R-ARural Agricultural (R-A)

Fairfax County, VA · Fairfax County Zoning Ordinance

R-A provides land for agricultural operations and protects them from urban development. Max 0.2 DU/acre (1 per 5 acres). Min lot 5 acres. Height 35ft. Front 60ft, side 50ft, rear 50ft. Found in the rural western portions of Fairfax County. Section 2102.1.

Development standards in R-A

Minimum lot size	217800 sq ft
Max density	0.2 units/acre
Front setback	60 ft
Side setback	50 ft
Rear setback	50 ft

Read from Fairfax County Zoning Ordinance, effective through 2026-07-01.

Permitted uses in R-A

AllowedSingle-Family Residential
AllowedAgricultural Uses
Farming, livestock, forestry
ConditionalAccessory Dwelling Units
Subject to approval
ConditionalHome Occupation
ConditionalSTR - Short-Term Rentals
STRs permitted with Home Occupation permit. Entire-home limited to 180 nights/year.
Not AllowedCommercial / Retail

"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.

Look up an address

Sources

Fairfax County Zoning Ordinance — read the ordinance
Fairfax County — official zoning map / authority
Standards as recorded by ZoneScore: Fairfax County Zoning Ordinance (enCodePlus, current)

Values are read from the Fairfax County Zoning Ordinance.

Other Fairfax County zones

C-1 C-2 C-3 C-4 C-5 C-6 C-7 C-8 I-2 I-3 I-4 I-5 I-6 I-I PCC PDC PDH PDH-1 PDH-12 PDH-16 PDH-2 PDH-20 PDH-3 PDH-30 PDH-4 PDH-40 PDH-5 PDH-8 PRC PRM PTC R-1 R-12 R-16 R-2 R-20 R-3 R-30 R-4 R-5 R-8 R-C R-E R-MHP