Buy Fairfax County Permits 101
Permits 101 for your county and premium access to the Crosodo permit dashboard. $26 because 2026 is the year to start your home cottage food business.
Fairfax County Permits 101 for Fairfax County, Virginia (95 pages). After you pay, you get lifetime access to premium dashboard features. Unlock the permit planning workspace on your dashboard.
Unlimited Pass. Your journey to getting permitted for cottage food sales. Premium dashboard tools, unlimited state and county reports, and the 50-state label report. Lifetime access. Includes the full Virginia License & Permit Guide (432 pages).
County workspace on your dashboard
After Stripe, sign in at /dashboard. The purchase unlocks official links, screenshots, and a dashboard to save your information for submission to permit authorities. We do not file with the county for you.
Add other counties after one purchase. Request the Permit Guide PDF if that place is not generated yet. Independent cities are their own government.
Permit steps with the local name that office uses (HBB, MHO, CFO Class A).
Live .gov URLs and snapshots when we have them. Blank if we do not.
Your county rules. Permit checklists.
See permit information in one place. Get updates and access dashboard features as they advance.
The required disclaimer wording for this state, a sample mockup, and links to the free label pack and official examples.
Whether customers may pick up at the dwelling. Zoning is local. A food exemption does not grant porch pickup.
USDA listings for this place and neighboring counties: name, address, season or hours, and website when the directory has one. A cottage-food exemption is not a booth — you still apply to the market.
The state food list for this place. County zoning does not add a food to the state list.
Orders, payments, in-state shipping, and whether out-of-state sales are published as allowed.
Pets in the kitchen you bake in. A dedicated-kitchen rule is separate from selling pet treats.
Dog biscuits and cat treats are usually commercial feed, not cottage food. Sourced license path when we have it.
Neighboring counties are compared in a table for rules and regulations.
What you need in Fairfax County — and what you do not
Virginia food permit / registration
Not requiredNo Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services permit or cottage-food registration for the home exemption.
As amended by HB 402 (Acts of Assembly 2026 Ch. 605), effective July 1, 2026: exempt foods may be sold at any location, through the internet, or by phone to an individual in Virginia for their own consumption, and delivered in person, by mail, or by delivery service in Virginia. Still no resale, consignment, restaurants, retail food establishments, or out-of-state sales. Local zoning still applies. The VDACS home-food-processor FAQ PDF is stale (still says no online sales); the statute controls. https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB402
Va. Code §3.2-5130 (HB 402 / 2026 c. 605) →Virginia routine kitchen inspection
Not requiredNo routine state inspection for the exemption (complaint inspection may still apply).
VDACS may inspect upon complaint. FCHD reviews cottage-food products and may investigate complaints. The HBB administrative permit is a zoning review (about 14 calendar days); FCHD product registration is a separate annual Health Department step. County Food Code Chapter 43.2 does not apply in the independent City of Fairfax.
Zoning / home occupation
Required$140A local home occupation or home-based-business approval is required in Fairfax County.
Fairfax County requires a Home-Based Business Administrative Permit through PLUS for cottage food operations, plus the Home-Based Food Production Supplemental Form. Processing is about 14 calendar days; the administrative permit fee is $140 as of July 1, 2026 (paid in PLUS; credit-card payments add a 2.35% service charge). Submit a floor plan labeling rooms and the square footage of the business area (400 sq ft cap); interior photos of rooms/areas where the business will operate (not every room in the house); and exterior photos of all sides of the dwelling. FCHD reviews each food item; Chapter 43.2 Art. 5 requires annual cottage-food product registration. File BPOL within 75 days of starting. Zoning Permits: 703-222-1082 / [email protected]. Home occupation area limited to 400 sq ft; one non-resident employee only in a single-family detached dwelling, 7am–6pm. Sale and delivery of home-based food must be exclusively online or off-site — no porch pickup. A special permit cannot add on-site customers for food or small-scale production.
Application portal →Local health / cottage-food registration
Check locallyUpon-complaint — VDACS may inspect upon complaint. FCHD reviews cottage-food products and may investigate complaints. The HBB administrative permit is a zoning review (about 14 calendar days); FCHD product registration is a separate annual Health Department step. County Food Code Chapter 43.2 does not apply in the independent City of Fairfax.
