Fairfax County, VA · Fairfax County Zoning Ordinance
C-5 provides for neighborhood-oriented convenience shopping -- grocery, drug, small specialty shops, and personal-service establishments with limited small offices -- in compact centers, not intended to draw substantial trade from outside the neighborhood. Height 40ft. FAR 0.30. Front setback 40ft. Rear 20ft. Landscaped open space min 20%. Min lot 40,000 sq ft. Section 2103.5.
Development standards in C-5
Front setback
If the lot is in a Commercial Revitalization District, 20 feet; or 2. A lesser distance if the Comprehensive Plan specifies a lesser distance; otherwise at least 40 ft “[1] Refer to subsection 5108.5 for provisions that may qualify the setback requirements.” “[4] Refer to subsection 3102.3.C(2)(a) for front setback provisions in Commercial Revitalization Districts.”
3102
Side setback
No requirement
2103
Rear setback
At least 20 ft “[1] Refer to subsection 5108.5 for provisions that may qualify the setback requirements.”
2103
Maximum height
At most 40 ft
2103
Maximum FAR
At most 0.3
2103
Minimum lot size
At least 40,000 sq ft “[2] Lot area and lot width may be modified in accordance with subsection 5100.2.K.”
2103
Minimum lot width
At least 200 ft “[2] Lot area and lot width may be modified in accordance with subsection 5100.2.K.”
2103
Minimum open space
At least 20% “[3] Open space is calculated in accordance with subsection 5100.3.A(3).” “Landscaped open space, minimum [3] 20 percent of the gross area”
2103
Each row above is the ordinance’s own rule, written out in words and cited to its section. Where a figure depends on what you build (the kind of building, a conventional or cluster subdivision, an interior or corner lot, or the building’s height), each case is its own line; where it depends on the building height, the cited table says how that height is measured.
Read from Fairfax County Zoning Ordinance, effective through 2026-07-01. 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 239,083 parcels we answer 96.1% 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. A further 13,550 properties inside the county line are zoned by an incorporated town with its own ordinance, not by the county, so this county ordinance does not govern them and they are not counted above or below — which is why we publish this market as Fairfax County (excl. Vienna and Herndon). Look one of those up and we will tell you which town governs it.
Permitted uses in C-5
DependsRetail / Commercial Varies Depends: by right, only if the use is a type or location that Sec. 4102.5.HH(1) allows here Table 4101.1 lists “Retail Sales, General” as P in the C-5 column. P = permitted by right; SE = special exception; SP = special permit; A = accessory only; AP = administrative permit (Table 4101.1).
AllowedRestaurant Table 4101.1 lists “Restaurant” as P in the C-5 column. P = permitted by right; SE = special exception; SP = special permit; A = accessory only; AP = administrative permit (Table 4101.1).
DependsOffice Varies Depends: by right if the use meets the use standards in Sec. 4102.5.M, otherwise special exception; by right, only if the use is a type or location that Sec. 4102.5.M(2)(c) allows here and the use stays within the limits in Sec. 4102.5.M; special exception, only if the use stays within the limits in Sec. 4102.5.M; this table cell allows the use in more than one way (by right or special exception), and the use standards in Sec. 4102.5.M set which way applies Table 4101.1 lists “Office” as P/SE in the C-5 column. P = permitted by right; SE = special exception; SP = special permit; A = accessory only; AP = administrative permit (Table 4101.1).
Not AllowedHotel / Motel Table 4101.1 has no entry for “Hotel or Motel” in the C-5 column. The table's own legend: a blank cell indicates the use cannot be established in that zoning district (Table 4101.1).
Not AllowedSTR - Short-Term Rentals Table 4101.1 has no entry for “Short-Term Lodging” in the C-5 column. The table's own legend: a blank cell indicates the use cannot be established in that zoning district (Table 4101.1).
Not AllowedIndustrial / Warehouse Table 4101.1 has no entry for “Warehouse” in the C-5 column. The table's own legend: a blank cell indicates the use cannot be established in that zoning district (Table 4101.1). THIS ANSWER COVERS MORE THAN ONE USE AND THE ORDINANCE TREATS THEM DIFFERENTLY -- Warehouse: blank in this district's column; Production or Processing: blank in this district's column. The status shown is the most restrictive of them.
"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?
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