Tidying up new rules approved in March, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on July 13 unanimously approved four special-permit fees pertaining to flagpoles and accessory buildings.
Supervisors on March 23 adopted an updated ordinance as part of the Zoning Modernization Project (zMOD), which on July 1 replaced a zoning ordinance passed in 1978.
The new ordinance included provisions to limit flagpole heights to 25 feet for lots with single-family dwellings and manufactured homes and 60 feet tall for other uses. Existing flagpoles were grandfathered in under the old rules, but new or replaced flagpoles must comply with the new ordinance.
Property owners may obtain special permits from the Fairfax County Board of Zoning Appeals to increase flagpole heights.
Because the special-permit fees had not been advertised for the March 23 public hearing, supervisors directed staff to process an amendment that would establish charges in line with similar application types. The county charges a general special-permit fee of $16,375.
In lieu of that charge, supervisors approved county staff’s recommendation to levy a $435 fee to increase flagpole height. The amount, which is the lowest the county charges for special-permit applications, matches fees for increasing fence or wall heights, staff said.
Supervisors also approved a $910 charge to increase the height or cumulative square footage of freestanding accessory structures or place accessory structures on a through lot. That fee is the same as what the county charges for reducing setbacks.
The new zoning-ordinance amendment and its fees took effect July 14. County staff said they expect the fees will have only a minor impact on the county’s revenues, because they do not expect to receive many applications each year.
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