Alexandria, VA

Alexandria permits certain homemade food products to be sold directly to consumers under cottage food laws. Products must be non-potentially hazardous and properly labeled.

Alexandria treats a home offering child care for up to nine kids as a 'child care home' under Zoning Ordinance Sec. 2-127. Sec. 7-500 lets a one-to-five-child home operate as a…

Alexandria caps home-based businesses at 12 patrons or students a day under Zoning Ordinance Section 7-301(D), with no more than two on site at any one time. Visits are restricted to…

Alexandria permits home occupations in residential dwellings under Zoning Ordinance Section 7-300, but only within strict limits: up to two employees who must be bona fide residents…

Alexandria's home occupation rules ban signage outright. Zoning Ordinance Section 7-301(E) states no sign shall advertise the presence or conduct of a home-based business, applying to…

Virginia does not issue a microenterprise home kitchen permit, and it cannot: the Board of Health food regulation at 12VAC5-421-2990 says a private home shall not be used for…

Alexandria enforces grass height limits under local ordinance. VA Code §15.2-900 authorizes weed and vegetation removal enforcement.

Alexandria property owners must trim trees, shrubs and other vegetation that overhangs or interferes with a public street, sidewalk or other public property. The City Manager can order…

Alexandria requires new residential construction that needs a grading plan to preserve or replant enough trees to reach 25 percent canopy cover on the lot under Zoning Ordinance §…

Virginia encourages rainwater harvesting and graywater reuse: outdoor rain-barrel collection is essentially unregulated, while the Board of Health sets standards for reuse systems and…

The State Water Control Board administers statewide drought response and surface water withdrawal permits, with localities authorized to impose additional conservation rules during…

Alexandria Ordinance No. 5575 (effective September 1, 2025) requires a Short-Term Residential Rental Permit for any property rented more than 10 days per calendar year. STR hosts must…

Alexandria STR operators must supply 0.75 parking spaces per bedroom outside the enhanced transit area, or 0.25 per bedroom inside it. Up to two on-street spaces or on-street visitor…

Alexandria caps overnight headcount in every short-term rental at two people per legal bedroom plus two more, not counting kids three and under. A five-plus bedroom rental tops out at…

Alexandria short-term rental operators and guests must follow the city noise code and post a written quiet-hours notice: no shouting, loud music, barking dogs, or dragging furniture…

Two or more permit-requirement violations bar an Alexandria short-term rental property from reapplying for a year. Three violations of the same city law, or five of separate laws, in a…

Virginia imposes a state sales tax and authorizes local transient occupancy taxes on short-term rentals, with platform collection responsibilities and accommodations intermediary rules…

Alexandria bars any sound inside a residential dwelling that is plainly audible in a neighbor's dwelling, with doors and windows closed, between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. under City…

Construction, demolition and power-equipment noise in Alexandria is barred outside Table I's window: weekdays before 7 a.m. or after 6 p.m., Saturdays before 9 a.m. or after 6 p.m…

Alexandria's nuisance ordinance makes it unlawful for a dog to bark, howl or bay loud enough to be 'plainly audible' in a neighbor's home between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., or for more than…

Alexandria enforces fixed decibel ceilings on noise crossing a property line, sized to the zoning of the source: 55 dB(A) for residential, 65 dB(A) daytime and 60 dB(A) at night for…

Amplified sound in Alexandria's streets, sidewalks, parks and other public outdoor space may not exceed 75 dB(A) from 7 a.m.-11 p.m. or 65 dB(A) overnight, measured 10 feet from the…

Alexandria bans gas-powered leaf blowers and leaf vacuums outright at all times under City Code § 11-5-4(16)(a); other power lawn and garden equipment, including electric blowers, is…

Alexandria requires every motor vehicle exhaust to discharge through a muffler under City Code § 11-5-4(7), and bars sounding a horn or sound-signal device except as a warning of…

Alexandria requires working smoke detectors in every building with dwelling units, hotels, motels, and rooming houses. Owners must inspect and certify to each tenant at move-in and…

Alexandria requires a fire official's permit before anyone kindles an open fire, including a backyard fire pit or recreational bonfire. Fire Prevention Code Section 307.1, adopted at…

Alexandria regulates outdoor burning under local code and Virginia's 4 PM Burning Law (VA Code §10.1-1142). VDOF issues burn permits and bans.

