Loudoun County, VA Environmental Rules: Coastal Development (2026)

Loudoun County is located in the Piedmont region of Northern Virginia and is not a coastal jurisdiction. The Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program (VCZMP) under NOAA's federal Coastal Zone Management Act applies only to 29 coastal localities in Tidewater/Hampton Roads/Northern Neck Virginia; Loudoun is NOT on that list. The Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) governs tidal waters and subaqueous bottomland — not applicable in Loudoun since the Potomac River along Loudoun's northern boundary is non-tidal (above Great Falls / Chain Bridge). Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act does apply (VA Code §10.1-2100 et seq.) through Loudoun Codified Ordinances Chapter 1220; this designates Resource Protection Areas (RPAs) as 100-foot buffers along perennial streams, tributaries to the Potomac (Goose Creek, Broad Run, Catoctin Creek, Sugarland Run), and the Potomac itself. RPA development restrictions: no new impervious surface without exception; tree removal limited; septic setbacks enhanced; agricultural best management practices required. Resource Management Areas (RMAs) extend 100 ft beyond the RPA with lesser restrictions. Sea-level rise planning: not applicable in Loudoun's elevation (200-800 ft ASL). Flooding concerns addressed through floodplain (FEMA) regulations, not coastal. Reservoirs (Beaverdam, W. E. Doyle) have watershed protection. Virginia Scenic Rivers program designates the Goose Creek as a Virginia Scenic River under VA Code §10.1-400.