Chesterfield County, VA Ordinances (2026)

Chesterfield County sets no decibel cap for data center equipment. Cooling and generator noise falls under the general noise ordinance, Code § 14-27: a 'plainly audible' test barring…

A home occupation is allowed by right if it meets county standards: no more than two clients on-site at once, only resident family-member employees, use limited to 25% of floor area or…

Chesterfield's home occupation standards require the home to keep its residential character with no external alterations. Because a business sign would change that appearance, on-site…

Chesterfield sets no separate cottage food rule; Virginia's home food exemption governs. Under Virginia Code Section 3.2-5130, low-risk foods such as candies, jams, baked goods, and…

Caring for up to four children (plus your own) is treated as residential use and needs no zoning approval. Caring for five to twelve children requires a conditional use in Chesterfield…

Outdoor music at a party in Chesterfield County is unlawful when plainly audible in a neighbor's home or at 50+ feet during overnight hours, and Sec. 14-27(b) specifically covers…

Chesterfield County's noise ordinance targets sound that is 'plainly audible' from inside a neighbor's home or at 50+ feet, particularly during the hours of 12:01 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. No…

Chesterfield County's noise ordinance sets no separate construction-hours curfew, but it bans plainly audible lawn, landscaping and tree-work noise in residential areas between 10:00…

In Chesterfield County it is unlawful to let an animal or bird make noise that is plainly audible at least once a minute for 10 consecutive minutes inside a neighbor's home or from 50…

Chesterfield County bans playing a vehicle's radio or sound system so it is plainly audible 50 or more feet from the car. Loud exhaust is separately governed by Virginia's statewide…

Chesterfield County bars outdoor loudspeakers and sound devices at stores, warehouses and commercial buildings when they are plainly audible on a public sidewalk or street, unless used…

Chesterfield County Code § 14-27(g) bars plainly audible noise from lawn care, leaf removal, gardening, tree work or other landscaping in residential areas between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00…

Pool access gates must be self-closing, self-latching, and open outward away from the pool. Latches under 54 inches high must sit on the pool side. Where the house forms part of the…

Above-ground pools need the same permits as in-ground pools once over the size threshold. The pool wall may serve as the barrier if it is 48 inches tall, but the ladder must be…

Chesterfield County does not run municipal trash pickup; residential garbage is handled by private haulers you contract with. The county's role is property maintenance: it can require…

Chesterfield County Code §§ 11-41 and 11-42 control when residents may burn leaves at home: only in set spring and fall windows, and never inside a board-designated "no burn area"…

Drop off bulky items at Chesterfield's two convenience centers, open seven days a week, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fees apply: $9 per pickup-truck load of residential trash, plus item fees like…

Dumping trash, garbage, or debris on public property, a highway right-of-way, or private property without the owner's written consent is a misdemeanor under Virginia Code § 33.2-802…

Anyone paid to collect, transport or dump trash in Chesterfield County must hold a license from the director of general services under Sec. 11-12, one per truck. Licensed haulers must…

Chesterfield County doesn't run curbside trash pickup itself: homeowners contract with a licensed private hauler under the county's own collector-licensing program. But Sec. 11-6 puts…

Chesterfield makes it a crime to take recyclables out of an approved county recycling container once they've been set out for pickup. Sec. 11-7 defines recyclable material broadly…

A retaining wall built in Chesterfield County needs a building permit under the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code. County Code § 5-5(b)(2)(c)(5) sets a $114.00 residential…

On residentially zoned property, fences may be up to 4 feet tall in the front yard and up to 7 feet tall in the rear yard, under Chesterfield County Zoning Ordinance Section 19.2-39.

