Accessory Living Unit Town Hall

Community Town Hall

Thursday, September 17, 2026

Great Falls Library at 7:00 pm

Fairfax County is considering changes to the zoning standards governing Accessory Living Units (ALUs). An ALU is a secondary dwelling unit associated with and subordinate to a single-family detached home and may be located inside, attached to, or separate from the main house. 

The Great Falls Citizens Associationwill host a community town hall on Thursday, September 17, 2026, to present the County's proposal and hear directly from Great Falls residents. All viewpoints are welcome. 

County staff states that the proposed amendment is intended to provide additional housing options and flexibility for older adults, young professionals, caregivers, military personnel, and households seeking rental income, while clarifying the regulations and streamlining the approval process.  

The following are County staff recommendations and have not been adopted as positions of GFCA: 

• Eliminate the separate Administrative Permit for interior ALUs and for detached ALUs on lots of at least 36,000 square feet. Zoning review would generally occur through a related building permit or upon request. 

• Remove the owner-occupancy, permit-renewal, and land-record recordation requirements. 

• Allow detached ALUs by right on lots of at least 36,000 square feet and through a Special Permit on lots between 15,000 and 36,000 square feet, replacing the current two-acre minimum and Special Permit requirement for all detached ALUs. 

• Generally, limit both interior and detached ALUs to 1,200 square feet or 40% of the principal dwelling, whichever is less, while allowing the Board of Zoning Appeals to consider a larger detached ALU. Proposed height standards vary by lot size and would include a 35-foot maximum on lots larger than 36,000 square feet, with the ALU remaining subordinate to the principal dwelling. 

• Increase maximum occupancy from two to three people and either remove the ALU parking review standard or eliminate only the requirement for one additional ALU parking space. 

Residents are encouraged to review the County's ALU Community Toolkit before the meeting. The toolkit includes an 11-minute introductory video, presentation slides, a summary of the proposed changes, the full white paper and draft ordinance text, discussion prompts, and a feedback form.

The town hall is intended as a listening session, not an effort to promote a predetermined outcome. GFCA's goal is to identify areas of community consensus and accurately report areas where opinions differ. Following the meeting, the Committee will prepare a neutral report for Fairfax County and Dranesville District Supervisor James Bierman. The County has requested community-group feedback by September 28, 2026, although it will continue accepting comments afterward.

Residents who cannot attend may send comments to zoning@gfca.org so their feedback can be considered in the GFCA summary. Individual comments may also be submitted directly to County staff at casey.judge@fairfaxcounty.gov and carmen.bishop@fairfaxcounty.gov, or by calling 703-324-1314.