Fairfax City Zoning Code
CHAPTER 17
076: RS-7.5 SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL ZONE, MEDIUM DENSITY
§ 17.076.010 GENERALLY.
No premises in the RS-7.5 single-family residential zone may be used for any purpose or in any manner, except as set forth in this chapter.
(Prior Code, § 17.40.010) (Ord. 352, passed - -1973; Am. Ord. 885, passed 11-1-2023)
§ 17.076.020 PRINCIPAL PERMITTED USES AND STRUCTURES.
Uses in the RS-7.5 zone shall be conducted entirely within a building and restricted to a single-family dwelling and accessory dwelling units on each building site. Also permitted by-right are small family day care and limited residential care. Large family day care, supportive housing for six or fewer persons, and transitional housing for six or fewer persons also are allowed with a zoning permit, and no discretionary review is required, provided the objective standards of Chapter 17.138 are met.
(Prior Code, § 17.40.020) (Ord. 352, passed - -1973; Am. Ord. 885, passed 11-1-2023)
§ 17.076.030 CONDITIONAL USES AND STRUCTURES.
Conditional uses and structures in the RS-7.5 zone are as follows:
(A) Agricultural uses, including crop and tree farming and viticulture, but not including the raising of animals or fowl for commercial purposes or the sale of any products on the premises;
(B) Public or quasi-public buildings and uses of an educational, religious, cultural or public service type, not including corporation yards, storage or repair yards, warehouses or similar uses;
(C) Temporary tract offices;
(D) Public and private non-commercial recreation areas and facilities, such as country clubs, golf courses and swimming pools;
(E) Private stables and corrals;
(F) Public utility buildings, structures or facilities, except transmission lines;
(G) Living quarters of persons regularly employed on the premises;
(H) Other uses which are determined by the Planning Commission to be of the same general character as those enumerated in this section; and
(I) Accessory uses and structures other than those specifically listed in § 17.076.040.
(Prior Code, § 17.40.030) (Ord. 352, passed - -1973; Am. Ord, 509, passed - -1983; Am. Ord. 538, passed - -1985; Am. Ord. 800, passed 2-3-2016; Am. Ord. 810, passed 11-1-2017)
§ 17.076.040 ACCESSORY USES AND STRUCTURES.
Accessory uses in the RS-7.5 zone are as follows:
(A) Home occupations;
(B) Cabanas, greenhouses, patios, lath houses, tool sheds, playhouses, barbecue pits, fences, walkways, hedges and similar improvements and appurtenances;
(C) Private garages, parking spaces and swimming pools for the exclusive use of the residents of the premises and their guests;
(D) Up to two residential accessory dwelling units, which may include or one junior accessory dwelling unit, which must be approved in accordance with the procedures and standards in Chapter 17.048 of this title; and
(E) Short-term rental uses that include only one short-term rental unit per single-family zoned property contained within an existing structure permitted for residential use as long as that structure is not an ADU/JADU created after January 1, 2020.
(Prior Code, § 17.40.040) (Ord. 352, passed - -1973; Am. Ord. 810, passed 11-1-2017; Am. Ord. 865, passed 7-6-2022; Am. Ord. 885, passed 11-1- 2023)
§ 17.076.050 BUILDING SITE REQUIREMENTS.
Except as otherwise provided in §§ 17.044.030 through 17.044.050 of this title, a use permit or hill area residential development permit (HRD) must be first secured in the RS-7.5 zone for any use, occupancy or physical improvement of or on a building site failing to meet the following minimum requirements:
(A) Minimum area of 7,500 square feet and minimum width of 75 feet with a slope of ten percent or less;
(B) The minimum building site area shall be increased by 300 square feet for each one percent increase in slope over ten percent to and including 15 percent ; and the minimum width shall be increased three feet for each 500 square feet of additional area required, so that a building site having a slope of 15 percent shall have a minimum area of 10,000 square feet and a minimum width of 100 feet;
(C) Building sites having a slope of more than 15 percent shall increase in area above 10,000 square feet and in minimum width above 100 feet, at the rate of 1,200 square feet of area and three feet of width for each one percent increase in slope; and
(D) Fractions shall be disregarded and dropped in all computations made under this section.
