Fairfax County, VA · Fairfax County Zoning Ordinance
PDC is a planned mixed-use district combining commercial, office, retail, and residential uses. FAR max 2.5 (up to 5.0 in transit areas). Common in Reston Town Center and Merrifield. Standards per approved plan.
Development standards in PDC
Maximum FAR
2.5
Max 2.5 by-right; up to 5.0 in CRD/transit areas per board approval
Read from Fairfax County Zoning Ordinance, effective through 2026-07-01.
Permitted uses in PDC
AllowedOffice / Corporate Per development plan
AllowedRetail / Commercial Per development plan
AllowedMultifamily Residential Per development plan
ConditionalHotel / Lodging Per development plan
ConditionalSTR - Short-Term Rentals Hotel/motel-type STR operations may be permitted per county ordinance.
"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.