Albemarle County, VA Ordinances (2026)

Albemarle County parks close at posted hours that the county executive can change at any time, and it is unlawful to enter or remain in a park after those hours without permission from…

Albemarle County bars anyone under 18 from driving, riding in, or occupying a motor vehicle, or being on public property, streets, or private property they do not control, between 1:00…

Albemarle County requires any company offering dockless scooters, e-bikes, or motorized skateboards for hire to hold a permit under Article 7 of the traffic code before operating in…

Albemarle County has no red-light camera program; instead, County Code § 9-504 authorizes the Police Department to install photo speed monitoring devices only in school crossing zones…

Riders of bicycles, e-bikes, and motorized skateboards or scooters in Albemarle County must park at the curb, in a rack, or against a sign or light post, never blocking curb ramps…

In the Rio29 Form-Based Code Overlay District along U.S. 29/Rio Road, larger developments in Albemarle County must set aside dedicated rideshare, cab and delivery pick-up or drop-off…

Albemarle County makes it a crime to urinate or defecate in public view anywhere in the county outside Charlottesville and Scottsville. County Code § 10-124 bars relieving yourself on…

Albemarle County bans drinking or offering alcohol to another person in any public place, and separately bans carrying an open container of alcohol in a public park or playground, on…

Anyone buying precious metals or gems from the public in Albemarle County, such as a pawn or secondhand gold shop, must hold a permit from the Chief of Police, post a $10,000 bond, and…

Albemarle County caps pawnshop licenses at ten countywide. The Director of Finance issues no more than that number and must notify the County Sheriff of every pawnbroker license…

Albemarle County requires a permit from the Department of Parks and Recreation for any gathering of 100 or more people, or any commercial activity of any size, in a county park. County…

No athletic contest, race, demonstration, planned gathering, or parade may occupy or proceed along an Albemarle County highway without a permit from the Chief of Police, under County…

Private boat docks on the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir may be built only under a permit from the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority. County Code § 11-304 also limits the reservoir to…

Before any land-disturbing activity in Albemarle County outside Charlottesville and Scottsville, owners must get an erosion and sediment control plan approved under County Code §…

Albemarle County outside Charlottesville and Scottsville bars land-disturbing activity until the owner has an approved stormwater management plan and land-disturbance permit under…

In Albemarle County's flood hazard overlay district, any new or substantially improved residential building in a mapped special flood hazard area must have its lowest floor, basement…

In Albemarle County outside Charlottesville and Scottsville, the Flood Hazard Overlay District (FH) under § 18-30.3 covers every parcel within the special flood hazard areas on the…

Central air conditioners, heat pumps and other home appliances are exempt from Albemarle County's noise ordinance as long as they are in good repair, per County Code § 7-106(G). The…

In Albemarle County outside Charlottesville and Scottsville, sound from a device inside a restaurant, dance hall or other "place of public entertainment" is unlawful under County Code…

In Albemarle County outside Charlottesville and Scottsville, a vehicle's horn or warning device, including a back-up alarm, is exempt from the county noise ordinance under County Code…

In Albemarle County outside Charlottesville and Scottsville, sound from a power generator is exempt from the county noise ordinance under County Code § 7-106(E) during an emergency or…

Albemarle County exempts an approved "natural landscaping" plan built on at least 80 percent native plants from its 12-inch uncontrolled-vegetation nuisance rule, under County Code §…

Albemarle County caps grass, weeds, brush and other uncontrolled vegetation at 12 inches on vacant developed property under County Code § 7-502(A)(1). Owners who don't cut face a…

Albemarle County has no standing lawn-watering schedule, but County Code § 16-500 lets the Board of Supervisors and the Albemarle County Service Authority order strict irrigation and…

Outside the Rural Areas district, Albemarle County limits tree removal to dead trees or trees under six inches in diameter unless a site plan clears the land for a permitted use, and…

On undeveloped land within 75 feet of a public right-of-way or a neighboring developed lot, Albemarle County caps grass, weeds and brush at 12 inches under County Code § 7-502(A)(2)…

Albemarle County can order an owner to remove, repair, or secure any building, wall, or structure that endangers public health or safety, and if the owner and lienholder fail to act…

Every short-term rental operator in Albemarle County must register annually with the Department of Community Development under County Code § 7-602, providing the operator's name and…

An Albemarle County short-term rental operator who racks up more than three violations of state law or county rules tied to a specific property is permanently barred from offering that…

