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Rental Property Rules in Roanoke, VA (2026)

2 verified rental property rules for Roanoke, Virginia, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.

Verified from official government sources

Rental Registration

Owners of residential rental dwelling units in Roanoke must tell the building maintenance code official that the unit is a rental, using a form the city manager prepares. New rentals must notify within thirty days of creation or of getting a certificate of occupancy, whichever comes first, and willfully skipping the notice costs a fifty-dollar civil penalty under section 7-37.

Roanoke Rental Owners Must Notify the City

Some Restrictions

Roanoke City Code § 7-37

(a)Any owner of a residential rental dwelling unit shall notify the building maintenance code official, on a form prepared by the city manager, if a dwelling unit is a residential rental dwelling unit.(b)The notification requirements of this section shall be met by the owner or owners of any residential rental dwelling unit not more than seventy-five (75) days after the adoption of this ordinan...

Repairs & Habitability

Roanoke's rental certificate of compliance program exists because city council found that rental units left uninspected can become unsafe, a public nuisance, and unfit for human habitation. Inside a designated rental inspection district, section 7-48 makes it unlawful to rent or lease any dwelling unit that fails to meet the article's building maintenance requirements, and the city manager inspects units to confirm safe, decent, sanitary conditions.

Roanoke Bars Renting Noncompliant Rental Units

Some Restrictions

Roanoke City Code §§ 7-34(a)-(b), 7-48

(a)The city council finds that certain residential rental dwelling units, when not the subject of an initial inspection or periodic inspections to ensure compliance with applicable building maintenance regulations, may become unsafe, a public nuisance, and unfit for human habitation. ... Sec. 7-48. - Requirement of certificate of compliance. It shall be unlawful for any owner, managing agent or...