Henrico County, VA Ordinances (2026)

Henrico bans possessing, selling, storing, or using any fireworks, including 'permissible' fountains and sparklers. Only supervised public displays under a fire marshal permit are…

Before burning brush, grass, or debris, Henrico requires you to cut and pile it or clear the ground around it and control the fire until fully out. For a recreational fire, all…

Open burning of anything other than leaves requires a burn permit from the Henrico Fire Marshal. Leaf burning is allowed only in areas without county leaf pickup, on set dates and…

Henrico County maps no wildfire hazard or WUI zones. Instead, Virginia's '4 PM Burning Law' bars outdoor fires within 300 feet of woodland before 4 p.m. during Feb 15-Apr 30, and the…

Henrico requires smoke alarms in every building with a dwelling unit, plus hotels, motels, and roominghouses. Owners must inspect alarms annually; landlords must certify working alarms…

Henrico County treats a patio chiminea or fire pit as a controlled burning device, not open burning, so no permit is required. A larger recreational campfire also skips the permit if…

Henrico sets no separate propane-storage ordinance. LP-gas storage is governed by the Virginia Statewide Fire Prevention Code, which the county adopts and enforces. Container limits…

Henrico allows short-term rentals (under 30 days) in one-family residence districts (R-0 through R-4A) and A-1 agricultural, only at the owner's primary residence. Hosted stays are…

Henrico short-term rental operators must collect an 8% transient occupancy tax on lodging charges, effective July 1, 2020, and remit it monthly by the 20th of the following month. Fees…

Henrico's zoning ordinance requires one off-street parking space for each guestroom in a short-term rental, in addition to the parking required for the principal dwelling. This on-site…

A Henrico hosted short-term rental may operate up to 60 days in any calendar year by right. Renting more than a total of 60 days per year requires a Board of Zoning Appeals conditional…

Henrico distinguishes hosted stays (owner present) from unhosted stays (owner away). Hosted stays are allowed by right within limits; any unhosted stay requires a Board of Zoning…

Henrico permits short-term rentals only at the owner's primary residence. Section 24-4431(B) requires the dwelling to be occupied by the resident at least 185 days per year, and the…

Every Henrico short-term rental must conspicuously post the County noise ordinance inside the dwelling, and guests are subject to it. Rentals may not be used for parties, weddings…

In Henrico County, any booking platform that facilitates a short-term rental stay is treated as the retail seller under County Code Sec. 20-275(b) and must collect the transient…

Henrico County permanently blocks a short-term rental property from ever registering again once its operator racks up three or more violations of state or local law on three or more…

Henrico caps short-term rental occupancy at twice the number of bedrooms in the dwelling. Hosted stays over six renters require a conditional use permit. At least one renter must be 18…

Henrico's short-term rental ordinance does not mandate a specific liability-insurance amount. It does require working smoke detectors, carbon-monoxide detectors, and fire extinguishers…

Henrico County Code § 17-25 makes it unlawful to dispose of refuse or litter anywhere in the county except a county household refuse disposal area or a permitted private sanitary…

Henrico County contracts a third party to collect residential bulky waste, appliances, TVs, furniture, brush, and bagged leaves, at the contract rate. The county also runs vacuum leaf…

Henrico refuse customers set out the county supercan or a privately purchased 95-gallon, heavy-duty, wheeled cart with a front lifting bar so it works with automated trucks. Waste must…

Henrico's curbside recycling runs through the Central Virginia Waste Management Authority (CVWMA), not the county code. Henrico County Code § 17-2 makes it a Class 1 misdemeanor for…

County trash service collects weekly on your assigned day; CVWMA handles recycling every other week. Look up your recycling day with CVWMA's address tool and set carts out by 7 a.m. A…

Henrico County has no formal dark-sky ordinance, but its zoning code requires exterior building and security lighting to be full-cutoff, shielded, or angled downward, and caps…

Henrico County limits sign illumination to no more than 0.5 foot candle above ambient light at any property line, and requires exterior lighting to prevent the direct view of the light…