Alexandria bans the storage, sale, possession, or discharge of any fireworks within the city limits: including sparklers. Violations are Class 1 misdemeanors punishable by up to a…

Alexandria's Fire Prevention Code requires a $143 fire-official permit for LP-gas storage and use inside or outside any building under Section 6101.2, but Table 107.2 exempts…

Virginia lets the Governor, on the State Forester's recommendation, ban all open burning when serious fire hazards exist, and makes anyone whose negligence causes a wildfire liable to…

Alexandria zoning caps how much of a required yard can be used for cars. Section 7-1005 keeps a front, side, or rear yard in compliance only if no more than 50 percent of it is used…

Alexandria bans parking any trailer in any zone except under narrow exceptions, and limits recreational vehicles in residential zones to one per lot, unoccupied, parked behind the…

Alexandria bars parking in front of a private driveway, within five feet of an alley, within 20 feet of an intersection, or for more than 72 continuous hours in the same spot. Standard…

Alexandria bars parking trucks, buses, vans and other commercial vehicles on residential streets, with a narrow exception allowing up to eight hours in any 24-hour period while…

City Code § 5-8-82 lets Alexandria post 'restricted overnight parking district' signs banning any vehicle not registered with the city, and without a guest or visitor permit, from…

Alexandria EV chargers need an electrical permit (and possibly a structural permit) via APEX. In the two locally-regulated historic districts or on 100-Year-Old Buildings, chargers…

Alexandria posts residential permit parking (RPP) district signs once a block qualifies under City Code § 5-8-72. Inside a posted district, a vehicle without a valid permit can stay no…

Alexandria limits designated loading zones to immediate, continuous loading or unloading of freight or passengers during the hours the zone is signed for that purpose. Vehicles loading…

Alexandria can order a vehicle towed once it becomes an 'abandoned motor vehicle' or sits unattended past the code's time limits under City Code § 5-8-22. Grounds include ten days…

Virginia puts the ceiling on a nonconsensual tow in the Code itself rather than in an agency tariff. Va. Code § 46.2-1233.1 A caps the hookup and initial towing fee for a passenger car…

Every cat four months or older in Alexandria must carry an individual license and current rabies vaccination under City Code Sec. 5-7-47 and Sec. 5-7-38.1. Alexandria has no…

Alexandria doesn't require microchipping for pets generally, but once a court declares a dog 'dangerous' under City Code Sec. 5-7-36, the owner must have it permanently identified by…

Alexandria City Code Sec. 5-7-32 prohibits any dog or exotic/poisonous animal from running at large within the city. Dogs must be secured by a leash, lead, or other physical restraint…

Virginia law, applied in Alexandria through City Code Sec. 5-7-36, lets a court order a dog euthanized once it is proven a 'vicious dog', but Va. Code § 3.2-6540.1(C) expressly bars…

Alexandria regulates beekeeping through local ordinance. Virginia has a State Apiarist program under VA Code §3.2-4400.

Alexandria's Zoning Ordinance classifies a pet-grooming business as a "personal service" use under Section 2-183.1, which expressly lists "animal care facility with no overnight…

Alexandria bans keeping fowl, including chickens, within 200 feet of any residence you don't occupy, and caps livestock like goats, sheep and horses to large lots under Sec. 5-7-2 and…

Alexandria's Zoning Ordinance treats a veterinary hospital as an 'animal care facility' (Sec. 2-110), and whether it needs a permit turns on overnight boarding. A clinic with no…

City Code Sec. 5-7-57 caps household pets at five dogs over four months old or four cats over four months old per dwelling unit anywhere in Alexandria. The cap applies per unit, not…

Virginia regulates importation, possession, and sale of nonnative exotic animals through state wildlife regulations administered by the Department of Wildlife Resources.

