Short-Term Rentals in Newport News, VA (2026)

9 verified short-term rentals rules for Newport News, Virginia, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.

Verified from official government sources

Short-Term Rental Permits

Newport News regulates short-term rentals under Chapter 33.02 of the City Code (Short-Term Rentals). Operators must obtain a permit and comply with safety, registration, and nuisance prevention requirements.

Newport News Short-Term Rental Permit Requirements

Some Restrictions

Va. Code § 15.2-983 (Creation of Registry for Short-Term Rental of Property)

B. 1. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, general or special, any locality may, by ordinance, establish a short-term rental registry and require operators within the locality to register annually. The registration shall be ministerial in nature and shall require the operator to provide (i) the complete name of the operator, (ii) the address of each property in the locality offered for s...

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Noise Rules

Newport News folds its general noise ordinance directly into short-term rental law: City Code § 45-517.1(b)(11) states that loud noises, as defined by and prohibited under chapter 28 of the City Code, shall not be emitted from a short-term rental. A noise complaint at a rental triggers both a chapter 28 violation and a separate strike against the property's zoning certificate.

Newport News Short-Term Rental Noise Ban

Some Restrictions

Newport News City Code § 45-517.1(b)(11)

Loud noises, as defined by and prohibited under chapter 28 of the City Code, shall not be emitted from a short-term rental;

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Taxes & Fees

Newport News charges short-term rental operators a $150 annual zoning compliance fee, plus a required business license and the city's transient occupancy tax on every booking.

Newport News Short-Term Rental Fees & Taxes

Some Restrictions

Newport News City Code Section 45-517.1(c)(5)

The owner of a short-term rental within the city shall pay a certificate of zoning compliance fee in the amount of one hundred fifty dollars ($150.00) to the department of planning, which shall be valid for one (1) year from the date of issuance. It is the responsibility of the owner to renew the certificate of zoning compliance prior to expiration by submitting updated information to the depar...

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Short-Term Rental Parking Rules

Every Newport News short-term rental must provide at least one off-street parking space dedicated to the rental, on top of whatever parking the underlying zoning district already requires for the property. City Code § 45-517.1(b)(2) sets the standard, and it applies regardless of how many lodgers or vehicles the rental is licensed to host on a given night.

Newport News Short-Term Rental Parking Requirement

Some Restrictions

Newport News City Code § 45-517.1(b)(2)

Not less than one (1) off-street parking space shall be provided for such dwelling unit in addition to the number of spaces required for the property in accordance with applicable zoning district regulations;

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Occupancy Limits

Newport News limits every short-term rental to two overnight lodgers per bedroom, with a hard ceiling of six lodgers on any single night regardless of how many bedrooms the unit has. City Code § 45-517.1(b)(1) sets the cap, and the zoning administrator can verify compliance by inspecting the guest log the owner must keep under subsection (b)(13).

Newport News Short-Term Rental Occupancy Cap

Some Restrictions

Newport News City Code § 45-517.1(b)(1)

There shall be no more than two (2) lodgers per bedroom with the maximum number of overnight lodgers on any night of a short-term rental being no greater than six (6);

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Insurance Requirements

Before Newport News will issue a short-term rental's annual certificate of zoning compliance, the owner must show proof of liability insurance covering accidental guest injury in an amount the code states as 'no less than thirty thousand dollars ($300,000.00)' under City Code § 45-517.1(c)(3). The mismatched wording and figure appear exactly that way in the adopted ordinance text.

Newport News Short-Term Rental Liability Insurance Rule

Some Restrictions

Newport News City Code § 45-517.1(c)(3)

Proof of liability insurance covering accidental injury to a guest on the property in an amount no less than thirty thousand dollars ($300,000.00);

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Host Presence Rule

A Newport News short-term rental only qualifies if the property owner actually lives there as a primary residence at least 185 days a year. City Code § 45-517.1(a)(1)a-b further requires the dwelling unit and any bedrooms rented to overnight lodgers to sit inside the same main building the owner occupies, not in a detached accessory structure, so absentee or garage-apartment rentals do not qualify.

Newport News Short-Term Rental Host Presence Rule

Significant Restrictions

Newport News City Code § 45-517.1(a)(1)a-b

a.The dwelling unit is used by the property owner as his/her primary residence, which means that he/she resides there for at least one hundred eighty-five (185) days during each year;b.The dwelling unit and any bedroom(s) rented to overnight lodgers shall be within the main building of the dwelling unit that the owner occupies as his/her primary residence and shall not be in a detached accessor...

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Primary-Residence-Only Rule

Newport News only allows a single-family or multiple-family dwelling unit to operate as a short-term rental if the property owner uses it as a genuine primary residence, defined in City Code § 45-517.1(a)(1)a as living there at least 185 days a year. An investment property the owner does not personally live in most of the year cannot qualify.

Newport News Short-Term Rental Primary Residence Rule

Significant Restrictions

Newport News City Code § 45-517.1(a)(1)a

The dwelling unit is used by the property owner as his/her primary residence, which means that he/she resides there for at least one hundred eighty-five (185) days during each year;

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Repeat Violator Strikes

Newport News revokes a short-term rental's zoning compliance certificate after three or more recorded violations in a single year, and the owner is barred from reapplying for two years. Revocation also follows noncompliance with the STR rules, refusal to cooperate with a complaint investigation, or delinquent city charges on the rental property.

Newport News STR Repeat-Violator Revocation

Significant Restrictions

Newport News City Code § 45-517.1(c)(6)

A short-term rental certificate of zoning compliance may be revoked by the zoning administrator as set forth below. An owner whose short-term rental has been revoked pursuant to this paragraph, shall not be eligible to obtain a certificate of zoning compliance for two (2) years:a.In the event there are three (3) or more violations recorded by the city within a one (1) year period; orb.For failu...

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