Loudoun County, VA · Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance
Single-Family Residential (R-8) Legacy District is a Residential Zoning District of the Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance. Its permitted uses are set by the ordinance's own Principal Use Table and its dimensional standards by its Chapter 2 district table; both are cited on every line below. Figures are deliberately left out of this description so that it can never contradict a standard that carries a citation -- read the standards, not this paragraph, for numbers.
Development standards in R8
Maximum height
Set by the building type proposed: this district's standards table sets out a different maximum for single-family detached, for attached and townhouse, and for multifamily, as set forth in Sec. 2.02.05.03 — see 2.02.05.03
A standard shown as "set by" is banded in the ordinance — it depends on what you build or on the lot itself, so no single figure is true for the whole zone. The cited table is the authority; read the tier that matches your intended structure.
Read from Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance, effective through 2025-03-18.
How complete is this market? Across 107,655 parcels we answer 85.5% 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 18,974 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 Loudoun County (excl. incorporated towns). Look one of those up and we will tell you which town governs it.
Permitted uses in R8
AllowedDwelling, Single-Family Detached Permitted by right. Table 3.02.02-1, the Legacy Suburban Zoning Districts Use Table (Sec. 3.02.02), row 5, column R-8. Use-specific standards: Sec. 4.02.07.
AllowedDwelling, Single-Family Attached Permitted by right. Table 3.02.02-1, the Legacy Suburban Zoning Districts Use Table (Sec. 3.02.02), row 4, column R-8. Use-specific standards: Sec. 4.02.07.
AllowedDwelling, Multifamily Permitted by right. Table 3.02.02-1, the Legacy Suburban Zoning Districts Use Table (Sec. 3.02.02), row 3, column R-8. Use-specific standards: Sec. 4.02.08.
ConditionalShort-Term Rental, Commercial Whole House Allowed only as a Special Exception approved by the Board of Supervisors (procedures at Sec. 10.11.01). Table 3.02.02-1, the Legacy Suburban Zoning Districts Use Table (Sec. 3.02.02), row 21, column R-8. Use-specific standards: Sec. 4.03.05.
Not AllowedHotel/Motel This use is not listed for this district in the Use Table. A blank cell in a Use Table means the use is not permitted in the zoning district (Sec. 3.01, Table 3.01-2). Table 3.02.02-1, the Legacy Suburban Zoning Districts Use Table (Sec. 3.02.02), row 18, column R-8.
Not AllowedRetail, General This use is not listed for this district in the Use Table. A blank cell in a Use Table means the use is not permitted in the zoning district (Sec. 3.01, Table 3.01-2). Table 3.02.02-1, the Legacy Suburban Zoning Districts Use Table (Sec. 3.02.02), row 54, column R-8.
Not AllowedOffice, Professional This use is not listed for this district in the Use Table. A blank cell in a Use Table means the use is not permitted in the zoning district (Sec. 3.01, Table 3.01-2). Table 3.02.02-1, the Legacy Suburban Zoning Districts Use Table (Sec. 3.02.02), row 39, column R-8.
Not AllowedRestaurant This use is not listed for this district in the Use Table. A blank cell in a Use Table means the use is not permitted in the zoning district (Sec. 3.01, Table 3.01-2). Table 3.02.02-1, the Legacy Suburban Zoning Districts Use Table (Sec. 3.02.02), row 37, column R-8.
Not AllowedData Center This use is not listed for this district in the Use Table. A blank cell in a Use Table means the use is not permitted in the zoning district (Sec. 3.01, Table 3.01-2). Table 3.02.02-1, the Legacy Suburban Zoning Districts Use Table (Sec. 3.02.02), row 101, column R-8.
Not AllowedAgriculture This use is not listed for this district in the Use Table. A blank cell in a Use Table means the use is not permitted in the zoning district (Sec. 3.01, Table 3.01-2). Table 3.02.02-1, the Legacy Suburban Zoning Districts Use Table (Sec. 3.02.02), row 141, column R-8.
"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.