Arlington County, VA · Arlington County Zoning Ordinance (ACZO)
S-D is Arlington County's special development district for unique sites requiring site-specific planning and design standards (ACZO §4.3). By-right: 35ft/3 stories SFD; 45ft/3 stories other uses, FAR 1.0, 56% lot coverage. Development governed by approved site plans.
Development standards in S-D
Maximum stories
3
4.3
Maximum lot coverage
56%
4.3
Read from Arlington County Zoning Ordinance (ACZO), effective through 2026-06-13. We last checked with the publisher on 2026-09-14 and found nothing newer -- a check on that date, not a promise about today.
How complete is this market? Across 38,683 parcels we answer 65.5% of the 6 questions this site is built to answer, each with a source you can check. The rest are shown as “not recorded” rather than filled in — we would rather be short than wrong.
Permitted uses in S-D
AllowedOne-Family Dwelling By-right: ACZO §4.1.2 Public-districts principal use table row 'Dwelling, one-family' reads P for S-D (p34).
AllowedCommunity Center, Library, or Museum By-right: ACZO §4.1.2 use table rows 'Community centers', 'Libraries' and 'Museums and art galleries or studios' read P for S-D (p34).
AllowedReligious Institution By-right: ACZO §4.1.2 use table row 'Churches, mosques, synagogues, and temples' reads P for S-D (p34).
ConditionalSchool ACZO §4.1.2 use table (p34): the S-D 'Schools' cell shows U stacked with S (use-permit and site-plan paths; §12.2.4.I).
ConditionalHospital ACZO §4.1.2 use table (p34): the S-D 'Hospital' cell shows U stacked with S (use-permit and site-plan paths; §12.2.4.E).
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.