Fairfax County, VA · Fairfax County Zoning Ordinance
I-I provides for intense office and office-related uses in a campus-like or institutional setting, generally limited to office and supporting nonresidential uses with enhanced site and building design. Height 65ft. Lot coverage max 30%. Front setback is not a single figure: Table 2104.1 requires the greater of 320ft from the street centerline or 200ft from the lot line, so the distance varies with right-of-way width and no constant is served. Side 200ft (none abutting a railroad). Min lot 20 acres. Section 2104.1.
Development standards in I-I
Front setback
Not computed here: the ordinance makes it depend on facts about the site
2104
Side setback
At least 0 ft if the lot abuts a railroad right-of-way; otherwise at least 200 ft “[2] Unless a lesser distance is approved by the Board to facilitate the implementation of a proposed major street improvement.” “Side setback, minimum [2] 200 feet; none required abutting a railroad right-of-way”
2104
Lot line abutting a railroad right-of-way: Not computed here: the ordinance makes it depend on facts about the site
2104
Rear setback
At least 0 ft if the lot abuts a railroad right-of-way; otherwise at least 200 ft “[2] Unless a lesser distance is approved by the Board to facilitate the implementation of a proposed major street improvement.” “Rear setback, minimum [2] 200 feet; none required abutting a railroad right-of-way”
2104
Lot line abutting a railroad right-of-way: Not computed here: the ordinance makes it depend on facts about the site
2104
Maximum height
At most 65 ft
2104
Maximum FAR
No requirement
2104
Minimum lot size
At least 871,200 sq ft “[1] Lot area and lot width may be modified in accordance with subsection 5100.2.K.”
2104
Minimum lot width
No requirement
2104
Maximum lot coverage
At most 30%
2104
Minimum open space
No requirement
2104
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 I-I
AllowedOffice / Corporate Campus Table 4101.1 lists “Office” as P in the I-I column. P = permitted by right; SE = special exception; SP = special permit; A = accessory only; AP = administrative permit (Table 4101.1).
Not AllowedResearch / Institutional Table 4101.1 has no entry for “College or University” in the I-I 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 -- Research: not listed in the use tables at all, so Sec. 4100.2 refers it to the Zoning Administrator; Laboratory: not listed in the use tables at all, so Sec. 4100.2 refers it to the Zoning Administrator; College or University: blank in this district's column. The status shown is the most restrictive of them.
DependsSupporting Nonresidential Varies Depends: by right as an accessory use, 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 A in the I-I column. P = permitted by right; SE = special exception; SP = special permit; A = accessory only; AP = administrative permit (Table 4101.1).
Not AllowedSTR - Short-Term Rentals Table 4101.1 has no entry for “Short-Term Lodging” in the I-I column. The table's own legend: a blank cell indicates the use cannot be established in that zoning district (Table 4101.1).
Not AllowedResidential Table 4101.1 has no entry for “Dwelling, Multifamily” in the I-I column. The table's own legend: a blank cell indicates the use cannot be established in that zoning district (Table 4101.1).
"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.