Virginia prohibits baiting wildlife for hunting and lets localities ban deer feeding, while bear feeding bans are addressed through hunting and Department regulations.

Alexandria requires every outdoor 'aquatic facility' regulated under City Code Chapter 11, meaning public, hotel, apartment and club pools, but not a single-family or duplex home's…

Alexandria's Zoning Ordinance lets homeowners add one accessory dwelling unit to a single-unit, two-unit, or townhouse property under Section 7-203. A detached ADU tops out at…

Alexandria lets homeowners put a shed in the side or rear yard without giving up required yard space, but caps its size. Section 7-202(C)(2) allows sheds up to 100 square feet and 10…

Virginia regulates tiny homes through the Uniform Statewide Building Code and IRC Appendix Q, preempting local construction standards while leaving placement and zoning to localities.

On corner and through lots, Alexandria allows open and closed fences up to six feet in the secondary front yard only if they sit behind the front building wall and are set back at…

Alexandria requires an approved site plan before anyone builds a retaining wall or changes land contours by more than two feet within ten feet of neighboring property, or more than…

Under Code of Virginia § 55.1-2821, adjoining landowners must build and maintain division fences between their lands at joint and equal expense, unless one leaves his land open or the…

Alexandria sits inside the FAA's Washington DC Special Flight Rules Area (SFRA) and Flight Restricted Zone (FRZ) around Reagan National (DCA). Recreational drone flights are prohibited…

Commercial drone operators in Virginia follow FAA Part 107 rules and are shielded from most local regulation under state preemption, with limited exceptions for locality-owned property…

Cyclists in Alexandria carry the same rights and duties as motor-vehicle drivers under City Code § 10-7-6, may ride two abreast only if it doesn't impede traffic under § 10-7-9, and…

Alexandria runs red-light cameras at up to one intersection per 10,000 residents, with a $50 civil penalty for running a steady red light. Separate photo speed devices in school…

Alexandria caps shared e-scooter and e-bike fleets citywide under a permit program run by the transportation department. Operators need insurance, a surety bond, and a business…

Virginia runs two separate schemes. A golf cart or utility vehicle is barred from every public highway in the Commonwealth unless the county, city, or town has designated that road by…

Any street fair, festival, parade, procession, or special event held on an Alexandria street requires a permit before it happens. Organizers file a written application with the city…

Alexandria allows parklets in the public right-of-way only under a permit reviewed by the Director of T&ES and requirements set by the Traffic and Parking Board, per City Code Sec…

Alexandria's director of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities issues written permits for using any city park as the site of a gathering, game or event under City Code §…

Alexandria restaurants need an encroachment permit to place outdoor dining on a public sidewalk or in a parklet, reviewed against the city's Outdoor Dining Design Guidelines. Tables…

Alexandria requires a permit before anyone parades, marches, holds a procession or motorcade, or runs a special event on city streets, under City Code § 6-4-1. Applicants file with the…

Alexandria requires every food truck vendor to hold an annual food truck vendor permit from the city manager, on top of a business license, health permit and any fire prevention permit…

Alexandria lets permitted food trucks vend on private property with the owner's written consent, at farmer's markets, on city or school property with manager approval, or at designated…

The director of transportation and environmental services designates specific on-street parking spaces where food trucks may vend, after input from the traffic and parking board. Each…

Alexandria tenants and landlords with an unresolved dispute must first file a written grievance with the city's citizen assistance officer under City Code § 12-5-5, who investigates…

Alexandria requires periodic building-code inspections of residential rental units inside designated East and West rental inspection districts. Owners must arrange initial and…

Alexandria's building code requires every permit holder to notify the building official at least 24 hours before any inspection, and to give written notice within 14 days if a…