The Chesterfield County Planning Department does not require a zoning permit to install a residential fence. A building permit is required only when the fence serves as a swimming pool…

Chesterfield requires a special events permit before a gathering in a county park can run outside posted park hours or use amplified sound above the normal limit. The Department of…

Anyone organizing a street fair, festival, flea market or craft show in unincorporated Chesterfield County must buy a vendor-event license before the event under County Code Section…

Any parade or procession on a Chesterfield street or right-of-way needs a police chief permit under Chapter 3, Article IV. Applications go to the chief of police at least 60 days ahead…

Anyone wanting a business license to run an adult business in Chesterfield County must first get a $25 permit from the chief of police, valid for 12 months. The chief has 30 to 60 days…

Anyone buying precious metals or gems, or lending against them as security, in unincorporated Chesterfield County must get a permit from the chief of police first, under County Code…

Every pawnbroker doing business in Chesterfield County must file a daily electronic report with the police chief by noon the next day covering everything pawned, pledged or sold that…

Chesterfield County requires every massage clinic and licensed massage therapist to hold a county permit issued by the chief of police before operating, on top of the state massage…

Chesterfield County requires every licensed vehicle removal operator, salvage dealer, demolisher or rebuilder to report each purchase or acquisition of a salvage or scrap vehicle to…

Chesterfield County has no standalone tattoo-shop permit. Instead, tattoo artists are taxed and licensed as a "personal and business service" under County Code Section 6-1, the same…

Chesterfield County requires anyone going door to door selling goods or services, or taking orders, to first get a $20 permit from the chief of police. The permit is good for only 30…

Chesterfield County bars permitted solicitors from entering any residential property that displays a 'No Soliciting' sign, and limits all door-to-door solicitation to between 9:00 a.m…

Chesterfield County imposes an 8 percent lodging tax on every hotel, motel, tourist home, camping ground, and rooming house stay under 30 days. The Commissioner of the Revenue collects…

Chesterfield County utility customers who repair an unseen water-line leak within 30 days of discovering it get a 50 percent credit on the excess water above their normal three-month…

Chesterfield County requires a building permit for plumbing work under the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, with fees set by County Code § 5-5. A new single-family home's…

Chesterfield County requires a building permit before any building or structure is 'constructed, altered, repaired or converted in use,' per County Code § 5-1's adoption of the…

Electrical work in Chesterfield County needs a permit under the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, administered by the county building official. County Code § 5-5(b)(3)(a) sets…

Virginia Code § 58.1-3819 authorizes Chesterfield to tax short-term rental hosts the same as hotels: any facility renting guest rooms for fewer than 30 consecutive days owes the tax…

Chesterfield County Code § 13-42 bans parking a dual-tire truck over 6,000 pounds, or any trailer, semitrailer or trailer cab, on a road inside a residential zoning district. Because…

Under County Code sec. 13-64, a vehicle lacking current plates or a valid inspection sticker that stays in one place for four days without being moved is deemed abandoned and may be…

County Code sec. 13-62 bars keeping inoperable motor vehicles or trailers in residential yards or driveways unless inside a fully enclosed building or shielded from view. One covered…

Chesterfield County Code § 13-41 lists 22 specific ways a vehicle can be illegally parked on public property, from blocking a driveway to parking more than 18 inches from the curb, and…

Chesterfield County Code § 14-19 makes it unlawful for anyone under 18 to be on the streets or in public places between 11:00 p.m. and daylight without a parent, guardian or another…

Chesterfield County bars entering or remaining in any County park outside the hours the Parks and Recreation director designates and posts, under Code Sec. 20-4(a). Limited exceptions…

Chesterfield bans consumer fireworks outright: Fire Prevention Code Sec. 5601.1.3.1 says permissible fireworks 'shall not be possessed, stored, sold, used or handled' anywhere in the…

Chesterfield bans open burning outright for six months a year and requires a fire-division permit the rest of the time. County Code § 10-3 adopts the county's own Ordinance for the…

Chesterfield exempts campfires, ceremonial fires and other blazes used solely for recreational purposes from its open-burning permit requirement under Fire Prevention Code Sec…

Chesterfield requires working smoke alarms in every rented dwelling unit, hotel or motel room, and rooming house, authority the state grants in Va. Code § 15.2-922. Landlords must…

Chesterfield's Fire Prevention Code amendments require every liquefied-petroleum-gas container to sit in a secured enclosure anchored to a sidewalk, pad or building so it can't tip or…

Chesterfield County Code § 14-23 bars possessing an open alcoholic beverage container, drinking, or handing a drink to someone else on any county property, including parks and schools…

Installing an active solar energy system in Chesterfield County requires a permit under the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code. County Code § 5-5(b)(5)(a) lists 'active solar…

Chesterfield repealed its own dangerous-dog ordinance in 2007, so dangerous-dog findings run entirely on state law. Virginia Code bars a court from declaring a dog dangerous based on…

