Our Community in Fairfax County, Virginia

You may be surprised to know that people urinating in their yard is a problem in Westlawn.  The problem involves people of all ages and ethnicities.  It happens during parties with a lot of beer, but also with children playing in their yard.

People should not urinate outdoors in our neighborhood.  We all have neighbors who can see our back yards and see anyone urinating outside.  Public urination is both inappropriate and a violation of public indecency laws.

Every house in Westlawn has at least one bathroom—use it!

In recent years, Westlawn residents have noted a dramatic increase in the number of "single-family" homes with many adult residents.  These homes typically have many automobiles.  In some cases, these vehicles are parked in front of homes of neighbors, making it difficult or even impossible for these neighbors to park in front of their own homes.

There are no laws in Virginia preventing neighbors from being rude and inconsiderate by regularly parking in front of your house.  No limit is placed on the number of people living in a residence, as long as they are related by blood or marriage.  Penny Gross noted at our 6 October meeting that the Virginia General Assembly is reluctant to define "family" in more narrow terms that would prevent distant relatives from being considered as a single family.

Westlawn residents also are noting an increase in problems that stem from neighbors violating Fairfax County health and zoning regulations.  Whether they are caused willfully or from ignorance, these violations have a negative impact on neighboring homes.  Sometimes the impact is direct, as in the case of rats, mosquitoes, and smelly or overgrown yards.  In other cases, the impact is more subtle, such as unsightly yards, lower property values of nearby homes, and setting a bad precedent for other irresponsible or ignorant neighbors to follow.

Whether your neighbor is violating county regulations or simply is not being a responsible neighbor, Penny recommends that communication be the first step.  This newsletter is an excellent example, as many readers probably are unaware of some of the regulations mentioned in this article.  If you believe that your neighbor does not understand English well, contact Penny Gross' office at 703-256-7717.  She knows people who speak Spanish and Vietnamese who might be able to assist with helping recent immigrants to understand what is allowable on their property as a resident of Fairfax County.

For some residents, communication alone is not enough.  If you are confident that your neighbor is doing something wrong, but you are unsure whether it is a zoning violation, a health violation, or something else, please call Penny Gross' office.  You need to provide as much detail as possible.  Anonymous calls do not allow Penny's office to provide feedback to you or to recontact you for additional information, so Penny asks that you leave your name and phone number.

When to Call Zoning (703-324-1300)

• Do you have a neighbor using their yard, driveway, patio, or deck for outside storage?


• Is your neighbor building a shed or erecting a fence in the front yard?


• Are people sleeping in a basement or attic room that has no direct doorway outside and no regular-size windows that would allow escape in case of a fire blocking the normal stairway exit?


• Are people using garages or sheds for bedrooms?


• Is your neighbor doing something unusual, such as paving most of the back yard, and you are concerned that they either did not get a permit or are breaking some County zoning ordinance?

Basements with small windows and no outside door cannot be used as bedrooms because the windows do not allow easy escape in case of fire.

Your call cannot be anonymous.  Within a few days of your call, a Zoning inspector will contact you about your complaint.  Within a week, the inspector will inspect the property and confirm your information, talking the problem over with the owner or resident.  In some cases, the resident will agree to fix the problem and no further action is required.

When to Call the Health Department (703-246-2300)

• Do you have a problem with rats that you believe come from a neighbor with garbage in their yard, uncovered outdoor trash containers, or poorly maintained bird feeders?


• Does your neighbor have open garbage or pet droppings in their yard that smell so bad, you can't avoid the stench when standing in your yard?


• Is your neighbor breeding mosquitoes by leaving pools of standing water in their yard?


• Do you think that people are living in an unhealthy or unsafe environment in their home?

Within about a week of your call, a Health Department inspector will visit the home in question and give an advisory of what the resident needs to do to fix the problems.  (FYI--bird feeders are the biggest source of food for rats in Fairfax County!)  If you left your name and number, the inspector will call you after the initial visit, and once again after (or if) the problem is resolved.

What Can the County Do

Sometimes, just talking with the resident does not work.  In these cases, the Health or Zoning inspector will issue a written notice of violation to the home owner and/or tenant.  The tenant or owner can fix the problem, appeal the notice within 30 days, or do nothing.  If they do nothing or lose their appeal, the problem will escalate to Circuit Court.  The court will demand that the problem be fixed.  Failing to take action at this point will lead to an injunction with fines of $50-$100 per day and occasionally jail time.

Residents with an indoor violation of health or zoning ordinances cannot escape the law simply by denying entry to county inspectors.  For major violations, someone who is familiar with the problem--either a neighbor or sometimes a County inspector--can testify before a County magistrate.  The magistrate can issue a warrant that will allow inspectors to search a home without permission from the residents.

The County has many success stories, but Westlawn residents know that complaints are not always successful in getting neighbors to behave properly.  Some Westlawn residents purposely are ignoring County zoning and health regulations, and they are the most difficult to deal with.  The more people call and the more details you can provide on your own, the more that Penny's office and County inspectors can do.  It is reasonable to expect that your neighbors live up to the same basic standards that you do as a Fairfax County resident, whether they be owners or tenants.