Alexandria enforces the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, and city code layers on local triggers such as a permit and inspection for replacement windows and over 100 square…

Electrical work in Alexandria is governed by the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, which the city adopts locally at Sec. 8-1-2. If the building official finds wiring in any…

Alexandria enforces the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code for plumbing work, and local code requires every building with an outside entrance to have its own sewer and water…

Alexandria's BPOL license tax sorts every business into a class, professional services, financial services, retail and wholesale merchants, contractors and more, and taxes each class…

Alexandria requires every door-to-door peddler, canvasser or solicitor to obtain a certificate of registration from the police department before working the city's streets. The $10…

Virginia enforces the federal Do Not Call Registry and the state Telephone Privacy Protection Act, prohibiting most unsolicited telephone solicitations to registered numbers and…

City Code Sec. 5-2-21 puts the job of clearing snow, sleet and ice off an abutting public sidewalk on the property owner or occupant, on a deadline tied to the city's declared snow…

Alexandria prohibits placing goods, merchandise or foodstuffs on a sidewalk, street or public right-of-way, or otherwise obstructing it, unless a right-of-way permit under Sec…

Placing anything in the public right-of-way in Alexandria, from steps to planters to signs, requires an encroachment permit from the Director of T&ES under Sec. 5-2-29. The Director…

Alexandria declares weeds over 12 inches tall a public nuisance on any property, including vacant lots, under City Code § 5-9-2. The city can order an owner to cut them within 10 days…

Alexandria can force the repair, or acquire and repair, blighted or derelict property under City Code Article I. A building vacant, boarded up, and disconnected from utilities for more…

Alexandria collects solid waste, ashes and yard debris weekly and recyclables every two weeks under City Code Section 5-1-31, and containers must reach the curb by 6 a.m. from May…

Alexandria requires waste containers, plastic liners and yard debris to sit within 10 feet of the curb or alley line for pickup under City Code Section 5-1-41(a), caps residential…

Alexandria picks up large or bulk items like mattresses, appliances and metal objects only by appointment under City Code Section 5-1-41(g), and city council may charge a separate…

Alexandria requires anyone who collects, transports or disposes of solid waste, including operators placing dumpster-type containers, to hold a Section 5-1-51 permit, and the director…

Alexandria bans letting solid waste, ashes, recyclables or yard debris accumulate into a nuisance under City Code Section 5-1-82, gives owners seven days after written notice to clear…

Alexandria defines yard debris as shrubbery and tree prunings, grass clippings, leaves and similar material under City Code Section 5-1-2(17), and requires residents to bundle it in…

Alexandria runs a mandatory recycling program under City Code Sec. 5-1-90, covering every single-family home, apartment building, business and government office in the city. The…

Dumping any waste on property, in city waters, or into a sanitary sewer or stormwater system without a permit is unlawful under City Code Sec. 11-13-2. Dumping hazardous, household…

Sec. 5-1-93 of the City Code requires every curbside-eligible single-family home to separate mixed paper and commingled containers from the trash, and imposes the same split on…

Every food establishment in Alexandria must operate under the immediate control of a certified Food Protection Manager under City Code § 11-2-24, with narrow exemptions for…

City Code Sec. 11-6-2 requires every building in Alexandria to be ratproofed, kept free of rats, and maintained in a ratproof and rat-free condition, with owners obligated to repair…

Alexandria requires new construction and substantially improved buildings in the FEMA-mapped Zone A or AE floodplain to elevate the lowest floor, including any basement, to at least…

Alexandria treats urinating or defecating in a public place, or anywhere exposed to public view, as disorderly conduct when done with intent to cause public inconvenience, annoyance or…

Alexandria requires pedestrians to obey posted traffic signs and police directions under City Code § 10-5-4, and bars starting to cross once a "Wait" or "Don't Walk" signal shows under…

Alexandria bans possessing an open container of alcohol in any public park, playground, street, alley, sidewalk or parking lot open to the public, or inside a vehicle parked or driving…

