Zoning Ordinance Rewrite

The Final Draft Zoning Ordinance to be considered by the Board of Supervisors at its December 13, 2023, public hearing is now available online at loudoun.gov/zoningordinancerewrite.  

The final draft includes the revisions to the Planning Commission’s Draft Zoning Ordinance that were directed by the Board of Supervisors during eight work sessions in September and October. A marked-up version of the Board’s Final Draft Zoning Ordinance is also posted on the county’s website to clearly illustrate the revisions made by the Board.  

Public Hearing Dec. 13 

The Board of Supervisors may vote to adopt the new Zoning Ordinance following public input at the December 13 public hearing. Once adopted, the new ordinance will replace the current ordinance, the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance. 

At the December 13 public hearing, the Board of Supervisors may establish grandfathering rules to allow certain types of pending development applications (accepted for processing but not yet approved) to continue being reviewed and approved under the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance. 

The Board of Supervisors may also approve a resolution that directs the Department of Building and Development to issue Technical and Procedural Newsletters establishing interim technical standards for the Loudoun County Facilities Standards Manual and interim regulations for the Loudoun County Land Subdivision and Development Ordinance. Interim guidance will be necessary until the Board amends these two documents to reflect the new Zoning Ordinance.  

The public hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, December 13, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. in the Board Room at the Loudoun County Government Center located at 1 Harrison Street SE in Leesburg. 

Members of the public can sign up in advance to speak to the Board in person or by phone regarding the proposed new Zoning Ordinance. Instructions for signing up to speak are posted on the county’s website at loudoun.gov/signuptospeak.  

The Board’s December 13 public hearing will be televised on the county’s cable channel, Comcast Government Channel 23 and Verizon FIOS 40, and livestreamed online at loudoun.gov/meetings. 

Submit Comments to the Board of Supervisors 

Members of the public may provide input to the Board of Supervisors regarding the revisions proposed in the Final Draft Zoning Ordinance any time through this online comment form. Anyone who does not have access to the internet may call 703-777-0246 to submit comments. 

About the Zoning Ordinance 

The zoning ordinance regulates land use throughout the county and is the primary implementation tool for the Loudoun County 2019 Comprehensive Plan, a policy document that provides guidance for elected officials and other governmental decision-makers as to where and how the community will grow over many years. 

An update to the zoning ordinance is necessary following adoption of the Comprehensive Plan in 2019. The new zoning ordinance is intended to be more modern and user-friendly, with new regulations that reflect the land use policies in the Comprehensive Plan. 

More Information 

Detailed information about the Zoning Ordinance Rewrite project, including a history of the process and a link to sign up for email and text updates on the project, is available on the county’s website a loudoun.gov/zoningordinancerewrite.

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During a final work session on the Zoning Ordinance Rewrite project October 30, 2023, the Board of Supervisors completed its review of the Draft Zoning Ordinance that was sent to them by the Planning Commission in July. The Board held eight work sessions in September and October and passed more than 150 motions to edit the ordinance text and proposed regulations. The Board’s final version of the ordinance will now be prepared for a public hearing in December.

Next Steps

In the coming weeks, all of the edits to the Draft Zoning Ordinance that were approved by the Board will be incorporated to produce a final Zoning Ordinance. The final version of the ordinance will be available for the public to review prior to the upcoming public hearing and will be posted on the county’s website when available. The public hearing will also be publicly advertised in November in accordance with Virginia law.

The Board of Supervisors may vote to adopt the new Zoning Ordinance following public input at the December 13 public hearing. Once adopted, the new ordinance will replace the current ordinance, the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance.

Public Hearing Dec. 13

The Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, December 13, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. The public hearing will be held in the Board Room at the Loudoun County Government Center located at 1 Harrison Street SE in Leesburg.

Members of the public can sign up in advance to speak to the Board in person or by phone regarding the proposed new Zoning Ordinance. Instructions for signing up to speak are posted on the county’s website at loudoun.gov/signuptospeak. 

Submit Comments to the Board of Supervisors

Members of the public may provide input to the Board of Supervisors regarding the proposed Zoning Ordinance any time through this online comment form. Anyone who does not have access to the internet may call 703-777-0246 to submit comments. 