VDACS may inspect upon complaint. FCHD reviews cottage-food products and may investigate complaints. The HBB administrative permit is a zoning review (about 14 calendar days); FCHD product registration is a separate annual Health Department step. County Food Code Chapter 43.2 does not apply in the independent City of Fairfax. Attach the Home-Based Food Production Supplemental Form. FCHD reviews each food item; Chapter 43.2 Art. 5 requires annual cottage-food product registration. The Health Department page treats the supplemental form as the initial product registration.
Health department →Local business license
RequiredA local business license (or BPOL) is required in Fairfax County.
House / porch pickup
Not requiredOn-site customer pickup is not allowed in Fairfax County for this home-based food path.
Zoning §4102.7.H: sale and delivery of home-based food and small-scale production items must occur exclusively online or off-site. On-site retail customer pickup is not permitted. FAQ: customers may come only to view samples if that is separately allowed — food sales themselves are not porch pickup. A special permit cannot add customers for food or small-scale production. State HB 402 allows online/phone orders and in-state delivery/shipping; County zoning still bans house pickup.
What Fairfax County publishes for the home cottage-food path
Dollar amounts appear only when we have read them on an official page. If a cell is blank, that office has not published a flat price we can quote. Ask them before you pay. A fee that varies with sales is a percent of receipts (privilege tax / BPOL), not a sticker price. Not MEHKO, commissary, or storefront.
| Step / local name | Amount | Period | Official source | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
No VDACS home-food-processor permit VDACS home food processor: no state permit fee for allowed home foods. Local BPOL / business license is a commissioner-of-the-revenue filing and is usually a percentage of gross receipts — we do not invent the locality rate. | $0 | — | Official source → | 2026-08-19 |
Home-Based Business administrative permit (PLUS) Fee as of July 1, 2026 (was $135). Credit cards add 2.35%. BPOL is a separate commissioner-of-the-revenue filing within 75 days — amount is gross-receipts based, not listed here. Independent City of Fairfax is a different government. | $140 | One-Time | Official source → | 2026-08-19 |
Local health / cottage-food registration This office has not published a flat dollar amount we can quote. Ask them before you pay. | — | — | Official source → | 2026-08-19 |
Business license / BPOL This is not a sticker price. It is usually a percent of gross receipts (often called BPOL, privilege tax, or occupational tax). Confirm the rate with the commissioner of the revenue or city license office. | — | Gross Receipts | Official source → | 2026-08-19 |
Fairfax County permit fees, office, and timeline
Checked against DPD Zoning Permits primary sources on . Fees and forms change — confirm with the office before you pay.
What it costsfee schedule effective July 1, 2026
| Permit | Fee |
|---|---|
| Home-Based Business administrative permitFee as of July 1, 2026 (was $135). Paid in PLUS; credit cards add a 2.35% service charge. | $140 |
How long it takes
About 14 calendar days for a complete PLUS application.
Where to apply
What else to bring
- This is the home cottage-food path, not a storefront or commissary kitchen. County HBB / PLUS / County Food Code do not apply in the independent City of Fairfax. Burke is in the County.
- Floor plan: label rooms and the square footage of the business area (400 sq ft cap). Interior photos of rooms/areas where the business will operate — not every room in the house. Exterior photos of all sides.
- Attach the Home-Based Food Production Supplemental Form. FCHD reviews each food item; Chapter 43.2 Art. 5 requires annual cottage-food product registration. The Health Department page treats the supplemental form as the initial product registration.
- Zoning §4102.7.H: sale and delivery of home-based food exclusively online or off-site. No porch pickup. A special permit cannot add on-site customers for food or small-scale production.
- One non-resident employee only in a detached single-family home, 7am–6pm. File BPOL within 75 days of starting.
What permits do I need in another county?
Full Virginia PDF report (432 pages) — $44
Everything for Fairfax County in one place: the full Virginia cottage food law, permit steps and fees, labeling requirements, and every county breakdown — as a PDF you can keep. Lifetime updates included.
- ✓ Complete Virginia statute + sales cap explained
- ✓ Permit fees, forms, and office contacts for Fairfax County
- ✓ Printable label template + compliance checklist
Crosodo compiles publicly available statutes and local rules for home cottage-food bakers. It is not legal, tax, or zoning advice and is provided without warranty. Confirm with Virginia and Fairfax County offices before you sell. Rules change.