Fairfax County, VA · Fairfax County Zoning Ordinance
C-8 provides locations on heavily traveled collector and arterial highways for auto-oriented commercial and service uses, sited to minimize interference with through traffic. Height 40ft. FAR 0.50 (up to 0.70 by Board approval). Front setback 40ft. Rear 20ft. Landscaped open space min 15%. Min lot 40,000 sq ft. Section 2103.8.
Development standards in C-8
Maximum FAR
0.5
Maximum height
40 ft
Minimum lot size
40000 sq ft
Front setback
40 ft
Rear setback
20 ft
Read from Fairfax County Zoning Ordinance, effective through 2026-07-01.
Permitted uses in C-8
AllowedRetail / Commercial
AllowedRestaurant
AllowedOffice
ConditionalHotel / Motel
ConditionalSTR - Short-Term Rentals Hotel/motel-type STR operations may be permitted per county ordinance.
Not AllowedIndustrial / Warehouse
"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.