Watch the Public Hearing 

The Board’s December 13 public hearing will be televised on the county’s cable channel, Comcast Government Channel 23 and Verizon FIOS 40, and livestreamed online at loudoun.gov/meetings.

About the Zoning Ordinance 

The zoning ordinance regulates land use throughout the county and is the primary implementation tool for the Loudoun County 2019 Comprehensive Plan, a policy document that provides guidance for elected officials and other governmental decision-makers as to where and how the community will grow over many years.

An update to the zoning ordinance is necessary following adoption of the Comprehensive Plan in 2019. The new zoning ordinance is intended to be more modern and user-friendly, with new regulations that reflect the land use policies in the Comprehensive Plan. 

More Information 

Detailed information about the Zoning Ordinance Rewrite project, including a history of the process and a link to sign up for email and text updates on the project, is available on the county’s website at loudoun.gov/zoningordinancerewrite. 

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The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors is currently scheduled to hold its final work session on the Zoning Ordinance Rewrite (ZOR) project Monday, October 30, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. This is the final in a series of eight work sessions the Board has held in advance of a second public hearing on proposed revisions to the county’s Zoning Ordinance, which is scheduled for December 13, 2023. 

The October 30 work session is currently scheduled to cover the following topics:

• Chapter 9: Attainable Housing 
• Chapter 12: Definitions 

In addition, the Board will consider any additional motions to amend text in all chapters of the July 6, 2023, Draft Zoning Ordinance. To date, the Board has approved dozens of amendments to the Draft Zoning Ordinance that was recommended by the Planning Commission earlier this year.

Documents prepared for the October 30 meeting are posted online here.

The dates and times of all Board of Supervisors public meetings are posted at loudoun.gov/calendar. Meeting documents for all of the Board’s meetings are posted on the county’s website at least three days prior to the meeting date at loudoun.gov/bosdocuments. 

Next Steps

Following the October 30 work session, county staff will update the Draft Zoning Ordinance to include all of the amendments approved by the Board during the recent work sessions.

The Board of Supervisors has scheduled a public hearing on December 13, 2023, at 6:00 p.m., during which members of the public may provide input on the proposed ordinance in person and by phone. The final version of the Zoning Ordinance that will be proposed by the Board of Supervisors for adoption will be available for review on the county’s website in advance of the December 13 public hearing. 

Submit Comments to the Board of Supervisors

Members of the public may provide input to the Board of Supervisors any time through this online comment form. Anyone who does not have access to the internet may call 703-777-0246 to submit comments. 

Attend or Watch the ZOR Work Session 

The Board’s work sessions and public hearings are held at the Loudoun County Government Center, located at 1 Harrison Street SE in Leesburg. The Board’s meetings are televised on the county’s cable channel, Comcast Government Channel 23 and Verizon FIOS 40, and livestreamed online at loudoun.gov/meetings.

Review the Draft Zoning Ordinance

The complete text of the July 6, 2023, Draft Zoning Ordinance currently under review by the Board of Supervisors is available on the county’s website at loudoun.gov/zoningordinancerewrite. Note that the Board has passed dozens of motions to amend the draft text during its work sessions in September and October. The final version of the ordinance proposed for adoption will be available for review prior to the December 13, 2023, public hearing. 

The county’s existing zoning ordinance, the Revised 1993 Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance, is posted at loudoun.gov/zoningordinance. Once adopted by the Board of Supervisors, the new zoning ordinance will replace the existing ordinance.

Action Reports

Following each work session, an “Action Report” is prepared that summarizes the action the Board took during the work sessions. The action reports are posted online with the other documents for each work session. 

About the Zoning Ordinance 

The zoning ordinance regulates land use throughout the county and is the primary implementation tool for the Loudoun County 2019 Comprehensive Plan, a policy document that provides guidance for elected officials and other governmental decision-makers as to where and how the community will grow over many years. 

An update to the zoning ordinance is necessary following adoption of the Comprehensive Plan in 2019. The new zoning ordinance is intended to be more modern and user-friendly, with new district regulations that reflect the land use policies in the Comprehensive Plan. 

More Information 

Detailed information about the Zoning Ordinance Rewrite project, including a history of the process and a link to sign up for email and text updates on the project, is available on the county’s website at loudoun.gov/zoningordinancerewrite. 

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