What is the Green Line in Virginia Beach zoning?

The Green Line is an internally established rural-suburban growth boundary that keeps the southern third of Virginia Beach in low-density agricultural and rural-residential zoning to protect farmland, while the northern two-thirds of the city carries its full range of urban and suburban districts. It is a local growth-management policy, not a state or federal designation.

What does R-40 zoning mean in Virginia Beach?

R-40 is a large-lot single-family residential district, common in areas south of the Green Line, requiring a substantially larger minimum lot size than the city's more conventional suburban single-family districts like R-10. The number generally corresponds to minimum lot area in hundreds of square feet.

How do I find the zoning for a property in Virginia Beach?

Use the city's online GIS mapping portal, maintained by the Planning and Community Development Department, which shows parcel-level zoning district boundaries against the City Zoning Ordinance and official zoning map.

Virginia Beach, Virginia · city zoning districts · 13 districts

Virginia Beach, VA zoning map & districts

Virginia Beach, Virginia's largest city by population, regulates land use under its City Zoning Ordinance (CZO), administered by the Planning and Community Development Department with the Planning Commission and City Council handling rezonings and conditional-use approvals. The city's defining structural feature is the 'Green Line,' an internally drawn rural-suburban growth boundary that holds the southern third of the city in low-density agricultural and rural-residential zoning to protect farmland and limit sprawl, while the northern two-thirds carries the city's full range of urban and suburban residential, commercial, and resort districts.

The code Virginia Beach City Zoning Ordinance (CZO)

Virginia Beach zoning map

The Virginia Beach Planning and Community Development Department publishes the City Zoning Ordinance and official zoning map, with parcel-level zoning searchable through the city's online GIS mapping portal.

There is no link to the official map here yet — confirm current district boundaries directly with the Virginia Beach planning or zoning department.

A published summary is never the authority. The adopted ordinance and the city's official zoning map govern, and both change — verify the district and every standard on your parcel before you rely on it.

How zoning works in Virginia Beach

Oceanfront development is governed by a distinct set of Resort Tourist districts tied to Virginia Beach's tourism economy, while the city's residential code uses a lot-size-based numbering system (larger numbers generally meaning larger minimum lots) rather than a simple low/medium/high density label. As an independent city under Virginia's Dillon's Rule framework, Virginia Beach's zoning ordinance operates entirely on its own, with no county layer above it.

Virginia Beach zoning districts by family

The 13 district codes below are the ones that decide most projects in Virginia Beach, grouped by what they are for rather than by the order the ordinance prints them.

Key districts in the Virginia Beach City Zoning Ordinance (CZO) — a curated reference, not the exhaustive list. Confirm against the current adopted code.
Code	District	What it is for
Residential 6 districts
R40	Single-Family Residence District	Large-lot single-family zoning, common south of the Green Line.
R20	Single-Family Residence District	Suburban single-family zoning with a 20,000-square-foot minimum lot pattern.
R10	Single-Family Residence District	More conventional suburban single-family lot size.
R5D	Residential Duplex District	Allows duplex development at higher density than the single-family tiers.
A12	Apartment District	Multifamily apartment zoning at a moderate density tier.
A18	Apartment District	Higher-density multifamily apartment zoning.
Mixed-use 1 district
B4	Mixed Use District	Mixed-use commercial and residential district used in activity-center areas.
Commercial 1 district
B2	Community Business District	General commercial corridor zoning.
Downtown / core 1 district
CBC	Central Business Core District	Anchors Virginia Beach's Town Center high-rise mixed-use core.
Industrial 2 districts
I1	Light Industrial District	Light industrial and warehousing use.
I2	Heavy Industrial District	Heavier industrial use, typically near the city's port and rail corridors.
Special purpose 2 districts
AG1	Agricultural District	Rural agricultural zoning south of the Green Line growth boundary.
RT3	Resort Tourist District	Oceanfront resort district governing hotel and tourism-oriented development near the Boardwalk.

Virginia Beach zoning — common questions

What is the Green Line in Virginia Beach zoning?: The Green Line is an internally established rural-suburban growth boundary that keeps the southern third of Virginia Beach in low-density agricultural and rural-residential zoning to protect farmland, while the northern two-thirds of the city carries its full range of urban and suburban districts. It is a local growth-management policy, not a state or federal designation.
What does R-40 zoning mean in Virginia Beach?: R-40 is a large-lot single-family residential district, common in areas south of the Green Line, requiring a substantially larger minimum lot size than the city's more conventional suburban single-family districts like R-10. The number generally corresponds to minimum lot area in hundreds of square feet.
How do I find the zoning for a property in Virginia Beach?: Use the city's online GIS mapping portal, maintained by the Planning and Community Development Department, which shows parcel-level zoning district boundaries against the City Zoning Ordinance and official zoning map.

Working in Virginia? Get on the list.

The parcel layer lands in the order demand does. Illinois went first because that's where the deals were; the next state is decided by who tells us what they're trying to underwrite. Tell us where you're building and what you wanted to run — you'll hear from us when Virginia opens, and sooner if we need a test parcel.

Keep reading

← Virginia zoning — who holds the zoning power in Virginia, under which enabling statute, and the reforms that override local rules.

Other Virginia cities

The zoning reference → — every state, plus city-level district guides like this one.

Virginia Beach zoning summaries on this page are provided for information, not legal advice. Confirm every project against the current adopted code for the jurisdiction.