Tree Protection in Fairfax County, VA (2026)
2 rules for unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia.
Verified from official government sources
Note: These county rules apply to unincorporated areas of Fairfax County. If you live within an incorporated city, that city's own rules apply: see the city list below.
Heritage & Protected Trees
Fairfax County's Urban Forester can recommend individual trees for official heritage, memorial, specimen or street tree status, which the Board of Supervisors adopts by ordinance after notifying the owner and holding a public hearing.
Fairfax County Heritage Tree Designation
Some RestrictionsFairfax County, VA, Code of Ordinances § 120-3-1(a)
The Urban Forester may, in accordance with the provisions of this Article, identify and recommend that certain trees located within the County be officially designated by ordinance as heritage, memorial, specimen, or street trees. The designation of any tree described herein, to include the area encompassing the critical root zone area, shall be subject to all preservation and conservation stan...
Parkway Planting
New development along public and private streets must plant a ten-foot landscaping strip with at least one shade tree per 30 feet of street frontage, per county zoning code.
Fairfax County Street Frontage Tree Planting
Some RestrictionsFairfax County, VA, Zoning Ordinance subsec. 5108.3.A(2)
Street frontage landscaping must consist of a ten-foot-wide landscaping strip, exclusive of a sidewalk or trail, containing at least one tree per 30 linear feet of frontage, but trees are not required to be planted on 30-foot centers. (3) Where street frontage landscaping required by this subsection conflicts with street planting regulations ...
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