Short-term rental operators in Albemarle County outside Charlottesville and Scottsville pay a 1% or 1.5% short-term rental property tax on gross rental proceeds under County Code §…

Where Albemarle County allows unhosted homestay stays at all, on Rural Areas parcels of five acres or more, the owner may be absent for up to seven rental days a month and 45 rental…

Albemarle County caps most homestays at two guest bedrooms, rising to five only by Board of Supervisors special exception on smaller lots, or by right on Rural Area parcels of five…

Albemarle County requires a homestay owner to reside on the parcel at least 180 days a year and, absent an approved unhosted stay, to be present overnight during every rental, under…

A homestay in Albemarle County must provide off-street parking under Zoning Ordinance § 4.12.6 on top of the parking already required for the single-family dwelling, and § 5.1.48(b)(4)…

Albemarle County regulates short-term rentals as "homestays" under Zoning Ordinance Sec. 18-5.1.48. To operate lawfully in Albemarle County outside Charlottesville and Scottsville, at…

Albemarle County sorts businesses into license-tax classifications with different rates: financial, real estate and professional services pay $0.58 per $100 of gross receipts, while…

Anyone who goes door to door in Albemarle County outside Charlottesville and Scottsville to sell goods or take orders must register with the Albemarle County Police Chief and obtain a…

Waste collectors serving Albemarle County outside Charlottesville and Scottsville must collect source-separated newspaper, magazine, container glass, metal cans, and plastic soda, milk…

In Albemarle County outside Charlottesville and Scottsville, County Code § 13-304 makes it unlawful for anyone other than the area's permitted waste collector to salvage or remove…

County Code § 13-202 requires every waste collector serving residential units in Albemarle County outside Charlottesville and Scottsville to pick up recyclable materials on a set…

County Code § 13-301 requires anyone hauling refuse on Albemarle County streets, roads or highways outside Charlottesville and Scottsville to use a vehicle built or loaded so nothing…

County Code § 13-300 makes it unlawful in Albemarle County outside Charlottesville and Scottsville to dump refuse or other unsightly matter on public property, a public highway or…

County Code § 13-302 requires every owner or occupant of property in Albemarle County outside Charlottesville and Scottsville to keep refuse in personally or privately owned watertight…

Commercial dumpsters in Albemarle County outside Charlottesville and Scottsville must sit on a concrete pad under Code of Albemarle § 18-4.12.19, extending at least eight feet beyond…

Albemarle County requires a building permit before installing a residential in-ground or above-ground swimming pool, hot tub, or spa, priced at a flat $60 fee under County Code §…

Albemarle County charges a $285 building permit fee for elevators, escalators, and lifts, plus a $100 per-elevator certificate fee, under County Code § 1-501. The Building Inspection…

Albemarle County's Building Inspection Office, housed in the Department of Community Development, administers and enforces the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code across Albemarle…

Electrical work in Albemarle County requires a permit under County Code § 5-202, with fees set by the countywide fee schedule in Chapter 1, Article 5. Charges run from a flat $35 for…

Plumbing work in Albemarle County needs a permit under County Code § 5-203, with fees drawn from the countywide fee schedule in Chapter 1, Article 5. Additions, alterations, and…

Albemarle County requires a permit before most construction, administered by the Building Inspection Office under County Code § 5-102. Fees are set by a detailed schedule in § 1-501…

In Albemarle County outside Charlottesville and Scottsville, a child day center must hold a current license from the Virginia Department of Social Services and give a copy to the…

In the Entrance Corridor overlay district, Albemarle County requires an Architectural Review Board Certificate of Appropriateness before a fence-related building permit can be…

Albemarle County caps a single retaining wall at 10 feet measured grade to grade under its grading standards, and requires anything taller to be broken into stepped walls separated by…

Albemarle County's zoning ordinance sets no blanket height cap for a residential fence and allows one in any required yard as an accessory structure, but every fence still has to meet…

Albemarle County requires smoke alarms in every dwelling unit, hotel, motel, and rooming house under County Code § 5-400, installed per the Building Code and maintained under the…

Albemarle County bans transporting, manufacturing, storing, selling, buying, possessing, or discharging firecrackers, skyrockets, or similar exploding or airborne fireworks under §…

Albemarle County bans open burning of refuse, garbage, household waste, and hazardous or commercial waste countywide under § 6-404. Residential yard-debris burning is allowed without a…

