Fairfax County supervisors this week rewrote zoning restrictions that had long prevented renovations to older homes.

The board passed a new policy Monday that allows residents to apply for a special permit to build certain structural additions. Many homeowners could not build outside of their building’s footprint because of strict setback requirements that applied to older homes grandfathered into county zoning, according to Donna Pesto, senior assistant to the Fairfax County zoning administrator.