Alexandria makes it unlawful to stand, assemble or loiter on a sidewalk, street or public way so as to block passage, and requires the group to disperse when asked by a property owner…

Alexandria does not ban smoking in parks or on sidewalks, but City Code Sec. 11-10-3.1(d) requires every restaurant with outdoor seating to designate at least one outdoor no-smoking…

Riding a skateboard, moped, bicycle or other micromobility device anywhere in Alexandria's Market Square is unlawful under City Code § 6-1-4. The plaza, bounded by King Street, City…

Every parcel in Alexandria pays an annual stormwater utility fee tied to impervious surface area under City Code Article C, billed twice a year with the real estate tax bill…

Alexandria requires an approved erosion and sediment control plan before anyone builds, alters a building's footprint, or clears, grades, excavates, fills or strips topsoil on land in…

Alexandria regulates the Potomac River and Cameron Run floodplain through Section 6-300 of the Zoning Ordinance, which creates a Floodway District and an AE/AH Special Flood Hazard…

Any new home or substantial improvement in Alexandria's mapped AE or AH flood zones must have its lowest floor, including the basement, elevated to at least one foot above the base…

The Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act mandates 100-foot vegetated buffers along tidal waters and tributaries in 84 covered Tidewater localities, with state-set criteria local ordinances…

Alexandria bans illuminated wall signs taller than 35 feet above grade on any building that faces the George Washington Memorial Parkway or sits in a historic district, under Sec…

Alexandria caps window signage on commercial, mixed-use, and larger multi-unit properties at 20 percent of the glazing area under Sec. 9-201(B), with no limit on how many individual…

Alexandria's Zoning Ordinance bans billboards outright under Sec. 9-203(K): any single panel sign larger than 100 square feet that is sold, rented, or leased to someone other than the…

Virginia law prohibits all signs, including garage sale and yard sale notices, placed within the limits of any state highway right-of-way, with a $100 civil penalty per occurrence.

Virginia state law creates a 40-foot prohibited area around polling place entrances on election day where political signs and electioneering are forbidden statewide.

Alexandria requires a free permit from the director of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities before anyone plants, trims, prunes or removes a tree, shrub or plant in a public…

Alexandria protects landmark trees through its historic-tree designation in City Code § 6-2-37: the city manager may designate any tree of notable historic interest, based on age…

Alexandria's city manager can designate any tree of extraordinary value for its age, size, species, condition or uniqueness as a protected 'specimen tree' under City Code § 6-2-38…

Alexandria caps building footprint zone by zone rather than citywide. In the RT/Townhouse zone, the most common lot-coverage limit for rowhouse infill, Section 3-1306(B) allows "no…

Like lot coverage, Alexandria's maximum building height is set zone by zone rather than citywide. In the R-20 single-unit residential zone, the city's lowest-density district, Section…

Alexandria sets yard setbacks zone by zone using ratios rather than flat numbers. In the R-20 single-family zone, Zoning Ordinance Section 3-106 requires two side yards on a 1:2…

Alexandria requires anyone who buys or pawns junk, antiques, or secondhand articles for resale to hold a police-issued permit before opening. City Code Sec. 9-8-12 makes operating…

Alexandria bans motor vehicle repair, sales, and engine work as a home occupation outright. Zoning Ordinance Section 7-301(L) prohibits any home business from doing vehicle repairs…

Alexandria does not license massage establishments; instead City Code Sec. 11-4.2-2 makes it unlawful for anyone to provide a massage anywhere in the city unless they are a therapist…

Alexandria caps what a tow truck service can charge to remove a vehicle from private property without the owner's consent: $150 for light vehicles, $250 for medium tows and $500 for…

Virginia requires retail tobacco and liquid nicotine sellers to comply with state licensing under Code 58.1-1021.04:1 and prohibits sales to anyone under 21 per Code 18.2-371.2.

