Prince William County, VA · Prince William County Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 32)
R-16 Suburban Residential District. The R-16 District (formerly RM-1) is intended to implement the suburban residential high and the residential component of the community employment center land use classifications of the Comprehensive Plan. Description abridged from Sec. 32-304.01 of the Prince William County Zoning Ordinance -- sentences carrying figures are omitted here so this text can never contradict the standards table, which carries a citation on each value. Read that section for the district's own words in full.
Development standards in R-16
Max density
16 units/acre
32-304.05
Maximum height
Set by 1. The performance standards of the PMR, Planned Mixed Residential Zoning District for multifamily buildings, mid-rise residential buildings, and other comparable housing units and standards approved by the Zoning Administrator shall apply, in accordance with section 32-306.12. — see 32-304.05
Maximum lot coverage
Set by 1. The performance standards of the PMR, Planned Mixed Residential Zoning District for multifamily buildings, mid-rise residential buildings, and other comparable housing units and standards approved by the Zoning Administrator shall apply, in accordance with section 32-306.12. — see 32-304.05
Minimum lot size
Set by 1. The performance standards of the PMR, Planned Mixed Residential Zoning District for multifamily buildings, mid-rise residential buildings, and other comparable housing units and standards approved by the Zoning Administrator shall apply, in accordance with section 32-306.12. — see 32-304.05
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 Prince William County Code Chapter 32 (Zoning), effective through 2025-09-09.
How complete is this market? Across 147,740 parcels we answer 97.3% 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 3,451 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 Prince William County (excl. incorporated towns). Look one of those up and we will tell you which town governs it.
Permitted uses in R-16
AllowedMulti-Family Residential Apartments and condos. (Sec. 32-304.02)
AllowedTownhouse (Sec. 32-304.02)
Not AllowedSTR - Short-Term Rentals Prince William's Zoning Ordinance has no 'short-term rental' use -- the phrase does not appear in Chapter 32. What it has is a bed and breakfast inn, defined in Part 100 and expressly available 'for transient occupancy', with standards at Sec. 32-300.15; and 'short-term lodging', which Part 100 defines narrowly as time-share units. (A lodging house is NOT a route to it -- Part 100 excludes 'accommodations used for transient occupancy' from that term.) Neither appears in this district's permitted, secondary or special use sections, and a use not specified in a zoning district is prohibited there (Sec. 32-200.03). (Sec. 32-200.03)
Not AllowedCommercial Not listed among this district's permitted, secondary or special uses. A use not specified in a zoning district is prohibited there (Sec. 32-200.03).
"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.