Start with two record tracks for the same Fairfax County project. The building track contains the permit final and any Certificate of Occupancy, Residential Use Permit or Non-Residential Use Permit. The site track contains the land-disturbance or site-plan file, applicable closeout evidence and the bond or conservation-release outcome. Fairfax County’s Site Inspections guidance says a final building inspection and occupancy document do not necessarily mean the site project is complete.
Record the number and date on each document before comparing them. Use the address and parcel ID as matching clues, then verify the building permit and site-plan or subdivision reference. These clues help identify records; this guide did not test them as live search fields.
Keep the building and site tracks side by side
| Record track | What to preserve and what it answers |
|---|---|
| Building permit and final | Permit number, scope, final-inspection date and stated result. This answers the named building-permit question. |
| Occupancy or use document | CO, RUP or NonRUP number, date, building or space and covered use. It answers the scope shown on that document. |
| Site-project closeout | Land-disturbance permit, site-plan or subdivision reference, site-final record and applicable completion evidence. It answers whether the separate site file reached the recorded stage. |
| Bond or conservation release | Existing release decision and related correspondence. It answers the release question only when the returned record identifies the same project and obligation. |
Do not replace one row with another. A CO can be genuine while the related site project still has an unresolved item. An approved as-built can also be genuine without being the final release decision.
Build a same-project closeout log
- Anchor the building side. Copy the building permit number, final-inspection date and occupancy or use document reference exactly as shown.
- Anchor the site side. Copy the land-disturbance permit and site-plan or subdivision reference from an existing project document. Preserve phase, section or revision labels.
- Name the missing evidence. Ask for the approved as-built, a named certification, final site-inspection record, release decision or related correspondence instead of asking for every project file.
- Compare scope before dates. The same address can contain multiple phases or plans. A later date does not connect two records when their project references differ.
- Leave a gap unresolved. If staff returns only one track, record what was supplied and what remains missing.
The County says site-plan and subdivision as-builts must be approved before final bond release. Read those as two records: the approved as-built documents the surveyed or certified site information accepted at that stage; the release record answers the later release question.
Apply the bond-release list only to the applicable project
Fairfax County’s Inspection Items for Bond Release describes possible checks against the approved site or subdivision plan. Depending on the project, the file may address stabilization, landscaping, drainage, utility or street acceptance, a third-party certification, property-corner certification or proffers.
Use the approved plan and site inspector’s record to determine which items belong to the project. The general list is not a completed checklist for a selected property. It does not show that an item passed, that every item applies or that a release occurred.
If the record mentions a certification, request the named certification and its approval status. If it mentions final plantings or stabilization, request the related site-inspection outcome. Keep the document’s date and project reference with the result.
A fictional same-address mismatch
Imagine a fictional property with building file BUILDING-A and a CO dated in June. A folder also contains an approved as-built labeled SITE-B, but SITE-B belongs to a neighboring subdivision phase. The shared street name and later approval date do not make SITE-B the closeout record for BUILDING-A.
Create two lines in the log. On the building line, preserve BUILDING-A, its final and the CO. On the site line, mark the correct site-plan or subdivision reference as unknown. Ask for the site-final record, applicable approved as-built and any existing release decision tied to the correct reference.
Suppose the County returns the correct as-built but no release correspondence. Record the as-built as found and the release outcome as unresolved. Do not turn the as-built’s approval date into a release date.
Use the records route for a named missing object
The County’s LDS Public Records page separates current PLUS records, approved site-related PDFs in the Site Records Viewer and records uploaded before PLUS in LDIH. If the named record is not available through the appropriate online resource, the page directs readers to the LDS records-request route.
The site’s Fairfax PLUS and older-file guide explains those systems and legacy identifiers. Use it to locate the file, then return here to reconcile building and site closeout. The permit-versus-occupancy guide explains the building-side distinction without deciding the Fairfax site outcome.
A focused missing-record request can include:
- Fairfax County jurisdiction, address and parcel ID.
- Building permit and CO, RUP or NonRUP references already held.
- Land-disturbance permit and site-plan or subdivision reference, including phase or revision.
- Approximate project and completion dates.
- The exact missing record and the online resources already checked.
Ask for an existing record rather than a new determination. County retention statements use different triggers for named record classes: building plans and supporting documents are listed at three years after final inspection, while bonding documentation and site-plan correspondence are listed at five years after project-complete status. Those statements do not establish that a particular record exists, remains online or will be released.
A missing result does not prove that no permit, site inspection, as-built or release record exists. A building final or occupancy document does not prove site closeout, and an as-built does not prove bond or conservation release. Keep the remaining question attached to the exact project reference and record requested.
Last checked October 6, 2026 (2026-10-06 UTC). Current official guidance and records instructions were reviewed. No property, permit, site plan, inspection, PLUS, SRV, LDIH or records-request search was submitted, and no individual result was opened.