Alexandria lets a residential project increase floor area ratio, density, and height, and reduce off-street parking, through a special use permit if it dedicates housing to low- and…

Alexandria's Zoning Ordinance treats rooftop solar as a favored rooftop appurtenance: Section 6-403(B) lets solar energy systems rise above a building's normal height limit like any…

Virginia's solar covenant statute is a default rule, not a covenant-voiding right. Va. Code § 55.1-1820.1 B says no association shall prohibit an owner from installing a solar energy…

Alexandria closes every public park and playground between 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. under City Code § 6-1-1. Remaining on park land during those hours is a class 4 misdemeanor unless…

Virginia authorizes localities to enact juvenile curfew ordinances under specific enabling statutes, with state law setting maximum penalties and constitutional safeguards uniformly.

Alexandria treats a malfunctioning car alarm as a public nuisance under City Code Sec. 10-8-2: once triggered, an alarm cannot sound for more than one hour, and going off more than…

Alexandria charges every hotel guest and short-term rental guest 6.5% of the room rental plus a flat $1.25-per-night fee under City Code § 3-2-142. Because § 3-2-141 folds short-term…

Alexandria doesn't have a citywide light-trespass ordinance for private property, but it does regulate glare from public recreational lighting. Section 6-403(F) lets light poles for…

Alexandria bans camping or using any public park for living accommodations under City Code § 6-1-8(a)(6). The ordinance defines camping broadly to include sleeping, laying out bedding…

Virginia has no statute preempting local rent control; the barrier is Dillon's Rule. Since July 2026, landlords owning more than four units must give 60 days' notice of a renewal rent…

Va. Code § 55.1-1220 requires landlords to keep rentals fit and habitable: comply with building codes, make needed repairs, maintain electrical, plumbing, heating and HVAC systems…

The Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act sets uniform eviction grounds and notice periods statewide, preempting local just-cause ordinances under Dillon's Rule.

Under Va. Code § 55.1-1229, a landlord must give the tenant notice of intent to enter and may enter only at reasonable times, except in an emergency. For routine maintenance the tenant…

Va. Code § 55.1-1204 lets a landlord charge a late fee only if the written lease provides for it, capped at the lesser of 10 percent of the periodic rent or 10 percent of the remaining…

Under Va. Code § 55.1-1253, either party may end a month-to-month tenancy with at least 30 days' written notice before the next rent due date, and a week-to-week tenancy with at least…

Virginia limits municipal rental inspection programs to designated blighted districts and requires specific procedural standards, preempting blanket rental registration ordinances.

Under the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, a landlord may not demand a security deposit exceeding two months' rent. After the tenancy ends, the landlord must return the…

Under Va. Code § 8.01-236, a person must take action to recover land within 15 years after the right accrues, so an occupant claiming title by adverse possession must hold the property…

Virginia bars anyone from operating a medical cannabis dispensing facility or pharmaceutical processor without a permit from the Cannabis Control Authority Board. Permits are capped by…

Virginia law allows adults 21 and older to cultivate up to four marijuana plants per household for personal use, with statewide rules localities cannot prohibit but may regulate via…

Virginia's minimum wage under Code § 40.1-28.10 is $12.77 per hour in 2026, rising to $13.75 on January 1, 2027 and $15.00 on January 1, 2028. The state rate preempts localities from…

Virginia Code 40.1-33.3 et seq. requires paid sick leave only for certain home health workers; no general statewide paid leave mandate exists, and broad local paid leave ordinances…

Virginia issues concealed handgun permits under Code 18.2-308.01 through 18.2-308.014, with shall-issue standards administered by circuit courts; localities cannot impose additional…

Virginia preempts most local firearm regulation under Code 15.2-915, but a 2020 amendment lets localities restrict firearms in specific public buildings, parks, recreation centers, and…

Virginia generally permits open carry of firearms by adults without a permit, though Code 18.2-287.4 restricts certain loaded high-capacity weapons in named public areas of larger…

Virginia Code 18.2-308 lets adults transport firearms in personal vehicles, with concealed handguns in a closed compartment lawful without a permit; localities are preempted by Code…

