Stafford County, VA Code Violation Reporting: How to Report (2026)

Section 28-316 of the Zoning Ordinance gives any person, not just an adjoining owner, the right to file a written complaint with the zoning administrator or a designee whenever a violation of chapter 28 occurs or is alleged to have occurred. The complaint has to state fully the causes and basis for the alleged violation; the zoning administrator's office records it, investigates, and takes whatever action is appropriate. Once staff confirms a violation, section 28-313 requires the owner of the land or structure to be notified in writing of each violation and its basis; if the violator cannot be identified, notice instead goes to the property owner.

The notice demands correction or abatement within a reasonable time set by the zoning administrator, and if the problem isn't fixed, the administrator can initiate legal action to terminate or correct it, including a stop-work order under section 28-312. Most violations then carry a civil penalty under section 28-314: a $100 fine for a first offense and $150 for each subsequent offense, with no more than one charge per ten-day period and no more than $3,000 total for a related series of violations. A handful of violations are carved out of the civil track, including Uniform Statewide Building Code enforcement, land development or construction activity, erosion and sedimentation ordinance breaches, and unauthorized signs on public rights-of-way; those, and any violation causing physical injury, are prosecuted criminally under section 28-315, with fines from $10 to $1,000 per day of continued violation.