Permeable resin-bound surfacing can be used as a stormwater practice in Fairfax when it is designed as permeable pavement over a stone reservoir under Virginia's Handbook specification and the reviewing jurisdiction accepts the surface. Which jurisdiction matters: the City of Fairfax runs its own stormwater utility with a credit for voluntary practices, while Fairfax County reviews development through Land Development Services and its Public Facilities Manual.

Over an existing slab, resin-bound changes the look and nothing else, because water still leaves on the concrete or asphalt. With Virginia's new-development phosphorus limit tightened for plans submitted from July 2025, practices that genuinely cut runoff carry more weight on Fairfax sites than they used to.

City utility credits, County plan review and the 2025 phosphorus limit

The City of Fairfax adopted its stormwater utility ordinance in December 2021, effective July 2022, replacing a storm fund paid from the real estate tax. Fees are billed in 500-square-foot units of impervious area. Under the City's credit manual, a voluntarily installed stormwater facility that meets the Virginia Stormwater BMP Clearinghouse specifications can earn up to 35%, based on the share of the property draining to it, plus up to 15% more if it also treats runoff arriving from off site. Credits can stack without a set maximum, but every property pays at least one billing unit, and voluntary facilities need an annual owner inspection and condition report.

In Fairfax County, Land Development Services administers the Public Facilities Manual, which governs the design of facilities serving new development, and privately maintained stormwater facilities stay the owner's responsibility.

Statewide, plans submitted on or after July 1, 2025 must hold new development to 0.26 pounds of total phosphorus per acre per year, down from 0.41. Nutrient credits can substitute for on-site practices in some cases, including sites disturbing less than five acres, but they cannot be used for water quantity requirements, which on-site practices such as permeable pavement can help address.

Clay subsoils, the Accotink and Difficult Run valleys, and infiltration tests

Fairfax sits mostly on Piedmont ground, with clayey subsoils over weathered rock, and Coastal Plain deposits including slow-draining clays toward the eastern county. That variability makes field testing essential: the Handbook requires a field-verified infiltration rate of at least 0.5 inch per hour before a permeable section can drop its underdrain, and expects underdrains in most Hydrologic Soil Group C and D soils.

For a higher-performing Level 2 design on slow soils, the Handbook allows an underdrain if a stone infiltration sump at least 12 inches deep sits below the underdrain invert, or if a control structure holds the treatment volume for at least 48 hours. Runoff from adjacent pavement may be routed onto the permeable section only when it has an underdrain, and then from no more than 2.5 times the permeable area.

Accotink Creek, Difficult Run, Pohick Creek and Cameron Run carry runoff from dense suburbs, and the City of Fairfax sits in the upper Accotink watershed. Freeze-thaw winters favor a reservoir that drains completely between storms.

Fairfax sites that suit a permeable resin-bound section

Plazas and streetscape courtyards in Tysons and Merrifield, where redevelopment must meet phosphorus targets on tight urban parcels.
Courtyards and paths in Old Town Fairfax, where a natural-stone finish suits brick buildings and a voluntary practice the City accepts can earn credit.
HOA trails, pool decks and cluster parking in Reston, Burke and Centreville communities.
Churches, private schools and office parks along the Route 50 and Route 29 corridors, where large paved areas leave room for treatment.

Who reviews it, and how Resin Rock fits in

County projects go through Land Development Services plan review under the PFM and the state regulation; City of Fairfax projects go through the City's Public Works Department, which also takes structural and non-structural credit applications. Either reviewer will want the reservoir design, infiltration tests, underdrain and outfall, and a maintenance agreement. The Handbook specification lists interlocking pavers, grid pavers, pervious concrete and porous asphalt, and the regulation sends nonproprietary practices that differ from Handbook designs to DEQ for review, so settle early how a resin-bound surface will be classified.

Resin Rock manufactures and wholesales the system rather than installing it. We supply UV-stable binder, stone blends, trims and Rock Crete permeable sub-base, with technical data sheets for the plan set, and we train and approve installers. Find an installer usually returns a Fairfax match within 24 hours, and installers can apply for our Virginia training.

Before you specify permeable resin-bound in Fairfax

Confirm whether the property is in the City of Fairfax or Fairfax County.
Run field infiltration tests; 0.5 inch per hour is the threshold to drop the underdrain.
Settle with the reviewer how a resin-bound surface will be classified under the Handbook.
Design to the 0.26 lb per acre per year phosphorus limit for plans submitted after July 1, 2025.
In the City, plan the annual condition report needed to keep a voluntary credit.

Common questions about permeable resin-bound in Fairfax

Can I get a stormwater fee credit for permeable paving in the City of Fairfax?

Possibly. The City credits voluntary facilities that meet the Virginia Stormwater BMP Clearinghouse specifications: up to 35% based on the share of the property draining to the facility, plus up to 15% if it treats off-site runoff. That specification names pavers, grids, pervious concrete and porous asphalt, so the City decides whether a resin-bound surface qualifies. Every property still pays at least one billing unit, and owners must inspect and report on the facility every year.

Is there a similar credit in Fairfax County?

The credit program described here belongs to the City of Fairfax. In Fairfax County, permeable paving earns its value mainly by helping development plans meet state phosphorus and runoff requirements in Land Development Services review. Ask the County whether any current incentive applies to your property before counting on one.

What changed for new development in 2025?

Plans submitted on or after July 1, 2025 must keep new development to 0.26 pounds of total phosphorus per acre per year, down from 0.41 for earlier plans. That makes on-site practices that cut runoff and phosphorus, such as properly designed permeable pavement, more valuable in site design across both the County and the City.

Official sources for Fairfax

Local rules change. We last checked these sources in October 2026. Confirm current requirements with the reviewing agency before you design, and treat this page as a starting point, not engineering or permitting advice.

Permeable Resin-Bound Surfacing in Fairfax, VA