one your proposal is.
ConditionalGovernment & Civic Use This is Zonescore's category, not a use the ACZO names, and the ordinance does not answer it as one thing. The §4.1.2 Public-districts use table answers row by row, and in S-3A those rows disagree: row 'Fire and police stations' (p34) reads P for S-3A, and row 'Libraries' (p34) reads P for S-3A -- both by right -- while row 'All social service institutions' (p35) reads U for S-3A, a use permit, and row 'Offices, local government' (p35) carries no S-3A entry, which under §4.1.D means not allowed. Measured across that table: of its 45 rows, 15 read P for S-3A, 17 read a discretionary symbol and 13 are blank. We do not publish one answer for the category, and we do not choose which of those rows it covers -- that selection would be ours, not the ordinance's. Read the table, or ask Arlington County Zoning.
ConditionalSchool Special exception / use permit (ACZO §4.2.4)
ConditionalCollege, Hospital, or Social-Service Institution Special exception; min 5 acres, 45 ft (ACZO §4.2.B)
Not AllowedSTR - Short-Term Rentals No accessory homestay row appears in the ACZO S district use tables; per the table key a blank cell is not permitted (ACZO §12.9.12).
"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.
This is the zone. What about the parcel?
Zone rules are the starting point — the answer for a specific property also depends on lot
size, overlays, existing improvements and site conditions. Run a free address lookup to see
what applies to one property.
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.