Prince William County, VA · Prince William County Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 32)
SR-5 Zoning District. The semi-rural residential districts SR-5 (formerly RR-5) is intended to implement the semi-rural residential land use classification of the Comprehensive Plan. This district is designed to encourage the appropriate use and transition of real property to those areas designated Agricultural or Estate in the Comprehensive Plan, including providing for large lot single-family development along with certain generally compatible special uses in a semi-rural setting.. It is the purpose of this district to encourage land owners to protect the environment, conserve natural resources and limit the type and density of development so that a harmonious relationship of land uses in the semi-rural area is insured. Description abridged from Sec. 32-302.21 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 SR-5
Maximum height
35 ft
32-300.05
Maximum lot coverage
25%
32-302.26
Minimum lot size
217800 sq ft
32-302.26
Minimum lot width
100 ft
32-302.26
Max density
0.2 units/acre
32-302.26
Front setback
not recorded
not in our sources — check the ordinance
Side setback
not recorded
not in our sources — check the ordinance
Rear setback
not recorded
not in our sources — check the ordinance
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 SR-5
AllowedSingle-Family Residential One-family dwelling, one per lot (§32-302.22). (Sec. 32-302.22)
AllowedGroup Home Per Code of Virginia §15.2-2291 (§32-302.22). (Sec. 32-302.22)
AllowedHome Occupation By right, subject to standards §32-300.07.2. (Sec. 32-300.07)
ConditionalSTR - 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.) This district's own use list carries one of those uses, so transient lodging is available here subject to that section's terms -- check whether it is by right, secondary or by Special Use Permit for your parcel. (Sec. 32-302.24)
ConditionalB&B / Nursing Home / Private School / Religious Institution Special Use Permit (§32-302.24). (Sec. 32-302.24)
Not AllowedMulti-Family Residential 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).
ConditionalCommercial Commercial activity appears in SR-5's special-use list (Sec. 32-302.24), so it is available by Special Use Permit rather than prohibited; nonresidential uses also require a site plan (Sec. 32-302.25). Served as Not Allowed before S171.
"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.