The Northern Virginia Regional Commission (NVRC) is a regional council of fourteen member local governments in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington DC. According to Virginia’s Regional Cooperation Act, NVRC is a political subdivision (a government agency) within the Commonwealth.

Each member jurisdiction appoints one or more representative(s) from its governing body to serve on NVRC’s board of 25 Commissioners. Only elected officials may be appointed, and the number of representatives per jurisdiction is population-based. The Commission is served by a highly trained staff, including a demographer and research analyst, regional planners, a civil engineer, human services professionals, technicians, and administrative support personnel.

With a rich history spanning 60 years, NVRC’s chief roles and functions have focused on providing information, performing professional and technical services for its members, and serving as a mechanism for regional coordination. Current programs and projects address a wide array of local government interests.

As the “Voice of Northern Virginia”, NVRC is the primary representative of the Northern Virginia perspective, relating the region's interests to state government, to other geographic areas of Virginia, and to the metropolitan area.

The work of the Commission is supported by annual contributions from its member local governments, by appropriations of the Virginia General Assembly, and by a variety of grants, contracts and fees from both governmental and private sector sources.

Another twenty regional councils, or planning district commissions, similar to NVRC cover the rest of the state.