In Albemarle County outside Charlottesville and Scottsville, a backyard fire pit, campfire or cooking fire counts as recreational open burning under County Code § 6-406(B) and needs no…

In Albemarle County outside Charlottesville and Scottsville, outdoor amplified music and public address systems are unlawful under County Code § 7-105(B)(5) whenever the sound is…

In Albemarle County outside Charlottesville and Scottsville, construction, demolition and maintenance sound is barred between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. under County Code § 7-105(E)…

In Albemarle County outside Charlottesville and Scottsville, routine yard maintenance sound, including mowing, trimming and leaf blowing, is barred under County Code § 7-105(H) between…

In Albemarle County outside Charlottesville and Scottsville, County Code § 7-105(A) bars motor vehicle and motorcycle sound from a missing or non-conforming muffler, jackrabbit starts…

Albemarle County makes it unlawful and a nuisance for an owner to harbor an animal that howls, barks, or makes other excessive noise for 30 straight minutes audible on a neighbor's…

In Albemarle County outside Charlottesville and Scottsville, buildings proposed inside the Airport Impact Area's noise impact area around Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport must meet…

Albemarle County sets hard decibel ceilings by receiving zone under Sec. 4.18.04: 60 dBA daytime and 55 dBA nighttime in Rural Areas, Residential, and Public Space or Institutional…

Albemarle County bars parking any commercial or recreational vehicle, portable storage container, or dumpster on state secondary highways in areas zoned for residential use. County…

Albemarle County Code § 9-102(A) bars parking or stopping on sidewalks, in front of driveways, within 15 feet of a fire hydrant or mailbox, in crosswalks, bus zones, fire lanes, or…

It is unlawful to park within any loading zone marked by signs or curb markings in Albemarle County under Code § 9-102(A)(8). The fine is $25.00 under the schedule at § 9-116(E)…

Albemarle County Code § 9-113 lets the Chief of Police direct the removal and disposal of an abandoned motor vehicle, using the definition in Virginia Code § 46.2-1200. Removal from…

Boats, travel trailers, RVs and other major recreational equipment can't be lived in while parked in Albemarle County outside Charlottesville and Scottsville, and in most residential…

Albemarle County defines a groomer under Code § 4-103 as anyone who cleans, trims, or treats an animal for a fee, and folds groomers directly into the required-care duties of Code §…

Albemarle County will not declare a dog dangerous or vicious based on breed alone. County Code §§ 4-212(B) and 4-223(A) say ownership of a particular breed is not prohibited, so any…

Albemarle County does not mandate spay or neuter for pets generally, but a dog judicially declared dangerous cannot be registered without it. County Code § 4-214(B)(2) requires proof…

Albemarle County requires permanent electronic implantation for any dog a court finds to be dangerous. County Code § 4-214(B)(4) makes microchipping, registered to the owner and…

Albemarle County bars owners from letting a dog run at large: off its owner's property without a leash, lead, or a responsible handler physically able to restrain it. County Code §…

A veterinary service, office or hospital, animal hospital or animal shelter in Albemarle County outside Charlottesville and Scottsville must keep animal confinement areas 500 feet from…

Albemarle County's Zoning Ordinance regulates beekeeping directly at Sec. 18-5.1.63, capping how many hives a lot can hold and how close a beehive can sit to a property line. In…

Albemarle County's Zoning Ordinance defines "agriculture" to include the keeping of livestock or poultry, and County Code § 18-10.2.1 permits agriculture by right in the Rural Areas…

Albemarle County charges a nine percent transient occupancy tax on hotel, motel, boarding house, campground, and short-term rental stays under 30 days, per County Code § 15-901…

Albemarle County's zoning ordinance lets developers earn extra density above the standard level in the VR through R-15 districts by meeting bonus factors for preserved woodland, road…

Albemarle County's zoning ordinance sets a dedicated design district, the Downtown Crozet District (DCD), for the traditional downtown core of Crozet. It swaps the county's…

Albemarle County treats a yard sign backing a candidate or a ballot question as a temporary noncommercial sign: it needs no sign permit, faces no calendar-day limit under the county's…

Albemarle County exempts holiday decorative lighting from its outdoor lighting standards under Sec. 4.17.6(b), but only if the display is temporary and taken down within seven days…

A sign visible from Interstate 64 or another designated Entrance Corridor street in Albemarle County outside Charlottesville and Scottsville can't go up until the owner gets a…

