Fairfax County, VA · Fairfax County Zoning Ordinance
PDH-3 is a subdistrict of the Planned Development Housing district. Its maximum residential density is set by Fairfax County Zoning Ordinance Table 2105.1 and its minimum open space by Table 2105.2; both are shown in the development standards. Section 2105.1 states no minimum lot area or width for planned districts and leaves building height, setbacks, and floor area ratio to the general and design standards for planned developments, so no by-right figures for those are published for this district. Development is governed by an approved development plan.
Development standards in PDH-3
Max density
3 units/acre
2105
Maximum FAR
Set by the approved development plan for this property — see 2105
Maximum height
Set by the approved development plan for this property — see 2105
Minimum lot size
Set by the approved development plan for this property — see 2105
Maximum FAR, Maximum height and Minimum lot size are set by the approved development plan for this property. This is a planned district: the ordinance does not set one figure for the whole district, and those plans differ from property to property, so no single number would be true here. The section that says the plan governs is cited on each row above. For the plan that applies to a specific property, ask Fairfax County.
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 PDH-3
ConditionalSingle-Family Residential Table 4101.2 lists “Dwelling, Single-Family Detached” as ✓ in the PDH / Principal column. P = permitted by right; SE = special exception; SP = special permit; A = accessory only; AP = administrative permit (Table 4101.2).
ConditionalTownhouses Table 4101.2 lists “Dwelling, Single-Family Attached” as ✓ in the PDH / Principal column. P = permitted by right; SE = special exception; SP = special permit; A = accessory only; AP = administrative permit (Table 4101.2).
ConditionalMultifamily Residential Table 4101.2 lists “Dwelling, Multifamily” as ✓ in the PDH / Principal column. P = permitted by right; SE = special exception; SP = special permit; A = accessory only; AP = administrative permit (Table 4101.2).
ConditionalParks / Open Space Table 4101.2 lists “Quasi-Public Park, Playground, or Athletic Field” as ✓/SE in the PDH / Secondary column. P = permitted by right; SE = special exception; SP = special permit; A = accessory only; AP = administrative permit (Table 4101.2). THIS ANSWER COVERS MORE THAN ONE USE AND THE ORDINANCE TREATS THEM DIFFERENTLY -- Quasi-Public Park, Playground, or Athletic Field: ✓/SE; Open Space: not listed in the use tables at all, so Sec. 4100.2 refers it to the Zoning Administrator. The status shown is the most restrictive of them.
ConditionalNeighborhood Commercial Table 4101.2 lists “Retail Sales, General” as ✓ in the PDH / Secondary column. P = permitted by right; SE = special exception; SP = special permit; A = accessory only; AP = administrative permit (Table 4101.2).
ConditionalSTR - Short-Term Rentals Table 4101.2 lists “Short-Term Lodging” as AP in the PDH / Secondary column. P = permitted by right; SE = special exception; SP = special permit; A = accessory only; AP = administrative permit (Table 4101.2). Fairfax defines this as a room or space intended for TRANSIENT OCCUPANCY for a charge, and expressly NOT a bed and breakfast, hotel, motel or accessory living unit (Article 9). It needs a short-term lodging permit from the Zoning Administrator, and the operator must be a permanent resident of the property (Sec. 4102.7.O).
"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.