Fairfax County has jumped into the craft beverage game by creating new zoning rules that make it more attractive for craft beverage production establishments, including breweries, wineries, and distilleries, to operate in the county. The new zoning ordinance provisions were adopted by the Board of Supervisors on February 28 and are now in effect.  Under the new ordinance, smaller scale producers are expressly permitted in certain commercial zoning districts and most industrial and planned development zoning districts.  McGuireWoods is proud to have been the only firm that advocated during the public hearing process for additional flexibility in production limits and operations of these types of establishments. Those changes were incorporated into the final approved zoning ordinance amendment.

The maximum permitted annual production varies by zoning district, with a range of between 5,000-20,000 barrels of beer or 5,000-36,000 gallons of distilled spirits, wine, cider, or mead per year. While craft beverage production establishments are permitted by right in many districts, they may still require additional zoning actions in most cases. If a property has existing zoning approvals limiting potential uses, then an amendment to that approval will still be required before a craft beverage production establishment can be opened.