Window signs in Albemarle County outside Charlottesville and Scottsville don't need a sign permit as long as the total window-sign area on each window or door stays at or under 25…

Billboards are banned outright in every zoning district in Albemarle County outside Charlottesville and Scottsville under Code of Albemarle § 18-4.15.8(c)(4). A digital or electric…

Any development subject to Albemarle County's site plan review under chapter 32 of the Zoning Ordinance must plant street trees along its street frontage. Large shade trees run 1½ to…

Albemarle County's Zoning Ordinance declares five categories of activity unlawful: unpermitted uses of land or structures, unpermitted structures or improvements, building without a…

Anyone can trigger a zoning investigation in Albemarle County by filing a complaint or requesting an investigation with the zoning administrator, who must then investigate under County…

In Albemarle County outside Charlottesville and Scottsville, an accessory apartment must be built inside the main dwelling, not in a detached garage, cannot exceed 35 percent of the…

Albemarle County requires the property owner to actually live on site: Zoning Ordinance § 5.1.34(H) says the owner must reside either in the main dwelling the apartment is accessory…

A shed or detached garage in Albemarle County outside Charlottesville and Scottsville must sit at least five feet off the side lot line and six feet off the side or rear property line…

In Albemarle County outside Charlottesville and Scottsville, homes in the Flood Hazard Overlay District's Zones A, A1-30, AE and AH must have the lowest floor, including any basement…

Outside Charlottesville and Scottsville, Albemarle County's zoning ordinance names food truck sales as an allowed function of "Squares," a defined type of civic open space required in…

Albemarle County treats a home-based daycare for four or fewer children as an ordinary single-family use with no special permit. Once a family day home cares for five to twelve…

Albemarle County caps how much customer traffic a home-based business can generate in the Rural Areas zoning district. Sec. 18-5.2A(e) limits a "major home occupation" to ten vehicle…

Albemarle County's Zoning Ordinance lets homeowners in Albemarle County outside Charlottesville and Scottsville run a home occupation from a rural-areas dwelling or accessory structure…

A home business sign in Albemarle County outside Charlottesville and Scottsville doesn't need a sign permit as long as it's four square feet or smaller and the property has an…

Albemarle County's zoning ordinance sets a hard noise ceiling on data center backup generators. Under Sec. 18-5.1.65(D), generators must be enclosed to hold sound to 70 dBA measured 23…

Albemarle County's zoning ordinance treats data centers as their own use category with dedicated siting rules. Sec. 18-5.1.65 requires every data center to run on public water and…

Albemarle County's only codified "recycled water" requirement sits inside its data center zoning standards, not a citywide reuse program. Sec. 18-5.1.65(B)(2) requires that any water…

Albemarle County does not set a fixed number of garage sales per year, but it does regulate them wherever a property also runs a home occupation in the Rural Areas zoning district…

Albemarle County caps light trespass at one-half foot candle under Sec. 4.17.4(b): spillover from an outdoor luminaire onto a public road or an adjoining residential or Rural Areas…

Albemarle County's Zoning Ordinance prohibits billboards entirely under Sec. 4.15.8(c)(4), so no billboard-lighting standard exists separately: a billboard, defined as a freestanding…

Albemarle County's outdoor lighting ordinance, Sec. 4.17, states its purpose is to protect dark skies and adjacent property from light spillover and glare. Sec. 4.17.4(a) backs that…

Albemarle County sets a 20-foot minimum rear setback and a 5-foot minimum front and side setback for standard non-infill lots in the R-1 through R-15, PRD and PUD residential districts…

In Albemarle County outside Charlottesville and Scottsville, homes in the Rural Areas zoning district are capped at 35 feet under Code of Albemarle § 18-10.4's area and bulk table for…

Albemarle County allows accessory solar panels and battery storage by right in every zoning district under Sec. 4.22, with no special use permit required, so long as the installation…

Albemarle County does not maintain a standalone noxious-weed list, but its riparian buffer ordinance singles out invasive species for removal. Sec. 4.23.7(K) lets a landowner clear…

Albemarle County's Rural Areas (RA) zoning district, covering most land in Albemarle County outside Charlottesville and Scottsville, exists under County Code § 18-10.1 to preserve…

Albemarle County created the Monticello Historic District (MHD), a dedicated zoning classification under County Code § 18-11.1, to protect the parcels that once belonged to Thomas…