New tool lets homeowners avoid park encroachment

Parkland in Mason District as shown on the new park encroachment mapping tool. The large shape in the middle is Mason District Park.

If your backyard abuts on a Fairfax County park, you’re not supposed to be treating parkland as part of your own private domain. Park encroachment is a problem, as homeowners put up swings sets and sheds on what is supposed to be public land to be enjoyed by everyone.

A new online mapping application introduced by the Fairfax County Park Authority lets people know the borders of public parkland and whether there are unauthorized structures, yard waste, or mowing within those borders.

In some cases, homeowners might not know where their yard ends and a park or county-owned stream valley begins, might not know it’s illegal to dump yard waste in woodland or on parkland, or might have bought a home with structures already built on parkland.

“Putting structures on parkland is like stealing land from your neighbors,” the Park Authority states. “It is encroachment. It can be an expensive mistake.”

Homeowners who build structures on parkland or woodland risk, fines, penalties, and demolition costs. Those structures can also destroy wildlife habitat, change flood patterns for the whole community, and impair the growth of native plants.

With the new online tool, you can type in your address or a park name to see a bird’s eye view of a property and its borders.

The app might not be 100 percent accurate, the Park Authority warns, so if it does indicate encroachment, it advises homeowners to get a professional survey. That will be important when you sell your home.

If you’ve been mowing outside your border, all you need to do is stop. Over time, the forest will naturally replace the encroachment.