Virginia Zoning Atlas
An interactive mapping tool that visualizes zoning regulations across the Commonwealth — including where and how restrictive land use rules constrain housing supply.
Virginia Zoning Atlas — Live Tool
Look up any Virginia locality to see its zoning districts, residential allowances, and minimum lot sizes mapped against parcel data. A good starting point for identifying where code reform is most needed.
Open the Atlas →About the Atlas
Developed by HousingForward Virginia as part of the ZONED OUT initiative. The Atlas standardizes and maps complex local zoning codes so that residents, advocates, and local officials can compare zoning conditions across jurisdictions at a glance.
HousingForward Virginia →Permit-Ready Housing — What It Is and How It Works
Pre-approved building plan programs reduce time and cost barriers to construction by allowing builders and property owners to use plans already reviewed for code compliance.
- The core idea: A local government commissions or accepts a library of building designs — houses, duplexes, ADUs, small multifamily — and reviews them against the local building code in advance. Anyone building on a qualifying parcel can use those plans without paying for a custom design or waiting for a full plan review.
- What it costs builders: Typically nothing. The plans are free to use; only site-specific permits are required.
- What zoning needs to allow first: Permit-ready programs only work where zoning already allows the building type by-right. ADU programs require ADUs to be permitted; duplex and fourplex catalogs require those uses to be allowed without a variance. Zoning reform generally precedes or accompanies program launch.
- Key best practices (from Matthew Petty, Pattern Zones Co.): Keep participation voluntary, offer multiple designs per building type, make plans free to use, and implement at a wide-area scale so the program is available across many parcels simultaneously.
- Lot calibration matters: Setback standards designed for large suburban lots suppress infill construction on smaller urban parcels. Effective programs recalibrate development standards for the parcel sizes that actually exist in the target area.
Charlottesville Open-Source Design Library
A UVA-partnered initiative creating three permit-ready prototypes for Charlottesville's historically underserved neighborhoods, using community co-design. Cycle 1 runs through 2026; the final library publishes in 2027. A potential Virginia case study to watch.
UVA School of Architecture →Pattern Zones Co. — Program Platform
The software platform used to host permit-ready catalogs. Builders enter a parcel address and see which pre-approved plans are eligible, then download the plans directly. Used by Overland Park, KS; Fayetteville, AR; and others.
View live: Overland Park →Housing Ohio: Tools for Development
A guidebook by Pattern Zones Co. and Neighborhood Workshop covering infill development standards, lot calibration, missing middle building types, and how houses through fourplexes each qualify for conventional mortgages under federal underwriting rules.
HousingOH.org →ADU Program Examples
Several of the most-referenced permit-ready implementations focus on ADUs: Napa-Sonoma ADU Center (regional, California), Seattle ADUniverse, and the Claremore, Oklahoma program (two iterations). Each offers a slightly different structure.
Napa-Sonoma ADU Center →Model Ordinances and Case Studies
Examples of municipalities that have launched permit-ready programs, alongside model language and tools for code reform.
| Jurisdiction | Building Types | Notable Features | Program Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overland Park, KS | Single-family, ADU, small multifamily | Live catalog at opkansas.patternzones.com; parcel-level plan eligibility lookup; free plans | Pattern Zones platform |
| Fayetteville, AR | Houses, missing middle | Paired with broader missing middle zoning reform; wide-area rollout | Pattern Zones platform |
| Bryan, TX | Residential infill | One of the earlier contemporary pre-approval programs; community design emphasis | Custom program |
| South Bend, IN | Residential infill | Targeted at neighborhoods with significant vacant parcel inventory | Custom program |
| Napa-Sonoma, CA | ADU only | Regional multi-jurisdiction program; widely cited as an ADU program model | ADU specialist |
| Seattle, WA | ADU (attached and detached) | ADUniverse tool lets homeowners test feasibility on their lot before applying | City program |
| Claremore, OK | Residential (two iterations) | One of the few programs with a documented second-generation redesign; useful for tracking what changed | Pattern Zones platform |
| Groveland, FL | Residential | Smaller-city implementation; useful comparator for Virginia localities outside major metros | Custom program |
National Zoning Atlas Additional Resource
A national-scale companion to the Virginia Atlas that maps residential zoning across states. Useful for benchmarking Virginia localities against peer jurisdictions in other states.