On undeveloped Henrico property, weeds or grass more than 12 inches tall within 150 feet of adjacent developed property are declared a nuisance the owner must cut. Accumulated trash on…

Henrico County Code Sec. 10-100 makes it unlawful for a property owner to let trash, garbage, refuse, litter or clutter pile up anywhere in the county except on land zoned for or…

A motor vehicle left unattended on public property in violation of law for more than 48 hours, or on private property without the owner's consent for more than 48 hours, is legally…

In a designated curb loading zone, no one may stop, stand, or park except for the expeditious loading or unloading of materials during posted hours. Delivery vehicles other than…

In Henrico's residential districts, one travel, utility, or boat trailer may be parked as an accessory use only in a rear yard, side yard, carport, or garage. It cannot sit in the…

You may not park on someone else's private lot without the owner's consent, and once a lot is posted no-parking, entering it to park is unlawful. On your own lot, trailers and RVs must…

Henrico prohibits parking an unlicensed vehicle on any public street, roadway, or alley, and bars parking in signed no-parking zones. Vehicles must display a current state license to…

Henrico bans parking oversized commercial vehicles over 10,000 pounds gross weight, and any commercial trailer or wrecker, on residential or agricultural streets except while loading…

Because Henrico County governs its entire territory (no towns), any residential swimming pool, spa, or hot tub built here needs a Henrico Building Inspections permit. Pools are…

In Henrico County a fence or wall is permitted on the property line between two privately owned parcels (Sec. 24-5403.A). Where a fence has visible support framing on one side only…

Henrico County Chapter 24 (Sec. 24-5405.A) requires fences and walls to be built of durable all-weather materials such as masonry, stone, wrought iron, welded steel, electroplated…

Beyond height, Henrico's Chapter 24 requires fences to preserve sight lines, not block drainage, and stay clear of utility easements and fire hydrants. Fences must not obstruct vision…

Henrico County does not require a standalone fence permit for a typical residential fence, but Chapter 24 standards are reviewed with any building permit, plan of development, or…

Retaining walls in Henrico County are governed by Sec. 24-5407 of Chapter 24. A wall more than six feet higher than a property line within 20 feet, or more than ten feet higher within…

Henrico does not require a distinct home-occupation license; a home occupation is allowed as an accessory use if it meets the § 24-4419 standards. Service and goods-sales home…

A Henrico home occupation may display no more than two non-illuminated signs totaling two square feet and no taller than four feet, and these need no sign permit. No other outside…

Henrico zoning lets a home occupation sell home cooking and packaged food made on site, along with handicrafts and clothes made on site, but reselling purchased products is not…

Henrico zoning defines a family day home as in-home care for up to 12 children. A small family day home (five or fewer children) is a by-right accessory use in residential districts; a…

Henrico County Code Article V regulates swine: no hog pen may sit within 400 feet of any lot in a residential district, and no more than 20 hogs may be kept in a pen at one time. Other…

Henrico only requires spaying or neutering when a dog or cat comes from a releasing agency, such as the county shelter. New owners must sterilize the animal within 30 days of adoption…

Henrico designates three specific neighborhoods, Lakeside, Three Chopt Elementary's grounds, and Old Westham, as bird sanctuaries. Inside them it's unlawful to trap, shoot, hunt or…

Henrico County Code Sec. 5-29(6) prohibits any dog (except hunting dogs) from running at large countywide, year-round. A dog is 'at large' when off the owner's property and not under…

Henrico County Code has no beekeeping ordinance, so keeping honeybees is generally allowed, subject to zoning. Virginia Code Sec. 3.2-4411.1 shields a beekeeper who operates an apiary…

Henrico County Code Sec. 5-199 makes it unlawful to confine or keep any fox, skunk or raccoon as a pet or otherwise, and bans importing or selling them in the county. These…

Virginia law, which Henrico's animal control enforces countywide, forbids a court from labeling any dog dangerous solely for its breed. A dog can only be found dangerous after a…

Henrico County does not license or leash cats, but Sec. 5-90 makes it unlawful to keep any dog or cat four months or older without a current rabies vaccination administered by a…

Henrico County Code has no ordinance using the word 'hoarding,' but Sec. 5-5 establishes a public county animal-cruelty registry for felony cruelty convictions, and Virginia Code Sec…

A tree removal permit is required before removing a 'protected tree' on regulated development in Henrico, but single-family homes on individual lots are exempt. The Planning Director…

When Henrico declares mandatory public water restrictions, County Code § 23-265 sets a strict odd/even watering schedule for lawns and landscaping, bans fountains and vehicle washing…

Ordinary trimming of your own trees is not regulated in Henrico. Routine and seasonal pruning is expressly exempt from the county tree-protection standards, and single-family homes on…

Henrico does not require native plants in ordinary yards, but land inside a Chesapeake Bay Resource Protection Area must keep a vegetated buffer at least 100 feet wide. New lawn areas…

Henrico County caps grass and weeds at 12 inches on developed property within 150 feet of adjacent property and public streets. Taller growth is a nuisance the county can cut and bill…

Henrico County requires a permit from the chief of police before any parade, march, procession, motorcade, marathon or race on county streets, highways, sidewalks or rights-of-way…

Henrico's parks and recreation department controls who can hold gatherings, sell goods or run amplified sound in county parks. County Code §§ 14-43, 14-44 and 14-48 require written…

Anyone staging an outdoor commercial festival in Henrico, including a music-driven street fair, needs a special entertainment permit from the director of public safety before it…

Henrico County sorts businesses into license-tax classes for its BPOL tax, and County Code § 20-446 lists roughly 127 personal-service occupations, from barbershops to kennels to…

Henrico requires an approved erosion and sediment control (ESC) plan before land disturbance of 2,500 square feet or more (under one acre) or one acre or more begins. County Code §…

Henrico requires an approved environmental compliance plan before any regulated land disturbance begins. The threshold is 2,500 square feet, with tighter rules in Chesapeake Bay…

Henrico requires a floodplain development permit before any use, activity, or development begins inside a mapped Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA). The county's floodplain administrator…

Henrico's floodplain code sets minimum construction heights above the base flood elevation (BFE) for anything built in a mapped Special Flood Hazard Area. Ordinary new buildings must…

Henrico County requires every short-term rental operator to register annually with the director of finance under County Code Sec. 20-280, listing the property address and paying a $200…

Henrico County requires anyone doing construction or repair work in a public street, right-of-way, easement or other area dedicated to public use to first submit plans and get a permit…

Henrico County Code Sec. 6-175 through 6-181 lets the building official designate rental inspection districts and inspect residential rental units for safe, decent, sanitary…

Henrico County bills water bimonthly, but if an underground leak hits your pipes or metered service, the code rewards prompt repair: fix it fast and the utilities director can rebate…

Henrico bars anyone 16 or younger from public places between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. unless a parent is present. County Code §§ 13-147 through 13-149 make it unlawful for a parent to…

Henrico County parks are open only during posted hours and are closed after sunset. Entering or remaining in a park outside the designated hours is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine…

Henrico County only allows a massage in exchange for payment when a state-certified massage therapist performs it for medical, relaxation, remedial or hygienic purposes, and only at…

Henrico requires anyone operating an adult bookstore, adult motel, adult nightclub or similar business to hold a $200 permit from the chief of police, on top of a standard business…

Henrico caps pawnshops at ten countywide, spaced at least a mile apart, and requires a $200 license from the chief of police plus a circuit court order before anyone can operate…

Henrico County Code lets a parking lot, building or lot owner have an unauthorized vehicle towed once it has sat unattended for more than ten days without permission. Notice must go to…

Henrico taxes junk dealers and secondhand paper dealers the same way it taxes wholesale merchants: on purchases, not receipts, under a sliding per-$100 rate. Sec. 20-693 carves out one…

Henrico's building official administers and enforces Virginia's Uniform Statewide Building Code countywide, deciding what inspections a project needs and issuing certificates of…

Building owners in Henrico pay the county an annual certificate-of-compliance fee for every elevator, escalator, dumbwaiter and manlift, due by December 31 for the year ahead…

Henrico requires a paid-up permit before any new construction, alteration, removal or demolition begins. A new one- or two-family home runs $680, garages and additions run $100 plus $6…

Henrico County law makes it every owner's and occupant's duty to keep buildings and premises ratproofed and rat-free under County Code Article VI. The Director of Community…

Henrico County bans loitering that blocks pedestrians or vehicles, or that threatens harm to a person or to property, whether it happens on a public street or inside a privately owned…

Henrico County treats any gathering of ten or more people as a code violation once it turns audible past curfew: between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., a party plainly heard inside a…

Henrico has no separate "solicitor permit"; anyone who peddles goods door to door or from a vehicle falls under the county's peddler license tax. The fee runs from $15 to $200…

Henrico County treats a food truck like any other eating establishment under its business license tax code. Every operator must file an annual application with the county; those with…

Henrico treats electric power-assisted bicycles like ordinary bicycles on sidewalks and shared-use paths, with one carve-out: Class 3 e-bikes, which keep assisting up to 28 mph, may…

Henrico County bars construction, demolition and street-or-parking-lot cleaning noise that is plainly audible in a residential area between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., under Sec…

Henrico County bars lawn care, leaf removal, gardening, tree work and other landscaping noise that is plainly audible in a residential area between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., under Sec…

Henrico County's noise code treats a barking dog like any other nuisance sound: under Sec. 10-68(3), an animal that is plainly audible at least once a minute for ten straight minutes…

Henrico County's noise ordinance sets one baseline curfew: between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., no sound is permitted to carry plainly audible into a neighbor's dwelling or 100 feet into…

Henrico County bars any radio, speaker, stereo or musical instrument from being plainly audible 50 or more feet away in a residential area between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., or inside…

Henrico County's noise ordinance does not reach aircraft at all: Sec. 10-69(9) lists 'locomotives and other railroad equipment, and aircraft' among the sounds specifically exempt from…

Henrico County makes it unlawful to play a car stereo, radio or other sound-amplifying device inside or on a motor vehicle loud enough to be heard 50 feet away, at any hour of the day…

Henrico measures noise by how far it carries and what time it is, not a decibel meter reading. Amplified sound and stereos may not be plainly audible 50 feet away or into a neighbor's…

Backyard smokers count as open-flame cooking devices under the fire code. They may not be used within 10 feet of combustible construction, except at one- and two-family homes or on…

Charcoal and gas grills may not be used on combustible balconies or within 10 feet of combustible construction, except at one- and two-family homes or where decks are sprinklered…

In Henrico's common R-3 One-Family Residence District, a dwelling must have a minimum front yard of 40 feet, interior side yard of 12 feet, street side yard of 25 feet, and rear yard…

Henrico's one-family residence districts (like R-3) do not cap lot coverage by a fixed percentage; instead density is controlled by a minimum lot area (11,000 sq. ft. in R-3) and yard…

In Henrico's R-3 One-Family Residence District, the maximum structure height for a dwelling is 40 feet under Chapter 24, Sec. 24-3309. Height maximums vary by zoning district, and…

In Henrico County a detached shed must sit 10 ft from the house, 6 ft from other structures, 10 ft from street/alley lines, and 3 ft from other lot lines. It cannot exceed 20 ft tall…

Henrico County allows one accessory dwelling unit per lot, only accessory to a single-family detached home. It cannot exceed 800 sq ft or 35% of the main house, must share the address…

Henrico County has no standalone garage-conversion ordinance, but converting a garage into livable space needs a USBC building permit. If the conversion creates a separate living unit…

Henrico County has no separate tiny-home ordinance. A tiny house on wheels, an RV, or a travel trailer cannot be used as a dwelling or ADU. A tiny house on a permanent foundation that…

Henrico County lets a lot post up to two non-illuminated signs, each no larger than 1 square foot or 4 feet tall, without a permit. Garage-sale signs cannot be attached to trees or…

In Henrico County's residential and agricultural districts, temporary noncommercial signs (including political signs) need no permit but cannot exceed 16 square feet in aggregate per…