Fairfax County, VA Public Conduct: Jaywalking (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- County Code § 82-9-3
- Rule
- No stepping out from behind obstructions
- Exception
- Boarding a bus, safety zone
- Stop authority
- Officers cannot stop for this alone
- State parallel
- Va. Code Ann. § 46.2-926
Summary
Fairfax County's mid-block crossing rule, County Code § 82-9-3, makes it unlawful to step into a highway open to moving traffic between intersections at any point where a vehicle or other obstruction at the curb hides you from approaching drivers. The same section forbids police from stopping a pedestrian for this violation alone.
No pedestrian shall step into a highway open to moving vehicular traffic at any point between intersections where their presence would be obscured from the vision of drivers of approaching vehicles by a vehicle or other obstruction at the curb or side, except to board a passenger bus or to enter a safety zone, in which event they shall cross the highway or street only at right angles.(b)No law-enforcement officer shall stop a pedestrian for a violation of this section. (3-13-63; 1961 Code, § 16-223; 13-21-82.) Footnotes: --- (170) ---
162. For similar state law, see Va. Code Ann., § 46.2-926.
Full Breakdown
The prohibition is narrower than a blanket jaywalking ban, and each element matters. It applies only on a highway open to moving vehicular traffic, only between intersections, and only where the pedestrian's presence would be obscured from the vision of drivers of approaching vehicles by a vehicle or other obstruction at the curb or side. The classic case is stepping out from behind a parked car. Where those conditions are not met, this section does not reach the crossing: visibility is the trigger, not the mid-block location by itself.
The ordinance builds in exceptions for stepping out to board a passenger bus or to enter a safety zone, but even then it attaches a condition, requiring the pedestrian to cross the highway or street only at right angles, straight across rather than diagonally. Subsection (b) is the section's most unusual feature. It directs that no law-enforcement officer shall stop a pedestrian for a violation of this section, which means the conduct remains a violation but cannot by itself be the basis for a police stop.
The rule is not new: the code history traces it to the 1961 Code, § 16-223, and the county code's own footnote points to the similar state law at Va. 2-926.
Violations & Fines
Violation is a traffic infraction under Article 9, but § 82-9-3(b) bars a law-enforcement officer from stopping a pedestrian for this violation alone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can police stop me just for this?
Is crossing mid-block always illegal in Fairfax County?
What if I am stepping out to catch a bus?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fairfax County
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