National Zoning Atlas →National Zoning Atlas — Partner Institutions Additional Resource
The National Zoning Atlas is built through a network of state and institutional partners. This map shows current contributing organizations — including HousingForward Virginia for the Commonwealth's data.
AARP ADU Resource Center Additional Resource
Maintains a state-by-state ADU policy tracker and model ordinance language. Includes guidance on pre-approved ADU programs and zoning provisions needed to enable them.
AARP ADU Resources →Incremental Development Alliance Additional Resource
Training and technical assistance for small-scale developers and local governments. Partners with HousingForward Virginia on ZONED OUT; has trained more than 9,000 developers and cities nationally.
Incremental Development Alliance →Pattern Zones Co. Resources and Office Hours
Matthew Petty's work on pre-approved building plans, the Greenlight Group cohort program, and how to get direct guidance for your locality or region.
Pattern Zones Co. — Main Site
Overview of Pattern Zones' approach to permit-ready plan programs, the software platform, and their portfolio of active projects across the country.
PatternZones.com →Matthew Petty — Contact
Matthew Petty is the principal of Pattern Zones Co. and a former Fayetteville, Arkansas city council member whose legislative work helped pioneer permit-ready programs in Arkansas. Reach out directly with questions about his work or the programs he runs.
mpetty@patternzones.comGreenlight Group — Regional Cohort Program
Pattern Zones Co.'s structure for regional implementation. A one-year cohort of up to 12 municipalities, convened by a regional council, state agency, or advocacy group. The convener sponsors a shared pattern book of building plans; each member gets a code audit and reform roadmap, the pattern book, implementation tools (GIS-enabled parcel lookups, jurisdiction-specific cover sheets), and quarterly peer-learning sessions.
The regional pooling model means the upfront investment in plan design is shared across all member jurisdictions. Each municipality ends the cohort year with a running pre-approved plan program and a completed code reform roadmap.
Office Hours with Matthew Petty
Whether your locality is exploring a standalone permit-ready program or your region is interested in launching a Greenlight Group cohort, Matthew is available for direct follow-up conversations. Reach out to discuss your jurisdiction's zoning conditions, what a code audit would surface, and what a program launch would look like in practice.
Get in TouchZONED OUT — Session Menu for Virginia Organizations
A free outreach and education initiative from HousingForward Virginia, running March through December 2026. Sessions are available to organizations and communities across Virginia.
About ZONED OUT
ZONED OUT is developed by HousingForward Virginia and Incremental Development Alliance, supported by Virginia Housing, and funded by Capital One. It pairs the Virginia Zoning Atlas with accessible public education about how zoning contributes to the housing shortage — and what communities can do about it. Sessions are offered in partnership with YIMBY Action and YIMBY Law.
HousingForward Virginia →What to Expect from a Session
ZONED OUT sessions are designed as adjustable lectures that can be tailored to your audience — whether that's a neighborhood association, a planning commission, a regional council, or a general public meeting. The core content traces the history of zoning in the United States: how exclusionary zoning practices took hold, how they were codified over the twentieth century, and how they continue to shape housing supply and affordability today. Sessions draw directly on the Virginia Zoning Atlas to ground the national history in local conditions, showing participants what their own community's zoning code allows — and what it doesn't.
The goal is to close three knowledge gaps that consistently limit public engagement on housing issues: understanding what zoning is and how it works in local government; seeing how zoning drives up housing costs and narrows housing options; and knowing what residents and local officials can actually do to reform it. Sessions end with concrete advocacy pathways and next steps.
YIMBY Action — Virginia Additional Resource
ZONED OUT's advocacy partner. YIMBY Action has chapters across Virginia and provides training on local pro-housing advocacy, public comment strategy, and engaging planning and zoning boards.
YIMBY Action →Virginia Housing — Policy Resources Additional Resource
Virginia Housing supports ZONED OUT and publishes periodic research on housing affordability and production across the Commonwealth. A useful source for locality-level data to accompany zoning education sessions.
Virginia Housing →