Vienna-area residents will see a 3.5% local tax on recreational marijuana when retail sales launch in Fairfax County next summer.
The Board of Supervisors voted 10-0 on Tuesday, Oct. 13, to direct staff to draft an ordinance setting the local cannabis sales tax at the state-allowed maximum, FFXnow reported. The tax would take effect when Virginia begins permitting retail sales on July 1, 2027.
The vote was unanimous.
The 3.5% local levy would stack on top of the existing state sales tax and a 6% state marijuana tax. State law requires every locality to impose a cannabis tax but lets each set its own rate between 1% and 3.5%. No supervisor discussed choosing a lower rate at the Oct. 13 meeting, according to FFXnow.
Board Chair Jeff McKay initiated the directive. County staff must return with a draft proposal in spring 2027. The board would then adopt the ordinance after a public hearing no later than May 1, 2027, according to the board matter filed for the meeting. The directive also tells County Executive Bryan Hill to fold estimated cannabis tax revenue into the fiscal year 2028 budget proposal.
The same motion ordered staff to begin preparing zoning regulations that will determine where retail marijuana shops can open in the county. The Department of Planning and Development will craft a zoning ordinance amendment to incorporate those local rules.
Beyond taxing and zoning, the board matter shows the county also gained authority to ban public cannabis consumption and possession on public school property, and to regulate retailer hours of operation.
Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn, whose district includes Vienna and Reston, asked staff about the status of state guidance. Staff said they were waiting on clarifying language from Richmond and expected to receive it "in coming weeks."
County staff have been working on the local implications of legal cannabis sales since Gov. Abigail Spanberger approved the creation of a retail marijuana market in June. Spanberger had vetoed earlier legislation that would have allowed retail sales to start at the beginning of 2027. She then worked with the General Assembly to authorize sales starting in mid-2027, giving state regulators more time.
Virginia's Cannabis Control Authority (CCA) is developing licensing rules and expects to begin issuing licenses for up to 350 retail venues statewide in early 2027. The CCA released draft regulations in early September and is on track to finalize them in December.
The board's public hearing on the tax ordinance is expected by spring 2027. Residents can follow the process through the Board of Supervisors' meeting agendas at fairfaxcounty.gov.