No dog may run at large anywhere in Chesterfield County at any time of year. Off county land, a leash is not always required, but the dog must stay under the owner's immediate…

Chesterfield County requires every dog and cat four months or older to carry a current rabies vaccination administered by a licensed veterinarian, under Virginia Code § 3.2-6521(A)…

Virginia bans feeding bear at any time and feeding that attracts nuisance wildlife. Deer feeding is prohibited statewide each September 1 through the first Saturday in January…

In Chesterfield, your property boundary line itself counts as a lawful fence for livestock and poultry: it is unlawful to let livestock or poultry cross that line and run at large…

Chesterfield bans keeping wild or exotic animals as pets, for display or exhibition anywhere in the county. The list covers monkeys, raccoons, skunks, wolves, foxes, big cats, venomous…

Chesterfield County zones its entire territory and sets minimum front, side, and rear yards by district in its Zoning Ordinance (Ch. 19.2). Common residential districts such as R-7 and…

Chesterfield County sets maximum structure heights by zoning district in its Zoning Ordinance (Ch. 19.2), under authority from Virginia Code Section 15.2-2280. Accessory structures…

Chesterfield County limits how much of a lot buildings and structures may occupy through district-specific standards in its Zoning Ordinance (Ch. 19.2), using the yard and open-space…

Chesterfield bars property owners from letting a hedge, shrub or tree branch overhang a street, sidewalk or public alley enough to block safe passage, or from leaving dead limbs…

Chesterfield requires tree preservation, not homeowner tree permits. During subdivision or site development, plans must preserve or replace trees to meet Virginia's tree-canopy targets…

Chesterfield's weed ordinance requires grass and weeds to be kept under 12 inches at occupied dwellings and 18 inches at unoccupied ones. Ignore a written notice and the county cuts…

Chesterfield County assigns landscape watering to three fixed days a week by street address once the director declares voluntary or mandatory water use restrictions. Odd-numbered…

Chesterfield enforces property upkeep through Community Enhancement and the Virginia Maintenance Code (part of the USBC). Under Virginia's spot-blight law, the county can order…

Owners of vacant and unoccupied lots must keep grass, weeds, and growth cut and clear of trash. Chesterfield's weed ordinance sets an 18-inch limit at unoccupied properties, and the…

Enclosing a carport or converting a garage into living space requires building permits and must meet the Virginia building code and zoning. A structure open on fewer than two sides is…

Chesterfield does not allow a separate accessory dwelling by right. Using an accessory building as a dwelling generally requires a Conditional Use Permit approved by the Board of…

Carports need a building permit in Chesterfield regardless of size. A carport is a structure open on at least two sides for covering vehicles; enclose it further and it becomes a…

Chesterfield cannot ban political campaign signs on private property if they follow the same rules as temporary nonpolitical signs and have the owner's permission. In residential…

For a sale of three or fewer days in a residential district, Chesterfield allows up to six off-site signs, each no larger than 6 square feet and 4 feet tall, with only one per lot…

Except for single-family homes, exterior lighting in Chesterfield may not cast more than 0.5 foot-candle above background light, measured at the property line of adjacent residential…

Chesterfield has no formal dark-sky ordinance. Instead, the Zoning Ordinance requires exterior lighting (except single-family homes) to use directional fixtures that shield the light…

Mobile food and drink peddlers in unincorporated Chesterfield County pay a $25 license tax per vendor or vehicle and cannot leave a vehicle parked in one spot longer than a sale…

Any mobile food preparation vehicle in Chesterfield that cooks with equipment producing smoke or grease-laden vapors needs a fire operational permit before it can serve. County Code §…

Construction sites in Chesterfield County must file a stormwater management plan with the environmental engineer covering drainage, discharge points and hydrologic computations before…

Chesterfield requires a land-disturbance permit from the county's environmental engineer before any grading, clearing or excavation begins, backed by an approved erosion and sediment…

Chesterfield County Code § 11-32(c) bars any owner from letting a hedge, shrub, tree or other vegetation overhang, extend or protrude into a street, sidewalk or public alley far enough…

No one may do any work in a Chesterfield County street, highway, right-of-way, easement or other public-use area without first getting written approval from the county administrator or…