Virginia confines casino gaming to a short list of statutorily defined 'eligible host cities' that meet strict poverty, unemployment, or tax-exempt-property thresholds under Va. Code §…

Virginia's Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services controls all charitable gaming under Code § 18.2-340.15, treating it as a revocable privilege rather than a right. A…

Virginia's general gambling ban does not reach a private game of chance held in someone's home. Code § 18.2-334 exempts games of chance in a private residence from prosecution under…

Virginia legalized online sports betting in 2020 under Code § 58.1-4032, but caps competition: the Virginia Lottery's Director issues no fewer than four and no more than 12 permits…

Under the Virginia Property Owners' Association Act, § 55.1-1833, an association may perfect a lien for unpaid assessments by recording a memorandum of lien, but only if it does so…

Virginia's § 55.1-1816 requires HOA board meetings to be open to all members of record, with published notice and a member right to record open portions; closed executive sessions are…

Virginia's § 55.1-1819 empowers a property owners' association to adopt and enforce rules governing the development, including architectural and use restrictions in the recorded…

Virginia's Property Owners' Association Act protects one flag and one flag only: the flag of the United States. Under Va. Code § 55.1-1820 no association may prohibit a lot owner from…

Virginia caps association fines by statute. Under Va. Code § 55.1-1819 D a charge may not exceed $50 for a single offense or $10 per day for a continuing offense, and a continuing…

Virginia does not stop a community association from restricting or even prohibiting leasing, because Va. Code § 55.1-1806 opens with an exception for anything expressly authorized in…

Virginia law enforcement runs sobriety checkpoints, and the General Assembly legislated on that fact in 2023, but no section of the Code of Virginia authorizes or regulates them. Va…

Virginia has no statute granting an express right to record police, and it does not need one, because Virginia is a one-party consent state. Va. Code § 19.2-62(B)(2) makes it no…

Virginia is not a stop-and-identify state. No section of the Code of Virginia requires a person stopped or detained on the street to give a name, and the General Assembly has never…

Virginia is one of the few states that answered the consent question by statute rather than leaving it to the courts. Va. Code § 4.1-1302 bars an officer from stopping, searching or…

Virginia Code 15.2-2288 and 15.2-2288.3 limit how localities may zone agricultural land, preserving by-right production and restricting special use permit requirements for bona fide…

Virginia Code 58.1-1745 authorizes counties and cities to impose a 5-cent tax on disposable plastic bags provided at grocery stores, convenience stores, and drugstores within their…

Virginia Code § 10.1-1424.3 phases out expanded polystyrene single-use food service containers: food vendors with 20 or more locations had to comply by July 1, 2025, and all food…

Virginia Code 18.2-371.2 prohibits selling tobacco, nicotine, and vapor products to anyone under 21, with active duty military members 18 and over exempted under state law.

Virginia runs a closed list. Va. Code 46.2-1020 names the extra lights a private vehicle may carry, and anything not on that list, not permitted elsewhere in the lighting article, and…

Virginia is one of the few states with a dash camera provision written into the vehicle code by name. Since 2023, subsection C of Va. Code 46.2-1054 says the obstructed-view law does…

Virginia does not permit lane splitting, and it does not treat the offense as a simple traffic ticket. Va. Code § 46.2-857 makes it reckless driving to drive any motor vehicle so as to…

Virginia bans any cover, frame, bracket, holder, mounting, or colored glass or plastic placed on, around, or over a license plate if it in any way alters or obscures the plate…

Virginia prohibits radar and laser detectors outright in every private vehicle. Va. Code 46.2-1079 makes it unlawful to operate a car equipped with any passive or active device that…

Virginia permits studded snow tires only between October 15 and April 15, and only on a vehicle whose gross weight does not exceed 10,000 pounds. The studs must project no more than…

Virginia lets you tint front side windows down to 50 percent light transmittance and rear side and rear windows down to 35 percent, and no window film anywhere on the car may reflect…