(Prior Code, § 17.40.050) (Ord. 352, passed - -1973; Am. Ord. 605, passed - -1991; Am. Ord. 885, passed 11-1-2023)
§ 17.076.060 HEIGHT REGULATIONS.
The following height regulations apply in the RS-7.5 zone.
(A) (1) Except as otherwise permitted by variance, no building or structure occupied by a principal use on a lot having a slope of ten percent or less shall exceed a height of 28.5 feet nor contain more than two stories.
(2) On lots having a slope in excess of ten percent, no building or structure occupied by a principal use and situated on the downhill side of the street upon which it has its primary frontage shall exceed 35 feet in height, and if situated on the uphill side of the street shall not exceed 28.5 feet in height nor contain more than three stories.
(B) Except as otherwise permitted by variance or by the provisions of § 17.052.020 of this title, no accessory building or structure on any lot shall exceed 15 feet in height nor contain more than one story; provided that, handrails required by the Uniform Building Code shall not be included in measuring height.
The height of accessory dwelling units is governed by Chapter 17.048.
(Prior Code, § 17.40.060) (Ord. 352, passed - -1973; Am. Ord. 486, passed - -1981; Am. Ord. 490, passed - -1982; Am. Ord. 605, passed - -1991; Am. Ord. 885, passed 11-1-2023)
§ 17.076.070 YARDS.
(A) Except as otherwise permitted by variance, each building in the RS-7.5 zone having a slope of not more than ten percent shall have yards as follows:
(1) A front and a rear yard having a combined depth of not less than 30 feet, but neither yard having a depth of less than ten feet; and/or
(2) Two side yards having a combined width of not less than 20 feet, but neither yard having a width of less than five feet.
(B) Except as otherwise permitted by variance, each building site in the RS-7.5 zone having a slope of more than ten percent shall have yards as follows:
(1) A front and rear yard having a combined depth of not less than 40 feet, but the front yard having a depth of not less than six feet and the rear yard a depth of not less than 15 feet;
(2) Two side yards having a combined width of not less than 25 feet, but neither yard having a width of less than ten feet.
(C) Setback standards for accessory dwelling units are established in .
(Prior Code, § 17.40.070) (Ord. 352, passed - -1973; Am. Ord. 486, passed - -1981; Am. Ord. 605, passed - -1991; Am. Ord. 885, passed 11-1- 2023)
§ 17.076.075 DRIVEWAY STANDARDS.
The width and number of driveways for each property within the RS 7.5 Single-family Residential Zone are regulated by Town Code Chapter 12.12, Driveway Entrances.
(Ord. 875, passed 12-7-2022)
§ 17.076.080 SIGNS.
No signs shall be established or maintained in the RS-7.5 single-family residential zone, except as authorized or allowed under the provisions of Chapter 17.064 of this title.
(Prior Code, § 17.40.080) (Ord. 352, passed - -1973)
§ 17.076.090 OFF-STREET PARKING.
Off-street parking spaces and facilities in the RS-7.5 zone shall be provided as required or allowed by the provisions of Chapter 17.052 of this title and, for accessory dwelling units, as required by Chapter 17.048.
(Prior Code, § 17.40.090) (Ord. 352, passed - -1973; Am. Ord. 885, passed 11-1-2023)
§ 17.076.100 TRAFFIC IMPACT PERMIT.
The provisions of the traffic impact permit, Chapter 17.056 of this title, are applicable to properties in the RS-7.5 zone.
(Prior Code, § 17.40.100) (Ord. 352, passed - -1973; Am. Ord. 553, passed - -1986)
§ 17.076.110 VARIANCES.
(A) The Planning Commission may require, as a condition of a variance approved and issued under the provision of this section, a reduction of building height, lot coverage, floor area ratio or buildable area, or any combination thereof, when the reduction is found necessary to protect adjoining property from adverse or detrimental effect, or to prevent the variance from constituting a grant of special privilege.
(B) The Planning Commission may require as a condition of a driveway variance approved and issued under the provision of this section an increase in the width or number of driveways entering a property, when the increase is found necessary to protect adjoining property from adverse or detrimental effect, or to prevent the variance from constituting a grant of special privilege.
(Prior Code, § 17.40.110) (Ord. 352, passed - -1973; Am. Ord. 486, passed - -1981; Am. Ord. 875, passed 12-7-2022)