Previous Drafts of Zoning Ordinance

Board of Supervisors Final Draft Zoning Ordinance

During eight work sessions in September and October 2023, the Board of Supervisors directed revisions to the Draft Zoning Ordinance that was delivered to the Board by the Planning Commission. Below is the Board of Supervisors' Final Draft Zoning Ordinance. The marked-up version of the text is available to illustrate the revisions made by the Board. The Board adopted the new Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance on December 13, 2023.

Final Draft Zoning Ordinance Marked-Up Final Draft Zoning Ordinance
Cover Page (PDF) Cover Page (PDF)
Table of Contents (PDF) Table of Contents (PDF)
Chapter 1: Introduction (PDF) Chapter 1: Introduction (PDF)
Chapter 2: Zoning Districts (PDF) Chapter 2: Zoning Districts (PDF)
Chapter 3: Uses (PDF) Chapter 3: Uses (PDF)
Chapter 4: Use-Specific Standards (PDF) Chapter 4: Use-Specific Standards (PDF)
Chapter 5: Overlay Districts (PDF) Chapter 5: Overlay Districts (PDF)
Chapter 6: Natural and Environmental Resources (PDF) Chapter 6: Natural and Environmental Resources (PDF)
Chapter 7: Development Standards (PDF) (with graphics added) Chapter 7: Development Standards (PDF) (with graphics added)
Chapter 8: Signs (PDF) Chapter 8: Signs (PDF)
Chapter 9: Attainable Housing (PDF) Chapter 9: Attainable Housing (PDF)
Chapter 10: Procedures (PDF) Chapter 10: Procedures (PDF)
Chapter 11: Officials, Boards, and Commissions (PDF) Chapter 11: Officials, Boards, and Commissions (PDF)
Chapter 12: Definitions (PDF) Chapter 12: Definitions (PDF)
Appendices (PDF) Appendices (PDF)

Wayfinding from Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance (Existing Ordinance) to Draft Zoning Ordinance (June 6, 2023)

The wayfinding tool was developed to help navigate from the previous Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance to the rewritten Draft Zoning Ordinance that was under review by the Board of Supervisors in September and October 2023. Because the draft ordinance was rewritten, a side-by-side comparisons of the previous and draft ordinances was not possible. 

Wayfinding Tool

There are some topics that do not have direct parallels between the existing and draft ordinances. This document provides guidance on those topics: 

Planning Commission Draft Ordinances
July 6, 2023 Draft

The Planning Commission and its subcommittees met for more than 20 work sessions to consider draft regulations and to direct updates to the draft Zoning Ordinance text. Various drafts were published and members of the public commented on the drafts prior to the finalization of the Planning Commission's Draft Zoning Ordinance, which was forwarded to the Board of Supervisors. The Board of Supervisors held a public hearing on July 26, 2023 on the Draft Zoning Ordinance.

  1. Cover Page (PDF)
  2. Table of Contents (PDF)
  3. Chapter 1: Introduction (PDF)
  4. Chapter 3: Uses (PDF)
  5. Chapter 2: Zoning Districts (PDF)
  6. Chapter 4: Use-Specific Standards (PDF)
  7. Chapter 5: Overlay Districts (PDF)
  8. Chapter 6: Natural and Environmental (PDF)
  1. Chapter 7: Development Standards (PDF)
  2. Chapter 8: Signs (PDF)
  3. Chapter 9: Attainable Housing (PDF)
  4. Chapter 10: Procedures (PDF)
  5. Chapter 11: Officials, Boards, and Commissions (PDF)
  6. Chapter 12: Definitions (PDF)
  7. Appendices (PDF)

June 2, 2023 Draft

The Planning Commission's Draft Zoning Ordinance, as approved during the June 8, 2023 work session, is based on the June 2, 2023 version of the draft ordinance text, and includes the final edits approved by the commission during the June 5 and June 8 work sessions.

May 19, 2023 Draft

A complete version of the draft Zoning Ordinance that included the Planning Commission's work to date was published on May 19, 2023. The commission and its subcommittees have met for more than 20 work sessions to consider draft regulations and to direct updates to the proposed text. The commission continued to revise the draft ordinance in subsequent work sessions. 

August 2022 and January 2023 Drafts

The Planning Commission published various chapters of the draft text for two public hearings.

  • August 30, 2022, Public Hearing:  The Planning Commission began considering the text in Chapter 7: Development Standards; Chapter 8: Signs; Chapter 10: Nonconformities and Adaptive Reuse; Chapter 11: Procedures; Chapter 12: Officials, Boards and Commissions; and Chapter 13: Definitions and Rules of Interpretation. Since the August 30 public hearing, the nonconformities section of Chapter 10 and the rules of interpretation section of Chapter 13 have been merged into Chapter 1: Introduction. The adaptive reuse section has been relocated to Section 4.09 in Chapter 4: Use-Specific Standards. As a result, Procedures is now Chapter 10; Officials, Boards, and Commissions is Chapter 11; and Definitions is Chapter 12. 
  • January 24, 2023, Public Hearing:  The Planning Commission began considering text in Chapter 1: Introduction; Chapter 2: Zoning Districts; Chapter 3: Uses; Chapter 4: Use-Specific Standards; Chapter 5: Overlay Districts; Chapter 6: Natural and Environmental Resources; portions of Chapter 7: Open Space; Chapter 9: Attainable Housing;  and the remainder of Chapter 10: Procedures – Additional Requirements. 

April 18, 2022 Draft

The first draft of proposed Zoning Ordinance text was based on the work of the Zoning Ordinance Committee and published on April 18, 2022. At that time, the county opened a comment period for 90 days. 

Following the 90-day comment period, the April 18, 2022, draft text was forwarded to the Planning Commission, which has directed updates to the proposed text during the work sessions listed above. The chapters of subsequent draft Zoning Ordinance text were presented at Planning Commission public hearings on August 30, 2022, and January 24, 2023. 

The Planning Commission delivered a recommended draft Zoning Ordinance to the Board of Supervisors in July 2023.