What are the responsibilities of the Washington County Board of Zoning Appeals?
The Washington County Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) is composed of five residents of Washington County appointed by the County Circuit Court for five-year terms. The BZA is responsible for hearing and deciding requests for variances from the terms of the County Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 66 of the 2002 Code of the County of Washington Virginia, as amended) as will not be contrary to the public interest, when, owing to special conditions a literal enforcement of the provisions of the County Zoning Ordinance would result in unnecessary hardship. The BZA is also responsible for hearing and deciding appeals from determinations made by the Washington County Department of Zoning Administration in the administration of the County Zoning Ordinance. The BZA is a quasi-judicial body whose rulings may be appealed to the Washington County Circuit Court. The BZA cannot rezone property nor grant Special Exception Permits; these are actions taken through the Washington County Planning Commission and W
