WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) and U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-VA) introduced bills in the Senate and the House of Representatives to designate a unique ZIP code for Fairlawn, Virginia.

“For too long, Fairlawn has unfairly missed out on tax revenue that would otherwise fund education, public safety, and public services due to confusion regarding its ZIP code,” said the lawmakers. “Recently, we were dismayed to find that Fairlawn residents facing loss and catastrophe after Hurricane Helene could not access individual assistance through FEMA’s online portal simply because they possessed a Radford ZIP code. We are proud to introduce this legislation to give Fairlawn its own ZIP code and avoid further confusion and stress for this community.”

Fairlawn – a town in Pulaski County – is currently included in the City of Radford’s zip code (24141). For years, this has caused significant issues for Fairlawn and Pulaski County residents, including a loss of tax revenue and confusion regarding representation, jurisdiction, regulations, ordinances, services, and more. Most recently, this ZIP code created a barrier to disaster assistance after Hurricane Helene, when Fairlawn residents discovered they could not access Individual Assistance (IA) through FEMA’s online portal because the City of Radford was not part of the disaster declaration at that time.

This legislation would direct USPS to designate a single, unique ZIP code for Fairlawn, Virginia within 180 days. It notes that Virginia is the only state in the U.S. where all cities are independent from their surrounding counties and the impact that has on revenue collection and distribution practices related to roads, resources, and sales tax in Fairlawn/Pulaski County.

Rep. Griffith – who spoke on the House floor in support of his measure in 2024 – introduced an identical version of this bill in the 118th Congress, H.R. 169, which directed the United States Postal Service to designate a single, unique ZIP code for Fairlawn, Virginia. The bill was added to H.R. 8753, which passed the House on December 11, 2024.

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