Fairfax County, VA Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)

Fairfax County enforces tree protection through multiple overlapping mechanisms: (1) The Tree Conservation Ordinance, Chapter 122 of the Zoning Ordinance, which requires a 10-year canopy coverage on new development (typically 10–20% depending on zone) and protects designated trees on approved site plans. (2) Chesapeake Bay Preservation Ordinance (Chapter 118) restricts clearing in Resource Protection Areas (RPAs) — 100-foot buffers along perennial streams, wetlands, and the Potomac. Removal in an RPA requires a water quality impact assessment and County approval. (3) Tree preservation easements recorded on many residential subdivisions (especially Reston, Burke Centre, Fairfax Station) require permits for removal of any tree above a threshold diameter. (4) Historic overlay districts may add protections. On a standard single-family lot OUTSIDE an RPA, easement, or overlay, a homeowner may generally remove a tree from their own yard without a County permit — but MUST check HOA covenants (the leading source of restrictions in Fairfax). Street trees in the public right-of-way are managed by VDOT or the County Urban Forestry Division and may not be removed or pruned without coordination. Penalties for illegal removal in protected areas include $2,500+ per tree plus replanting requirements. Reston Association, Burke Centre Conservancy, and many HOAs have tree review boards with their own permit processes.