Covenants & Restrictions
NOTE: These covenants have never been enforced and are therefore not enforceable now. They are here to show what the original residents of Ravensworth Farm wanted the neighborhood to look like.
(contained in Deed of Dedication of Ravensworth, Section Seven, dated February 1, 1962, and recorded on February 27, 1962, in Deed Book 2109, page 263, among the land records of Fairfax County, VA)
1. All lots in the tract shall be known and described as residential lots and no structures shall be erected, altered, placed or permitted to remain on any residential building plot other than one detached, single family dwelling not to exceed two and one half stories in height and a private garage for not more than two cars. No noxious or offensive trade or activity shall be carried on upon a lot nor shall anything be done thereon which may be or become an annoyance or nuisance to the neighborhood
2. No metal garage shall be erected on any lot.
3. No fence or similar enclosure may be built on any lot except a rear yard fence which fence shall not exceed 48 inches in height and shall not extend beyond the front line of the dwelling erected on said lot, and such rear yard fence shall be of wood or metal construction of at least 50% open design. This restriction shall not be construed to preclude the growth of an ornamental hedge fence which shall be kept neatly trimmed to a height of not more than three feet around the front yard of any said lots. Any fence built on any of the above described lots shall be maintained in a proper manner so as not to detract from the value and desirability of surrounding property. The words "rear yard" as set forth above shall not include any area that extends in front of the building restriction lines as established by the Zoning Ordinance of Fairfax County, Virginia, and shall apply to both of the street frontages on all corner lots.
4. All lots and yards in the above described subdivision shall be maintained in a neat and attractive manner so as not to detract from the appearance of the above described development.
5. Any violation of the above covenants shall be deemed to be a continuing one until remedied, and shall be enforceable by appropriate court action instituted at any time by any one or more lot owners in this subdivision.
6. Invalidation of any one or more of the above covenants (or a part thereof) by judgment or court order shall in no wise affect any of the other covenants above set forth which shall remain in full force and effect.
7. ARCHITECTURAL CONTROL. No building shall be erected, placed or altered on any lot until the construction plans and specifications and a plan showing the location of the structure have been approved by the architectural control committee as to quality of workmanship and material, harmony of external design with existing structures, and as to location with respect to topography and finish grade elevation. No fence or wall shall be erected, placed or altered on any lot nearer to any street than the minimum building setback line, unless similarly approved. Approval shall be as provided in Restriction #9.
8. MEMBERSHIP. The architectural control committee is composed of Bernard Steinberg, E. Carl Hengen and Roger C. Hildeen. A majority of the committee may designate a representative to act for it. In the event of death or resignation of any member of the committee, the remaining members shall have full authority to designate a successor. Neither the members of the committee nor its designated representative shall be entitled to any compensation for services performed pursuant to this covenant.
9. PROCEDURE. The committee's approval or disapproval as required in these covenants shall be in writing. In the event the committee, or its designated representative, fails to approve or disapprove within 30 days after plans and specifications have been submitted to it, or in any event, if no suit to enjoin the construction has been commenced prior to the completion thereof, approval will not be required and the related covenants shall be deemed to have been fully complied with.
10. BUILDING LOCATION. No building shall be located on any lot nearer to the front lot line or nearer to the side street line than the minimum building set back lines shown on the recorded plat. In any event, no building shall be located on any lot nearer than 30 feet to the front lot line, or nearer than 30 feet to any side street line. No building shall be located nearer than 8 feet to an interior lot line, except that no side yard shall be required for a garage or other permitted accessory building located 60 feet or more from the minimum building set back line. No dwelling shall be located on any interior lot nearer than 25 feet from the rear lot line. For the purpose of this covenant eaves, steps and open porches shall not be considered as a part of the building, provided, however, that this shall not be construed to permit any portion of a building on a lot to encroach upon another lot. Provided, however, that the architectural control committee is authorized to permit reasonable variations of the aforesaid limitations.
11. LOT AREA AND WIDTH. No dwelling shall be erected or placed on any lot having a width of less than 65 feet at the minimum building setback line nor shall any dwelling be erected or placed on any lot having an area of less than 8,000 square feet, provided, however, that the architectural control committee is authorized to permit reasonable variations of the aforesaid limitations.
12. EASEMENTS. Easements for installation and maintenance of utilities and drainage facilities are reserved as shown on the recorded plat.
13. LIVESTOCK AND POULTRY. No animals, livestock, or poultry of any kind shall be raised, bred or kept on any lot, except that dogs, cats, or other household pets may be kept, provided that they are not kept, bred or maintained for commercial purposes.
14. GARBAGE AND REFUSE DISPOSAL. No lot shall be used or maintained as a dumping ground for rubbish. Trash, garbage or other waste shall not be kept except in sanitary containers. All incinerators or other equipment for the storage or disposal of such material shall be kept in a clean and sanitary condition.
15. TERM. These covenants are to run with the land and shall be binding on all parties and all persons claiming under them for a period of twenty five years from the date these covenants are recorded, after which time said covenants shall be automatically extended for successive periods of 10 years, unless an instrument signed by a majority of the then owners of the lots has been recorded, agreeing to change said covenants in whole or in part.
NOTE: Before seriously investing any money in any structures, major landscaping or recreational or other uses, you should consult Article 10 of the Fairfax County Ordinance, Accessory Uses, Accessory Service Uses and Home Occupations. It can be seen at: