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Fairfax County leaders are considering the first major update to residential height limits since 1959 as elaborate roof designs allow some new homes to rise above 40 feet while still complying with current rules.
County staff presented several possible changes during Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors Land Use Policy Committee meeting. The existing maximum is 35 feet, but the county’s method of calculating average building height can permit substantially taller structures.
Andrew Hushour, assistant zoning administrator in the county Department of Planning and Development, said larger homes with increasingly intricate architecture are testing the limits of the regulations.
The issue has become more pronounced over the past 10 to 15 years as builders have used multiple rooflines and roof structures. Those designs complicate a measurement system based on the highest roof ridge and allow what county documents describe as “creative workarounds.”
One option would retain the current calculation method while clarifying its definition and updating the county’s illustrations. Another would preserve the measurement system but raise the maximum to between 37.5 and 40 feet. Staff recommends a 38-foot limit.
A third proposal would instead calculate height using a home’s highest eave.
The changes would not directly resolve broader concerns raised by a divisive home addition in Greenbriar last year. Hushour said questions about compatibility and infill development also involve overall building bulk and setbacks, not height alone.
He described the height review as a logical first step and a building block for possible future changes.
Supervisor Jimmy Bierman said increasing home heights are a recurring issue in the Dranesville District and welcomed the county’s review.
Board Chairman Jeff McKay emphasized the importance of creating rules that are simple to understand. He also called for feedback from residents and the building industry before supervisors settle on an approach.
The county has begun planning meetings with industry representatives and community members. Staff could bring a draft proposal to the Board of Supervisors this fall.